WWDC 2023 recap: Apple Vision Pro, 15in MacBook Air, M2 Ultra & much more

Original Live Blog follows: 

It's time for the big one. Apple o'clock is here. WWDC 2023 – the worldwide developer's conference, known as 'Dub Dub' to many fans – returns at the company's Cupertino headquarters and it's expected to be a bumper issue. 

We're here to blog the run-up to the event – which kicks off at 18:00 BST in the UK (10:00 PDT / 13:00 EDT) – and cover all the big product reveals right throughout the expected-to-be-two-hour presentation. So stay tuned for some major Apple announcements. 

So what can you expect? Well, great banter, but of course. But, critically, we're expecting a 15-inch MacBook, possible a MacBook Pro (perhaps with M2 Ultra power), iOS 17 software features, and possibly maybe a glimpse at Apple's VR headset, codename Reality Pro. So strap in, it's going to be a choc-full WWDC...

Good morning Dub Dub-ers! T3's Tech Editor here, Mike Lowe, to kick off the blog whilst the whole T3 team gears up for the big event tonight. The clock is ticking and in under 10 hours we'll be in the thick of it.

While there's the prospect of Apple Reality Pro being revealed today – which is certainly an exciting thought – it's actually the 15-inch MacBook Air, if it turns out to be true, that I'm most attracted to. That larger-screen Mac sounds like my potential Apple dream machine.

But that's all it is for now: a dream. So let's see what else is uncovered throughout today before the event proper gets going, with Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, expected on stage. There'll be Tweets. There'll be leaks (if only the liquid from my eyes – tears of joy perhaps?). And there'll be a lot of fun along the way...

Tech Staff writer Andy Sansom on the early shift here! So what could we see at WWDC? Try saying that 5 times fast! 

The big talk is all about Apple’s rumoured VR headset, supposedly called the Apple Reality Pro. This would be the company’s first foray into virtual reality and fans everywhere are giddy with excitement, even if it apparently will cost $3000. At that price, it better be the best headset on the market. 

In this reality, there’s also talk that we will see a new 15-inch MacBook Air and a look at a new MacOS and iOS 17, Apple’s latest iPhone operating system. That’s not including any surprises, so there’s plenty to look forward to. 

Today’s conference will be coming from Apple Park in Cupertino, California but what do you know about the swanky doughnut-shaped campus? More than 12,000 employees work in the four-story “Groundscaper” which even has its own lake in the middle. T3 Towers isn’t quite as cutting edge but it does have its own body of water when it rains, called a puddle. 

The “Spaceship” as Apple’s HQ is known, is actually only 1.7 miles away from the company’s original headquarters. It has no fewer than seven cafés so you could eat somewhere different each day of the week! 

If we do get a VR headset today, perhaps we could soon have our own virtual tours of the campus. 

Apple’s VR headset is reportedly going to be much more expensive than its rivals, around $3000 some say. This is an increasingly competitive market with the PSVR2 launching earlier this year and Oppo and Meta announcing new headsets just last week (coincidence?). 

Some are sceptical about VR’s use but having had plenty of hands-on time with the PSVR2, I could see it becoming an essential gaming device. Apple wants to go beyond that however with a ‘mixed-reality’ offering that can be used for work and play. 

In other news, if you’ve liked anything WWDC related on Twitter you might have noticed the unique ‘like’ animation. Pretty cool, but we’re hoping Apple has more in store for us today. 

WWDC is an ultra-slick event run by one of the biggest corporations in the world, but hasn’t stopped them from having fun in the past. Check out this mock funeral for Mac OS 9 back in 2002. 

I doubt we’ll see anything like that today, but there has been talk of a new MacOS perhaps being teased. MacOS 14’s name hasn’t been confirmed yet but surely it will continue the California town naming tradition? 

Of course, the most famous WWDC reveal of all is the infamous ‘iPhone moment’ when Steve Jobs revealed the phone that would change the world. Apple will be hoping its headset will do that all over again later today, but what's in store for its next phone?

There's no guarantee that we will see anything iPhone 15 but we should get a proper first look at iOS 17. A supposed early lookat iOS 17 showed customisable lock screen buttons and a revamped Control Centre among other things.

 I'd also love to know how the next iPhone and the Reality Pro headset will interact with each other, could we see it used as some sort of PSVR2-style controller? 

Good morning campers! T3's resident News Writer, Sam Cross, here to bring you through until lunchtime.

And while the focus thus far has all been on the new hardware and software we're expecting, how about some cool exclusive merch? That's exactly what those lucky enough to be in attendance in Cupertino today can expect.

Apparently, merchandise from the hit Apple TV show, Ted Lasso, will be on sale in the Apple Park visitor centre store. That includes the home kit of the legendary AFC Richmond, as well as scarves and other themed attire.

