iOS 16 for iPhone, MacBook Air, M2 chip

CNBC’s Steve Kovach stopped Apple CEO Tim Cook after the keynote ended and asked whether supply lines in China are opening up:

Apple just announced iPadOS 16, its latest software for iPads. It packs in new features for “pro” users who like to do a lot of things at the same time.

• Collaboration: let’s two people easily work on documents together from iPads. Users can message one another or start a FaceTime call to discuss what they’re working on. You can also see which tabs users are looking at in the tabs bar.
• Freeform: Apple is introducing a new app called Freeform later this year. It’s a collaborative whiteboard app that lets people work on a document at the same time. It seems a lot like what’s been available in Microsoft Office and Google Docs for years.

• Apple is rolling out Stage Manager, which will let you overlay apps and change window sizes. This means you should be able to see more of your open apps at the same time, although it falls short of being able to have lots of open windows at once as you might on a Mac or Windows computer. It’s clear Apple is still trying to keep iPad software functions very separate from Mac.
• You’ll be able to do more when you attach an external monitor to an iPad running on an M1 chip. Apple said you’ll be able to move your mouse and keyboard onto the external display and interact with more apps at the same time.

— Jessica Bursztynsky

Apple just announced macOS Ventura, its new software for Macs.

Here’s what’s new:

• With the stage manager feature, users can more easily organize open windows. It groups apps together on the side and allows users to toggle through groupings of different windows.

• The Mac’s spotlight search bar has more results and the ability to take actions like setting a timer.
• Mail will have the ability to undo sent messages and have a more powerful search suggestion bar.
• Shared tab groups in the Safari web browser to share groups of links with friends.
• Passkeys, a password alternative that can be created using TouchID.
• Another new feature lets you use your iPhone as a webcam.

—Lauren Feiner

Apple just announced a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip. The external appearance itself, though, doesn’t seem to be getting much of a revamp.

The newest MacBook Pro starts at $1,299. Apple didn’t provide exact release dates, but said it will be released next month. The company’s Mac production has been severely slowed by Covid-related lockdowns in China.

Apple is promising up to 20 hours of battery life, along with an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU and up to 24 GB of memory with the new Macbook Pro.

— Jessica Bursztynsky

Apple just announced a new MacBook Air that runs on its new M2 processor.

The MacBook Air comes in four colors: space grey, starlight, midnight and silver. It will cost $1199 and Apple will still sell the earlier MacBook Air with its M1 chip.

It’s charged with Apple’s MagSafe and has two Thunderbolt ports.

Apple says it takes up 25% less volume than the last MacBook Air. It’s 2.7 pounds and will have a 13.6″ display with thinner borders than its predecessor.

The new MacBook Air has 18-hour battery life for watching video.

Apple didn’t provide an exact launch date except that it will be released next month. Apple’s Mac production has been severely slowed by lockdowns in china

— Kif Leswing and Lauren Feiner

Apple just announced its latest chip, the M2. It’s the successor to Apple’s M1 chip that’s used in Macs and iPads. The M2 will make its debut in the new MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, also announced on Monday.

The chip will include 25% more transistors and 50% more bandwidth than M1.

Apple said it’s focused on power-efficient performance, maximizing speed performance while limiting the amount of power needed to do so.

— Lauren Feiner

Apple just announced watchOS 9, its latest software for the Apple Watch.

The update will include new long-awaited sleep tracking features so users can see how long they’re in each sleep stage. Users will see sleep stage data on Apple Watch in the Sleep app and can view more detailed information on their iPhones.

The workout app is also being revamped to include features like heart rate zones and new running metrics to track how efficiently you run.

Users will also be able to track and manage their medications, vitamins and supplements with the Health app. The medications feature will let users create a medications list, set up schedules and reminders, and view information on their medications in the Health app. 

As part of the update, Apple is rolling out a new Siri user interface and new banner notifications. Users can also search for new podcasts on the watch. WatchOS 9 will additionally include new watch faces, including an astronomy face and the lunar calendar.

— Jessica Bursztynsky

Apple didn’t announce an actual car itself on Monday, but it revealed a major update to CarPlay, Apple’s in-dash software for iPhones. Apple says the new software has “deep integration with the car’s hardware,” and can control functions like air conditioning and display widgets. So, your iPhone will communicate with your car and provide all the data on the screens of your car, like your speed, how much gas is left, maps, rpm and more. Apple is working with companies like Ford, Nissan and more to support the next generation of CarPlay and said the next vehicles that support it will start to be announced late next year. Apple did not announce any supported vehicles. — Kif Leswing

Apple introduced a new feature called Safety Check that enables users to quickly turn off all services and apps being shared with the user’s family, like location, or whether a user’s texts go to other devices aside from their phone.

Apple said the feature was designed in partnership with women’s groups, and is designed to make it easier to stay private and protect personal data and safety when leaving a relationship. — Kif Leswing

Apple just announced its buy now, pay later product, Apple Pay Later, which will allow you to buy things wherever Apple Pay is accepted and then pay for it over four payments over six weeks. Apple says there are no fees.

Shares of Affirm, a competing service, are down about 6% on the news.

Users will be able to manage their payments through the Wallet app. The company is also rolling out order tracking through the wallet.

