Either way it’s a huge event for Apple, and even though we are an Android site, it’s still a good idea to keep up with what the competition is doing. Plus, many of us use both platforms. So here’s everything that Apple announced today at WWDC 2022.
iOS 16
iOS 16 debuted today at WWDC 2022, and some of the rumors were right. The lockscreen is finally getting an update. With iOS 16, you’ll be able to switch up photos on your lockscreen all-day long, as well as add widgets and so much more. Notifications also roll in at the very bottom of the screen now. Which should make for a cleaner lockscreen. The first developer beta for iOS 16 is going to be available today, while the public beta will likely come next month. The final release will come shortly after the iPhone event in September – barring any delays with the iPhone 14 release this year.
iPad OS 16
iPad OS 16 brings a lot of features we’ve seen in iOS 16 and macOS Ventura. Like Passkeys, which are going to mark the end of passwords, at least Apple wants to think that. Live Captions in FaceTime are also coming, as well as collaboration in Messages. On the M1 iPads, you’ll be able to use Freeform and resize apps. The iPad OS 16 developer beta will come out today, with the public beta next month and the final build in the fall.
Watch OS 9
Watch OS this year, is focusing on a lot of health and fitness features. Which makes sense, as that’s the biggest reason a lot of people buy an Apple Watch. There’s a new medications app that can be used to remind you to take your medicine, and it can be shared with family members, so your significant other can see if you’ve taken your medicine or not. Watch faces are getting a slight facelift, and will allow you to edit the background color for these watch faces now. There’s also a redesigned calendar app, custom workouts and more. Like with the other platforms, Watch OS 9’s developer beta is available today, with the public beta next month. The full release will be in the fall, just ahead of the Series 8 release.
macOS Ventura
macOS Ventura was announced at WWDC 2022 today. Which is the latest version of macOS, we are not yet sure if this will be macOS 13 or not, but pretty likely. This update isn’t super large, but it does bring in quite a few new features for Safari and Mail. With Safari, you’re getting Shared Tab Groups which you can share with others (friends and family) for planning and such. There’s also PassKeys which are going to replace Passwords. Which will be harder to hack and phish, that’s always important here. macOS Ventura’s first beta will be available later today, and the stable build will be available around September/October of this year.
Apple Silicon M2
Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, depending on the rumors you read, Apple announced M2 today. It’s a somewhat modest upgrade from the M1 chipset, only being about 18% better in performance. But it does add two GPU cores. Making it 8 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores. The unified memory has also been increased to 24GB. It’s being built on the second-generation 5nm process as well. Which means it’s about the same size as M1, but a bit more efficient.
Apple MacBook Air
The redesigned MacBook Air is finally here, and some of the renders were wrong. Thankfully, Apple did not go with white bezels like the iMac has. But it did bring in the notch. It is basically a hybrid of the old MacBook Air and the 14-inch MacBook Pro it announced last year. So it’s no longer wedge-shaped, but does bring in MagSafe. And the Touchbar is now gone. The MacBook Air will be available next month for $1099. The older M1 MacBook Air will stick around for $999.
Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch
Surprisingly, the MacBook Pro 13-inch is getting updated, though barely. It is essentially the same MacBook Pro 13-inch that was announced with M1 back in 2020. The bezels are still pretty thick, and there’s no notch. But it also has the touchbar. So if you liked the touchbar, this is the only MacBook available now with one. The new MacBook Pro 13-inch will be available next month for $1299. Slotting it between the $1099 MacBook Air and the $1999 MacBook Pro 14.