While we're looking away from the expected new tech for a moment, there's also a rumour of strike action taking place at the event today. That's from the Writers Guild of America – the trade body for writers across film and TV, radio and online media.

Picketers are expected to attend Apple Park later today, as well as five other Apple retail locations across the USA. Indications suggest this will be a more peaceful protest than a full march, though, with strikers handing out leaflets to event-goers.

The WGA justified the action, stating that Apple TV is a growing streaming platform which relies on writers to make its mark.

One of the things we're almost guaranteed to see is the new MacOS 14 update. Historically, these events have been used to showcase the technology, before they roll out to devices in the following months.

The update is rumoured to be a relatively light one, with nothing major having leaked in the last few months. I'm expecting the rumoured new journaling app for iPhone to make it onto MacBooks as well, though.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about MacOS is what it will be called. Every iteration has had both a number and a name, with recent examples using Californian towns as their inspiration. Apple have trademarked a whole bunch of these, which could give us an idea of what's coming – I like the sound of MacOS Sequoia, personally.

We're also expecting to see an update to the Apple CarPlay system. 

Last year, at WWDC 2022, CarPlay got a pretty substantial update, which saw the software take over all of the screens on your car. It could even interact with data from the car itself, allowing you to control climate settings or radio play from a unified interface.

Given such a large update was present last time out, we're tempering our expectations this time. I'd expect to see the company give a little more information about models where the new technology will be implemented from launch, though.

One of the big questions surrounding the event is whether we'll get a glimpse of the M3 chip. It would make some sense – the M2 chip debuted last year at WWDC 2022, after all.

It's a big deal, too. If rumours are to be believed, the new processor will be among the first to use a 3nm architecture. That should offer enhanced performance and thermals.

I'm not holding my breath, though. While the M2 did debut this time last year, the M1 arrived at an event in November 2020, so there's not a clear historical pattern. We've also heard that production is starting later this year, so it seems unlikely.

An M2 Ultra, though, is a very real possibility – particularly with talk of a powerful new Mac Studio on the way.

With a regularity you could time your watch to, the Apple Store has once again gone down prior to WWDC 2023. Don't panic – this is entirely normal, but does mean we're going to see some new hardware at the event. Yay!

So, what's it likely to be? I'd expect the rumoured 15-inch MacBook Air to be in the fray, as well as the up-spec Mac Studio models which have garnered attention in the past week or so.

Could the Reality Pro headset also be in there? I wouldn't like to guess, but I'd wager it's slightly less likely than the Macs. Anything is possible, though.

The sun is still around an hour away from rising in Cupertino, but already eager attendees are on their way for WWDC 2023. Some even got the chance to check in early last night – bagging some cool freebies in the process.

Check out the tweet below from one person, who snagged a branded tote bag, cap and an array of badges. Lawn chair – we suspect – not included.

Will this year finally see the Mac Pro line-up given a refresh? That's the question on the lips of every Mac power-user around the world.

The current generation of of the Pro is the only model in the Apple product range which doesn't offer an in-house chip. Many have called for that to change, bringing the power and performance of Apple Silicon to Pro users.

Whether it rears its head today or not is unclear though. Some wagered that recent leaks pointed towards it, but that looks more likely to be a top-spec Mac Studio. Still, if there was ever a place to debut one of the most powerful devices you've ever made, a keynote with an audience full of keen developers isn't a bad option...

Afternoon, Andy Sansom back here again (I can't stay away!). I was just recalling how much of Google I/0 was devoted to AI. Artificial intelligence is the in thing at the moment, from ChatGPT to Photoshop everything is introducing AI now. 

Could Apple have a similar approach? Will we see any AI features introduced in Mac or iOS updates? VR may be the most exciting subject of today, but AI could be the most useful (Google already are stopping us from having to write emails). 

We're all hoping that Apple will present the VR headset as a release-ready product, but that may not be the case. One such doubter is our Editor-in-Chief Mat Gallagher, who quite soundly reasons that because with not even one leaked picture of the headset, it might not be ready yet, at least in a form we can get our hands on.

If it is coming, then kudos to Apple for keeping a ship tighter than my spending habits after forking out the rumoured $3000 pricetag for the headset.  I guess we'll find out the answers tonight. 

With the show set to start at 6 pm BST/1 am ET/10 am PT, you might want to start getting set up for the live stream. Of course, you'll be staying with us while T3 Tech Editor Mike Lowe brings his live expert analysis as the conference unfolds but if you want to watch for yourself it's easy peasy. 

Try Apple's own YouTube channel, live on Apple's website or the TV app on Apple TV, Mac, iPad or iPhone. Google had a dancing duck warming up their conference last month, so it might be worth tuning in a bit early to catch any shenanigans. 

