Apple Unveils New System Upgrades Alongside New MacBooks During WWDC Keynote

US tech giant Apple have lifted the veil from their long-kept secrets, showing the new flashy specs of their upgraded systems, the iOS 16, iPadOS 16, WatchOS 9 and newly-christened macOS Ventura, along with the newest in their line of MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros.

Okay, so there may not have been any physical iPhones, iPads, or even Apple Watches. It seems that many people from within the industry were wrong in their predictions that the company would be unveiling the new devices, as it appears the company will hold off on revealing them to the world until sometime later in the year.

However, we did get to see important updates regarding the new systems which are more than likely to accommodate the new hardware, when it inevitably comes out to the public. Apple began their presentation showcasing their new iOS 16 systems, which comes with a number of impressive new features.

iOS 16

Initially, let’s just say that the rumours going around about the addition of widgets were more than a bit on point, as users will have the ability to add and remove a number of different widgets, such as weather, calendar, alarm, etc. as they see fit. iOS 16 will give users the option to customise their lock screen, changing the font and colour of their clock and showing their favourite photos.

Additionally, they’ll be able to customise a number of different lock screens and switch between them on the fly. Notifications will now take up a less significant portion of the home screen, appearing down the bottom in an expanded list view, stacked list view or hidden view. Live activities will give users the chance to remain updated on the things they’re interested in, such as the result of an ongoing sports game or the delivery of a pizza.

The new lock screen will give users the options of adding and removing widgets as they see fit. Source: Apple Inc.

Users will also be able to add several stops on their route with Maps, while Apple Pay will give them the option of multiple payments on a single product. Siri will have pre-installed functions for all apps without the need for any setup by the users.

Beyond that however, there are several key functions that will be available across all of Apple’s compatible devices.

iPadOS 16, WatchOS 9 and all the rest…

One of them is the ability to edit or unsend a message that has already been sent or to mark it as unread if a user isn’t in a position to read it at that moment. Messages will also have the new SharePlay option, allowing people to watch a show at the same time as someone else via Apple TV+.

Mail will have an improved Search function and will come with a few neat new features, such as the ability to unsend an already sent email (finally!), the scheduling of an email, along with the addition of follow-ups to an email and rich links.

But one of the most impressive features to the new system upgrades is undoubtedly the AR integration which will allow users to interact with their photos like never before. Thanks to the new technologies, people will have the option of isolating certain aspects -such as a person- from their photos and removing the entire background. Imagine the meme possibilities!

Also, now the new systems will be able to read any form of text from video, with users being able to copy-paste it to another document of their choice. Pretty nifty! And it gets better. Any text read by the device’s camera will automatically be translated by the device itself. For example, if you’re using a phone and you spot the address of a random website that you’d like to visit later on, all you need to do is turn the camera to it and you’ll receive a prompt to visit the website.

Among the other cool new features was that announced during the show was the seamless FaceTime transition between the phone’s camera and the MacBook’s. Without the need to push any buttons, the camera of one device immediately recognises the other and switches automatically. However, users will also be able to use their iPhones camera as a webcam as well, again without the need for any other settings.

Macbook Air and MacBook Pro

In the hardware department, Apple also showed the world a glimpse of their new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. The former will be available in two new colours compared to its previous version, that only came in silver and “starlight” (gold), with the addition of “midnight” (navy blue) and “space grey” (dark grey) to the mix. Powered by the company’s newly revealed M2 chip, the latest MacBook Air will be over 1.4 times faster than the M1 model, with close to 18 hours of battery life.

Its two thunderbolt and single MagSafe ports will ensure that it can be charged in just under 20 minutes, giving users the speed they require.

The new MacBook Airs come in two new colours, in addition to the silver and gold. Source: Apple Inc.

As for the new MacBook Pro, that will be a bit smaller than its previous version (down to a 13” screen compared to its previous 14” and 16” options), but with the power of the M2 chip will also be capable of greater feats. The new Touch Bar will help users on all their editing, giving them the capability of adding and removing any functions as they see fit.

The new MacBooks will be available next month, according to Apple.