The 5 Most Important Things Apple Just Announced at WWDC
Apple's Wordwide Developer Conference kicked off yesterday with a keynote highlighting changes to the company's upcoming software platforms. For developers, the week-long conference is a look at the technologies they'll be able to use as they build or update their apps. For the rest of us, it's a fun look at the features you'll be able to use on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Watch starting this fall.
I also wrote about one feature that I think will make a very big impact for businesses and consumers in my Inc.com column this morning--Apple's new Apple Pay Later.
With that in mind, here are the five things Apple announced that I thnk are going to make the biggest difference to iPhone, iPad, and Mac users:
New Lock Screens + Widgets
Rumors suggest Apple is working on bringing an always-on display to at least some of the next iPhone models this year. The changes it made to the Lock Screen in iOS 16 sure feel like they are preparing the way.
Not only does the Lock Screen now look and feel different, but it's more useful as well. You can now add widgets to the lock screen for glanceable information like the weather, your next appointment, or your fitness rings. Obviously, as more developers add this functionality to their own apps, this will get even more useful.
Messages
Messages got three new features worth mentioning. You can now edit messages, undo send, and mark them as unread. Of the three, editing is likely the one most people will get excited about, but honestly, I think the latter is the most interesting.
I'm not sure using your message inbox as a todo list is the best productivity tip, but the truth is, there are plenty of times you read a message and think "I need to respond to that later," only to forget.
As for the ability to edit messages, the only question I have is, if Apple can do it, what is Twitter waiting for?
M2 MacBook Air
We did see a little hardware, most notably the M2 MacBook Air, which sports a completely new design that follows the Pro laptop upgrade last year. It's thinner, lighter, and now comes in Starlight and Midnight as well as Space Gray and Silver. The M2 is obviously the highlight, and Apple says it's both faster and more efficient than the M1 (which was already ridiculously good).
The 13-inch MacBook Pro also got the M2, but little else is changed about what Apple says is the "world's second-best selling laptop." I guess if people keep buying it, why bother?
iPad Multitasking
Apple first introduced what it called "Stage Manager" as a multitasking mode on macOS but it was pretty clear immediately that this was a very iOS-y feature. Sure enough, it's right there on iPadOS.
It's not exactly the free-form windowing that people want on the iPad, but it's definitely a huge step in the right direction. You can layer windows, resize them, and even group them to launch together. External display support is also improved, allowing you to open separate apps on different monitors.
Linked Focus Modes
Apple expanded the Focus feature beyond the ability to control notifications and which apps appear on your home screen. Now you can change the Lock Screen depending on the Focus you've enabled. Even better, you can enable or disable content within apps based on the set Focus.
So, for example, you could decide which Safari tabs are viewable in a "Work" focus, or you could automatically toggle off different email accounts and calendars. This is a really smart extension of a feature that was already a super useful way to better control how we use our devices on a regular basis.
You can watch the entire keynote here:
Other WWDC News
Apple WWDC 2022: iOS 16, macOS Ventura, M2 MacBook Air, and more - The Verge — www.theverge.com Apple made a ton of major announcements at WWDC this year, giving us a glimpse at iOS 16, macOS 13 Ventura, the M2-upgraded MacBook Air and Pro, and much more. Here’s a roundup of all the big news.
Analysts cheer Apple's continued chip developments following WWDC — www.cnbc.com Analysts continue to bet on Apple and remain impressed by the technology giant's continued foray into its chipmaking.
The Morning After: Everything important from WWDC 2022 — finance.yahoo.com Apple unveils iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, the M2 and, of course, a redesigned MacBook Air.
Here’s everything Apple just announced at the WWDC 2022 keynote – TechCrunch — techcrunch.com It’s WWDC keynote time! Each year Apple kicks off its Worldwide Developer Conference with a few hours of back-to-back-to-back announcements, generally covering things from iOS to watchOS to — sometimes! — new hardware. Didn’t have time to tune in? We get it! We’ve wrapped up all of the biggest news in an easy-to-skim digest. iOS […]