Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference keynote has concluded, and the company has a plethora of exciting announcements to share. For those who missed the live event, here’s a roundup of the most significant reveals (and a groundbreaking reveal for Apple).
visionOS 2: spatial photos and an ultra-wide display for Mac
A person sitting in front of a curved virtual display while using the Vision Pro.
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| Screenshot: Apple |
Apple announced visionOS 2, the first major update for the operating system. New features include machine learning-driven depth in photos, support for an ultrawide virtual Mac display, more intuitive gestures, and a travel mode for train journeys.
Apple also plans to expand Vision Pro availability to more countries, including China, Singapore, Australia, Canada, France, and the UK.
iOS 18: more customisation and privacy to the iPhone
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| Screenshot: Apple |
Apple's upcoming iOS 18 introduces a more customisable Control Centre and the option to freely arrange app icons on the home screen. Users will also be able to lock specific apps, preventing unauthorised access when sharing their devices.
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| Screenshot: Apple |
Other notable updates include a redesigned Photos app and a new Game Mode for iPhone, which minimises background activity to optimise gameplay.
iPhone gains RCS support
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| Image: Apple |
Following last year’s announcement, Apple confirmed that RCS support will arrive with iOS 18, though further details were not provided.
iMessage will also see enhancements, such as the ability to schedule texts and support for SMS messaging via satellite. Additional updates include colourful Tapback options and the ability to bold, underline, and italicise text.
Audio & Home: upgrades to Apple's audio and TV
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Screenshot: Apple |
The forthcoming AirPods Pro software update will introduce Siri Interactions, allowing users to shake their heads to respond to Siri’s announcements. The update will also enhance voice quality and reduce background noise with Voice Isolation.
Apple TV Plus will soon feature “inSights,” allowing users to swipe down on their remote to identify actors and characters in a film or TV show. Users can also discover current songs playing and add them to their Apple Music playlist. The service will automatically display subtitles when the sound is muted and will support 21:9 projectors.
watchOS 11: automatic widget, vitals and training
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| Screenshot: Apple |
watchOS 11 will bring numerous new features, including automatic widget additions based on user needs. The new Vitals app will allow users to monitor essential health metrics at a glance, along with new cycle tracking features, Live Activities, and support for Check In, enabling loved ones to track workouts.
iPadOS 18: Calculator app (finally) with Apple Pencil support
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After more than a decade, the iPad is finally getting a Calculator app. This app includes Math Notes, a feature that allows users to write equations with the Apple Pencil and have them solved by the app.
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| Image: Apple |
Additionally, Apple is launching a Smart Script feature, which uses machine learning to improve handwriting appearance and spell-check notes.
macOS 15 Sequia: iPhone mirroring, Passwords app and Safari highlights
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| Screenshot: Apple |
The next macOS update will allow users to mirror their iPhone on their Mac, facilitating interaction with the iPhone directly from the Mac, including viewing notifications and hearing audio from the mobile device.
A new Highlights feature in Safari will utilise machine learning to highlight interesting parts of a webpage.
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| Image: Apple |
As speculated, Apple has unveiled a new Passwords app to help users manage their login details across various devices. Similar to other password managers like LastPass and 1Password, the app will generate and store passwords. It will be available on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS, and even Windows.
Apple introduces its inaugural AI system for iPhone, iPad, and Mac
In line with the major tech firms capitalising on the AI boom, Apple has unveiled its own AI system. Apple Intelligence is the company’s new personal intelligence platform, integrating powerful generative models at the core of your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. This innovation brings a myriad of new capabilities across Apple’s native applications, such as generating images or summarising text.
Apple Intelligence emphasises security, automatically deciding whether to process requests on-device or via Apple’s private cloud computing server. This system will be available at no cost on the iPhone 15 Pro, as well as on iPads and Macs equipped with an M1 chip or later.
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| Image: Apple |
Apple’s major AI initiative includes a substantial upgrade for Siri. The revamped voice assistant will be more deeply integrated into the iPhone, appearing as a pulsating light on the edge of the device. This update provides users with greater control over their apps, enabling the voice assistant to search for information within specific emails or surface photos of friends. Leveraging large language models (LLMs), Siri will better comprehend user commands and manage follow-up requests and questions.
Siri’s AI upgrade also includes integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot. This new feature allows Siri to determine whether a query is better suited for ChatGPT and seek user permission before sending the request. Users will be able to access ChatGPT via Siri without needing an account, and at no cost.
Apple is rolling out numerous AI features across its apps in iOS 18. This includes summarising emails and generating responses, the Genmoji feature for creating custom emojis based on text prompts, and a new AI image generator called Image Playground.
The Photos app is also receiving AI enhancements, such as natural language search capabilities and the ability to clean up background objects in images, akin to Google’s Magic Eraser. Additionally, Apple is introducing AI-powered transcriptions and summaries to the Notes and Phone apps.