Apple has been rumored to get into the buy now, pay later space for about a year now. The feature is attractive to consumers who want to buy pricey products but don’t have all of the funds at once.

— Jessica Bursztynsky

Apple has added three major features to its messaging app, Messages. If the message is an iMessage, not an SMS text, then users will be able to edit messages, recall messages sent by mistake, and snooze texts so users can handle them later. These small tweaks will change how nearly 1 billion people send texts. — Kif Leswing

Apple just announced iOS 16, the latest software for iPhones.

It’s the “biggest update ever to lockscreen, completely reimagining how it works,” Apple SVP of software engineering Craig Federighi said. It’s a brand new look that allows users to customize the lock screen with widgets — which have already been available on the home screen — by pressing and holding. Widgets are small icons that users can click on to quickly access tools like the weather app.

Here’s what’s new:

• A more customizable lock screen that allows users to adjust the time and date font and color. It also lets users shuffle their background photos throughout the day or choose animated backgrounds.

• Notifications on the lock screen will move to the bottom of the screen so they don’t cover up their background photo when their phone is locked.

• The focus feature expandedto the lock screen to allow users to choose how to filter notifications, like to focus just on work-related or personal messages.
• On iMessage, Apple added options to edit messages, unsend and mark threads at unread.
• SharePlay will expand to iMessage, so users can watch or listen to media simultaneously so they’re able to stop and start in the same spot.

• The software update will make it easier to switch between typing and dictation as well.
• Additional functionality to its Live Text feature that makes to copy text from photos.
• A new way for small merchants to accept Apple Pay directly from a tap with the iPhone, without additional hardware.
• A new buy now, pay later option.
• On Maps, Apple made it easier to see transit fares in travel directions.
• The Family Sharing tool will have an easier way to set up new devices with parental control settings.

• A new shared iCloud library to make it easier to share photos with family and friends.

• A Safety Check center that allows users to quickly revoke location access to other users, a feature Apple said is meant to give back control to survivors of domestic violence.
• More organized smart home controls.

• CarPlay update that will allow drivers to control air conditioning, radio and more, that will be integrated by several automakers, with the new cars being announced late next year.

— Kif Leswing & Lauren Feiner

Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared live-on stage to kick off the WWDC event. He spoke briefly and turned it over to software chief Craig Federighi, who led the crowd in a cheer of “go developers!” — Kif Leswing

People are starting to make their way to their seats ahead of the keynote. It’s pre-recorded, so there are lots of big screens for everyone to tune in from. And I like that there’s a shaded area.

— Kif Leswing

Apple’s annual developer conference, WWDC, is all about catering to software developers. They’re the folks who build apps for the Mac, iPhone, iPad, Watch and TV. This is usually when Apple unveils new tools for them, and big new updates for the iPhone, iPad and other platforms. Apple is reportedly gearing up to announce a big new iPad software update that adds better multitasking, so you can run more apps at the same time side-by-side. And the iPhone is expected to get new updates to the lock screen. It may also announce new MacBook Airs. However, unlike the September iPhone events, WWDC is usually more focused on software than hardware. And, typically, the software that’s announced at WWDC rolls out to everyone sometime in the fall.

–Todd Haselton

WWDC is gathering Apple developers and press for the first time in two years. But the event is also a homecoming for many Apple employees who have been working remotely for the past two years because of the pandemic. Some employees are meeting their teammates in person for the first time, like those who have traveled from other major Apple offices, like its facility in Austin, Texas. Apple started requiring corporate employees to return to the office earlier this year. — Kif Leswing

The Apple Store website is down, which suggests that Apple might also announce new products during the WWDC 2022 event. It still seems a little early to announce the augmented reality headset, so my bet is on some sort of new Macs. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggested over the weekend that Apple may be ready to announce a redesigned MacBook Air. It will reportedly include MagSafe charging, the latest Apple processor and new colors.

— Todd Haselton

We’re here for WWDC 2022. Here are a couple of pictures of the campus. It’s a gorgeous day.

Apple’s been working on a headset for years. Reports have suggested it could launch in either 2022 or 2023. It’s the one product that’s top of mind for everyone right now, since it would be an entirely new product area for Apple. It could make sense for CEO Tim Cook and the team to announce the software for the headset, reportedly called realityOS, since this is a developer-focused event with folks who would build the apps for the device. However, Bloomberg recently suggested that we may not get a look. Still, we might get hints about what Apple is planning. The company may build some tools into existing software to allow developers to make virtual or augmented reality versions of their existing applications. If that happens, we know the headset can’t be far off. Or maybe we’ll be surprised and we’ll get a teaser or full announcement.

–Todd Haselton

We’re live from the Worldwide Developers Conference for the first time since the pandemic started. Apple invited some media and developers to its headquarters in Cupertino, California, to watch the keynote. But there are a few differences from prior years. For one, we’re at the headquarters instead of the San Jose conference center where Apple held the event for several years prior to the pandemic.

And the keynote isn’t live like in the past. Instead, we’ll be watching a pre-recorded version just like everyone tuning in from home. Still, it shows that big tech events are starting to return to some version of normalcy. Google’s developer conference in May was also held in person but wasn’t open to much of the press.

— Kif Leswing