Apple WWDC 2023: What are the company’s new products? MacBook Air, iOS 17, M2 Ultra

Apple held its annual Worldwide Developer Conference on Monday where it revealed upgrades to its product lines that are bigger and faster along with an ambitious new product line that will take you into the virtual world. The latter was the most highly anticipated, the new Apple Vision Pro, the tech company’s foray into virtual reality/augmented reality headsets.

But that wasn’t the only thing Apple fans got a first look at. Keeping with tradition, Apple presented a range of software upgrades along with some hardware. This year there was a surprise announcement with the unveiling of a new Mac Pro powered by the company’s own silicon inside, the last line to do away with Intel chips. Here’s a look at what was announced at Cupertino.

Apple Vision Pro

Several tech companies have already put forth augmented reality hardware but it has failed to gain large-scale appeal but perhaps that will change with the new Apple Vision Pro. Unlike other VR/AR headsets, the user’s eyes will be projected on the front of what looks like a pair of ski goggles. Inside the screen will project live images with the virtual images overlaid. At $3,499, the price is higher than what many had expected. They will be available early next year.

Mac 15-inch

The MacBook Air line got its largest version yet that comes with a 15-inch screen. The new addition to the much-loved light and thin line will weigh just three pounds and have a thickness of just 11.5mm. It will have six speakers and Apple says the battery will keep it running for 18 hours.

Mac Pro

Apple unleashed a surprise beast of a machine with the new Mac Pro which will have the company’s new M2 Ultra chip inside. This is the last product line to ditch Intel processors. The 24-core CPU and up to 76-core GPUs will make it up to seven times faster than older versions of the workstations for professionals.

Apple other hardware upgrades

As mentioned, Apple will be launching a new line of chips based on the M2 line launched in 2022. Customers will have the option of M2 Max and M2 Ultra in Mac Studio replacing the choice of M1 Max and M1 Ultra. It will give developers the ability to build new apps with vastly more speed than with the prior version, as much as 25 times faster.

Apple upgrades software features

As always, Apple announced a slew of new software and features that will be coming. These included iOS 17 for the iPhone along with tweaks to three apps, Phone, Facetime, and Messages. As well, iPad will get an upgraded iOS 17 which will add Health app and lock screen features available on iPhone and more. Macs will be getting an improved operating system called Sonoma with interactive widgets and a new gaming functionality among other things.

Apple Watch and AirPods will be getting smarter using machine learning and adaptive audio, respectively.