Tag Archives: WWDC 2023

[WWDC 2023] The Apple Vision Pro – The Apple Computer on Your Face

Apple’s WWDC 2023 seems to be a big one. They announced a new iOS. They also announced their ultra-powerful (no pun intended) Apple M2 Ultra integrated chip that powers their newly announced Mac Studio desktop beast. The most shocking and interesting announcement they did though is not their new large format desktop with their most powerful integrated chip ever. They announced a sort of wearable headset that comes packing two processors. They call it the Vision Pro.

They referred to the Apple Vision Pro not really as a Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR) machine though, funnily enough. They referred to the headset as a Spatial Computing tool, a sort of headset that “seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world”. So, an AR goggle it is, except it is a little different compared to the VR/AR goggles that we are used to these days.

Instead of dedicated controllers or physical navigation interfaces, the main interface with Vision Pro is gestures. You can technically connect other form of controller interfaces with the Apple Vision Pro, especially if you want to play traditional games on it. But it is designed to be controlled via your body and hand gestures almost entirely.

We mentioned two processors powering this new Vision Pro. It comes with an Apple standard M2 silicon integrated chip. Alongside that chip is Apple’s R1 chip. The R1 chip works alongside the M2 as an image controller and processor. Instead of crunching mathematical issues like the M2, the R1 controls feeds from 12 different cameras, five sensors, and six microphones that translates to navigation across the interface on the Vision Pro.

Apple WWCD23 Vision Pro VisionOS 230605
Source: Apple

For the Vision Pro, they introduced an entirely new interface they call the VisionOS. They say that the the VisionOS will have access to the App Store and most of the apps made for the iPhone and the iPad. It even has access to FaceTime and allows you to take FaceTime calls with Spatial Audio if you like. Rather than your participants watching you wear a comically large headset, they see you as an avatar that you commonly see in iMessage. Your participants even get to see the entire body being represented in the video call with all the delicate finger movements and everything thanks to the highly advanced cameras and sensors. Apple even says that you can technically watch movies at what feels like 100-inch displays via the Vision Pro.

How they achieved this feat is by fitting two micro-OLED displays that offer up to 23 million pixels combined. Apple says that the micro-OLED displays are only at the size of a stamp and offers HDR and wide colour gamut coverage for the most accurate and immersive experience on an AR goggle you can get. They can even fit a Zeiss optical correction inserts into the Vision Pro if it is required by users. For Spatial Audio, there are speakers that are fitted right into the head band near your ears and works with the sensors within the Vision Pro to create a surround sound feel to your space. It can even be used wirelessly at up to two hours at a time. If not, just keep yourself tethered to a charge point for an all-day use. The proprietary battery pack has to be attached externally though, and you will still have a running cable from the battery pack to the headset.

  • Apple WWCD23 Vision Pro with battery 230605
  • Apple WWCD23 Vision Pro VisionOS 230605
  • Apple WWCD23 Vision Pro Light Seal and Digital Crown 230605
  • Apple WWCD23 Vision Pro lifestyle working 230605
  • Apple WWCD23 Vision Pro lifestyle with battery FaceTime 230605
  • Apple WWCD23 Vision Pro Head Band 230605
  • Apple WWCD23 Vision Pro glass 230605

So how much for all this innovation? A cool US$ 3,499 (MYR 16,114*), according to Apple. It will be available in the United States only for now and is only coming next year in 2024. Apple says that they will be bring the device to more regions in 2024 but did not specify which regions. We are not expecting the Vision Pro to make it into Malaysia at the same time as any other region though. There are no confirmations that the Apple Vision Pro will make it anywhere near the region too, so we are not entirely hopeful as well about its local availability. For more information on the Apple Vision Pro, you can head out to their website.

*approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.61 as of 07/06/2023 on xe.com

[WWDC 2023] iOS 17 is Here, and it is More Personal Than Ever!

At WWDC 2023, the one that just happened, we expected a new iOS, and we got a new iOS for the not so new iPhone, and it is a major one. The iOS 17 replaces the iOS 16 and it is technically better than the older iOS in some ways. No, you do not get a new iPhone to come along the new iOS. Yes, it is still the same iOS that you have come to know and love. The people from Cupertino have made a few minor improvements that might majorly change your user experience though.

New Phone App, Who Dis?

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  • Apple WWDC23 iOS 17 Contact Posters Hari Nair 230605
  • Apple WWDC23 iOS 17 Contact Posters Vivian Chou 230605
  • Apple WWDC23 iOS 17 Live Voicemail 230605

One of the minor things they changed is the Phone app. It is a minor change but huge experience improvement, supposedly anyway. Instead of a boring plain screen with the usual ‘swipe to answer’ slider and a few other buttons, you can now customise what appears on the caller screen. You can choose a photo that not only appears in a small circle, but fill the entire screen with the photo, just so that you know is calling. You can even change the fonts that shows the name of the caller, just to add some flavour to your friend’s caller ID screen. If you want, you can even add emojis to it. They call it Contact Poster and it does not just work with the default phone app. Apple says that Contact Poster is also available for third-party apps, so you can expect your Telegram and WhatsApp calls.

