Apple WWDC23 Biggest Announcements: Vision Pro, visionOS, iOS17, 15-Inch MacBook Air And More

Apple had boasted that this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, despite being majorly an online event, would be one of the biggest. Needless to say, the iPhone maker did not disappoint.

The WWDC23 started off with a bang as Apple rained one big announcement after another. This year's WWDC is quite different as Apple included several new hardware announcements in an event that's usually intended for developers, software products, and platforms. Let's look at the major hardware and software announcements that Apple made on the first day of WWDC23.

The latest version of Apple's operating system for the iPhone arrives with several new features and improvements. iOS 17 improves the communications experience across iPhone devices, FaceTime, and Messages. It also makes sharing easier with AirDrop and introduces a new app called Journal.

Apple has designed the Vision Pro headset to combine the real and digital worlds both for the wearer and those around them. The primary interface displays apps over top of the real world for the wearer. Meanwhile, people nearby can see the wearer's eyes through the device using an external display feature that Apple calls EyeSight.

Apple has embedded the M2 and a new R1 chip inside the Vision Pro headset for real-time sensor processing. It is powered by visionOS, which allows the device to layer virtual apps and icons atop the real world, allowing users to use eye tracking, their hand, and voice, to navigate through the system.

Lock Screen now supports Live Activities. The newly introduced feature offers users real-time updates directly on their lock screen, which could include live updates from a sports match, food delivery tracking, or travel plans.

Additionally, the interactive widgets feature allows users to take actions directly through the widget without the need to open the respective app. These new widgets can perform tasks such as playing music, managing reminders, and controlling smart home features.

Apple has also given iPad users the Health app, which originally debuted on iPhones in 2014. This comprehensive app syncs data from Apple Watch and iPhone but can also be used standalone, providing users with insights into their health and wellness.

With the improved Stage Manager feature included in the iPadOS 17, the Apple iPad can finally become a reliable multi-tasking tablet. The Stage Manager feature enables multitasking by allowing multiple app windows to be open at once. It offers more flexibility in window resizing and positioning, further enhancing productivity on the iPad.

macOS Sonoma brings with it more powerful and personal Widgets, claimed Apple. The latest macOS update has new desktop widgets, while the Continuity feature allows iPhone users to transfer existing iOS widgets to Macs. These devices only need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

Apple announced a significant update to Private Browsing on Safari with advanced tracking and fingerprinting protections. Safari locks Private Browsing windows when users are not using them.

Apple also introduced a new Gaming Mode via macOS Sonoma. will prioritize games' access to CPU and GPU resources on Macs that use Apple's custom silicon chips to deliver improved performance. Game Mode also lowers audio latency with AirPods and input latency with popular game controllers.

With M2 Ultra powering the new Mac Pro, the Mac transition to Apple silicon is now complete. In other words, all of Apple's devices are now running on the company's own proprietary System on a Chip (SoC).

The M2 Ultra features a 24-core CPU with 16 next-gen performance cores and eight next-gen efficiency cores. Apple claims that the M2 Ultra chip will deliver up to 20 percent faster performance than the M1 Ultra SoC. The GPU on the M2 Ultra packs up to a 76-core GPU that's up to 30 percent faster than the M1 Ultra.

Apple claims the additional 32-core neural engine is up to 40 percent faster than its predecessor. It also features a media engine with twice the capabilities of M2 Max for blazing ProRes acceleration. Apple says, "Rendering 3D effects using Octane on Mac Studio with M2 Ultra is up to 3x faster than Mac Studio with M1 Ultra."

Apple's M2 chipset powers the latest MacBook Air. The SoC features an 8-core CPU (four performance and four efficiency cores), a 10-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. M2 also promises to deliver 100GB/s of memory bandwidth and support up to 24GB of fast unified memory.

The new MacBook Air measures just 11.5mm thick and weighs just 3.3 Lb. (1.5 Kg). It boots macOS Ventura for now, but Apple has promised the new macOS Sonoma operating system will be heading to the new MacBook Air this fall.

With the M2 Ultra inside, Apple claims the Mac Studio is up to 6x faster than the most powerful Intel-based 27-inch iMac, and up to 3x faster than the previous-generation Mac Studio with M1 Ultra.

Similarly, Mac Pro has Apple's most powerful 24-core CPU, an up to 76-core GPU, and starts with twice the memory and SSD storage. The new Mac Pro can also be configured with up to a massive 192GB of memory with 800GB/s of unified memory bandwidth.

The watchOS 10 update brings a significant redesign to several apps, providing users with more information at a glance and easier navigation. Popular apps like Weather, Stocks, Home, Maps, and Messages have been revamped to offer glanceable information.

Apple has also included the Smart Stack feature in watchOS 10. By turning the Digital Crown on any watch face, users can access a stack of relevant widgets that adapt based on their context.

Apart from new watch faces, Apple has also added new features and functions for outdoor activities. Additionally, watchOS 10 also includes the Mindfulness app for Apple Watch, Vision Health, Name Drop, and several other features.