Finally, Apple WWDC 2023 has opened. Apple's AR device 'Apple Vision Pro' has finally been unveiled. In addition, new visionOS, watch OS, iPad OS, macOS were released, and Apple-created apps were also released. It unveiled the monstrous M2 Ultra chip and the 15-inch MacBook Air, Mac Studio and Mac Pro. Among the many updates, noteworthy news has been summarized from the designer's point of view.
Apple finally unveiled its AR headset 'Apple Vision Pro'. It's a standalone mixed reality headset with very powerful specs, including an M2 chip (and an R1 companion chip), a 4K display for each eye, nearly a dozen cameras and sensors that allow for hand gesture input and 3D photos. Starting at $3499.
visionOS With the HMD (Head Mounted Display) method, the degree of immersion is adjusted using the crown. When using it afterwards, it is controlled with eyes, hands, and voice without a separate device. Keep your eyes fixed and two fingers apart to select apps and flick your wrist to scroll. You can also give specific control verbally.
UX With a function called 'EyeSight', it is designed to allow people to see 'eyes' that play an important role in communication between people. Existing HMD devices are opaquely covered to give the impression that communication is blocked, but I think it is in the middle of Google Glass and Meta Quest. It is a disappointing experience to have to wear a terminal connected by a line around your waist.
Ethic Optic ID, the next generation of Touch ID and Face ID, was announced. We emphasize privacy and security as we deal with one of the most personal pieces of information, 'eyes'. We also introduced a feature that lets you know if you're taking pictures or videos when using your device. It has been carefully designed so that you don't feel like a company is spying on you.
Contents No matter how cool your technology is, it's hard to achieve great success without killer content to enjoy. They invest heavily in content through Apple TV+, but it is said that Disney Plus content will be provided immediately in collaboration with Disney.
NameDrop You can share contacts just by holding your iPhone close. It works based on Airdrop, Apple's powerful sharing function. Apple Watch also available.
Journal App You can look at the records of my life. I was able to remember what kind of time I spent using photos, but now I can make more diverse and enriched memories through the journal app. It is scheduled for release in September of this year.
StandBy You can use your iPhone like a table clock. Turn your iPhone into a smart display when you lay it on its side. It switches automatically when charging and can display various widgets such as clock, home control, and weather.
New watchOS 10 widgets unveiled. It can be operated using the crown. It is similar to the existing stacked widgets of iOS. It feels natural to turn the crown and bring the layer behind you to the front. Added the ability to track your cycling performance in detail, the ability to know where to make emergency calls, meditation for mindfulness and mood tracking, and more. NameDrop based on AirDrop can also be used on the watch.
You can now place widgets on your desktop as well. You can choose and place widgets that you can use conveniently from the widget gallery. It blends in with your background so you can focus on what you're doing. A consistent experience in the Mac ecosystem is enhanced with the same widgets that you use on mobile. A new video effect, 'Speaker Overlay', shows the presenter on top of the presenting screen.
Recently, Apple's OS is focusing on providing an immersive mode for its purpose, but it has finally started to pay attention to the game mode. As chipset performance has been strengthened, we have built an environment where various game titles can be ported.
It is said to be the thinnest 15-inch laptop. It uses the M2 chip and uses an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. Memory can be configured up to 24GB and storage up to 2TB. It has a MagSafe charger and two Thunderbolt/USB-C ports. Starting at $1299, the existing 14-inch MacBook Air has been reduced to $1099.
Mac Studio, consisting of M2 Max and M2 Ultra, was unveiled. Compared to the M1 Ultra, CPU performance has improved by 20% and GPU performance by 30%. The Neural Engine is 40% fast and can be configured with up to 192GB of RAM. Starting at $1,999.
The Mac Pro Workstation with Apple Silicon has been unveiled. Many people were surprised because it was an unexpected product. A top-of-the-line computer for professionals, powered by the M2 Ultra processor. With a 24-core CPU and up to 76-core GPU, it's up to 7x faster than the existing Intel-based Mac Pro base lineup. Starting at $6,999.
Apple calls the Apple Vision Pro a Spatial Computer. I also think that I am really good at expressing the value conveyed using technology. I was surprised and glad that Kojima suddenly appeared. I wish Apple would pay more attention to games, but it still seems like a long way to go. I also think it would be nice if you could focus on a new game using AR.
As expected, the times are increasingly shifting towards our body-centric interfaces. In addition, a new syntax, Spatial UI, is growing. Apple, the world's UX captain, participated in the war, and we are looking forward to future changes whether it will be like smart home or IoT or the next mobile UI.