If you are not available to listen to voicemails, the app also now does real-time transcriptions. That way you can just read your voicemail like it is a text from your friend. You can either choose to reply to your friend via messenger apps or the default messaging app. It even cleverly filters out identified spam calls even when they leave a message.

New Messages Too, Who Dat?

  • Apple WWDC23 iOS 17 iPhone 14 Pro 3 up 230605
  • Apple WWDC23 iOS 17 Check In 3up 230605

iOS 17 also updated the iMessage app. While stickers have been a feature for the iMessage app for a while now, they have improved the experience with the 17th iteration of iOS. You can now create Live Stickers, allowing users to quickly create stickers out of their everyday subjects and environments in an instant. All that can be done through the iMessage app itself.

Apple has also overhauled the search engine for their messaging app. It is more precise, more powerful, and much more accurate this time. There is a new catch-up arrow tat allows users to know where their conversations trailed off or where they left their conversation. You can easily reply to different text lines too on the app by just swiping the desired bubble. Live Locations is also a new feature added to the app. Even audio messages can be turned into a text with the new app with Live Transcription. Rather than texting your loved one that you have arrived at your destination safely, the app allows you to quickly Check In to quickly send out notifications to your family members and friends with is a single click. Your emergency contact will also receive information on your location, battery level, and cell service status when you are not making any progress to your destination.

Autocorrect and dictation is now better than ever. Instead of just picking predicted words, you can form full sentences with Autocorrect now. Based on how you type, and the kind of words you like to use, the algorithm can easily complete your sentences as quick as you can hit the spacebar. There is a new speech recognition model too that is supposed to be more accurate for Dictation.

FaceTime, Now on Apple TV

Leaving voice messages is one thing, you could never have left a video message, not like what you do with FaceTime now. Instead of hanging up the video call, you can just directly leave a voice or video message right on the FaceTime app itself. You do not have to hang up and then record a video, or a voice mail and send it to them via your messenger anymore, which adds a layer of convenience to FaceTime that has never been seen before.

FaceTime now also allows users to express like never before. You can be more expressive with the addition of Reactions in FaceTime now. For iPhone users, it is not just FaceTime that gets the feature though, other video calling apps can also take advantage of the new features.

They also made FaceTime even more accessible than ever before. The Apple TV 4K now supports FaceTime with the new update. In fact, the new update will also install FaceTime to Apple tvOS by default. Users can now start video calls directly from their Apple TV hardware and use the cameras from their iPhones or iPads. You can even start the call from your iOS devices and pass the call on to the Apple TV. Center Stage also makes it to FaceTime for Apple TV.

AirDrop, NameDrop, Drop Whatever You Want to Each Other

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  • Apple WWDC23 iOS 17 AirPlay connect 230605

AirDrop is the one feature that Android users wish they had, and it is now better than ever. NameDrop now allows users to quickly share contact information by just putting their iPhones close to the other iPhone they want to share information with. You can even do that with Apple Watch devices. AirDrop now also works with SharePlay feature to share music quickly from one iPhone to the other. They also say that you can share a game session with another iPhone user all from using AirDrop bringing all kinds of possibilities for mobile multiplayer gaming.

Everything Else

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  • Apple WWDC23 iOS 17 StandBy photo album 230605
  • Apple WWDC23 iOS 17 StandBy Calendar 230605
  • Apple WWDC23 iOS 17 StandBy Apple Music 230605
  • Apple WWDC23 iOS 17 Privacy 230605
  • Apple WWDC23 iOS 17 Maps offline 230605
  • Apple WWDC23 iOS 17 Journal recent activity 230605
  • Apple WWDC23 iOS 17 Journal prompts 230605
  • Apple WWDC23 iOS 17 Health emotion 230605

Since wireless charging and docking has been a thing now, your iPhone with iOS 17 can be more than just a smartphone you put on the wireless charging station. It can sort of become a quick info hub on the side of your bed, or your workstation with the new StandBy feature. There is also a new Journal app that helps users take notes and keep a log of their daily lives. You can even include photos and videos in the journals app to keep tabs on what you have been up to. They have improve Safari and its Private Browsing functions and protection. There is a new Health app that offers new mental health check and measuring features. Maps is also now available in offline mode, if you need to still find your way around without data. They even improved the Home app so that you can track your use data in the past 30 days. Of course, your Privacy is now more important than ever in iOS 17 with more parental control options and a new Sensitive Content Warning feature that also helps adults navigate the web safely.

Availability

iOS 17 is now available on Beta for developers on the developer link. You technically can sign up as a developer and try out the beta version for yourself. If not, they are releasing a public beta in a month’s time. They have not mentioned the availability of the full-fledged iOS 17 just yet. We are guessing it will be available about a month after the public beta is released. More information on iOS 17 can be found on their website.