If you are in Australia and don't think you can make it till 2 am AEST, you have our permission to go to bed, we'll fill you in later. 

As a big gamer, I have two questions for tonight's conference. Firstly what are the gaming ambitions for the Reality Pro headset? Apple wants it to be for work and play, which suggests to me that maybe I should stick to the PSVR2 for a more 'true' gaming experience. The App Store really opened up game development for the masses so hopefully, we should see a flood of new VR games in time. 

Secondly, will I be able to play Fortnite on iPhone? Or more accurately, will we hear anything about the rumoured side-loading of iOS 17  that Apple has been instructed to start allowing? I doubt they'll be willing to say much on it but fingers crossed. 

Good afternoon, all. Mat Gallagher here taking you through to the event now before Mike Lowe takes the final shift as the proceedings start. I honestly don't think there's been a WWDC event with this much excitement to it in the history of WWDC events. 

Apple is certainly preparing to announce more than just software today, though exactly what we'll see is still shrouded in mystery. Well, it's at least not confirmed. There are plenty of rumours on the hardware front, as well as the potential of a new OS unveiling in the RealityOS for Apple's much anticipated mixed reality device. 

So let's start with some stuff that we do know. What is at least 99.9% certain is that Apple will show features of the new operating systems for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Mac. While these updates won't be fully available until September/October time – normally tied to the launch of the next iPhone – there will be Beta versions available for testing shortly after WWDC. 

These new features are unlikely to give anything away for the physical features of the iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9 or any new iPad, Mac and Apple TV models, they are likely to make use more powerful chips and could perhaps give hints to what else might come. 

These are the areas I think we will see big changes in the new version of the OS. Firstly, as is the theme this year, I believe we will see great use of AI in the products. Apple's A16 mobile chip and M2 Mac chip both contain neural engines already but I think we will see AI take on more, from image processing to Siri voice assistant operation. 

The next big area is likely to be the digital wallet. I think Apple will continue to expand its use in areas like driving licences, keys and passes. We've already seen it being used with many car manufacturers and driving licences in the US. We never got the digital full vaccination card though. 

That leads me neatly on to health. This is a big area for the Apple Watch in particular but I think we will see further expansion here too. I'd really love to see progress on the glucose monitoring functions, but as this would involve physical sensor changes, we're unlikely to hear about it here. 

Finally, and perhaps a bit of a curveball, is I think we will see greater use of the Dynamic Island. While this is essentially a clever software solution to a hardware problem (camera in screen), I've really liked what apps like Uber has done with it, and I suspect there may be more coming. 

It looks as though I'm not the only one expecting the Apple headset not to launch until 2024. Respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has forecast that shipments are likely to begin 'late 4Q23 or early 2024'. 

This would certainly give developers time to fine-tune enough apps for the device, as well as gauge the level of interest for the device. 

Apple headset hardware specs appear

Looks like details are finally coming out about the Apple headset with just hours to go until the event. These come from Twitter user Unknownz21 and while these leaks are unverified, the user has been featured on sites in the past as a legitimate source. 

The detail are very specific, suggesting that the device will have dual OLED displays, a TruDepth camera for FaceID, 4 CV cameras, two RGB cameras (for passthrough) and 2 Infrared illuminators. 

They also suggest a dual chip set up, including a main processor (possibly an M2 or M3) and a coprocessor (maybe an A16 or A17). USB-C is hardly a surprise here, but the suggestion that it will use both a small on-board battery and a larger wired battery pack seems a little fussy for an Apple product. 

50 minutes to go...

Less than hour now until WWDC starts and developers and media are taking their seats. Lance Ulanoff, US Editor-in-chief for our sister title, Tech Radar took this image from Apple Park earlier. 

Final predictions

Before I had back to Mike Lowe for the main event, these are my predictions for the keynote:

1. The Reality Pro will be announced but not released until 2024
2. AI will feature heavily in iOS updates
3. We'll see a new MacBook Air M2 15-inch and a Mac Studio with M2 Ultra
4. CarPlay will continue to expand
5. MacOS will become touchscreen friendly (okay, this is an outside chance, but you never know).

Enjoy the show!

Tick tock...

With the countdown timer with under 30 minutes on the clock it's Mike Lowe here, T3's Tech Editor, to take the reins for the next 150+ minutes of action. Murmers are that this is going to be a big one, as I'll get to in my next blog post in a moment. 

Code New Worlds

Well, well, I think that Apple's VR headset now seems entirely more likely. I base that on Apple CEO, Tim Cook, posting this Tweet with a semi-cryptic animation. Check out the screenshot of it above. "Code New Worlds".

I was always expecting Swift, Apple's programming language, to be a big part of WWDC 2023, given the teaser imagery, and there were soft hints that'd relate to virtual reality – but this seems to crystalise that notion. New worlds in VR that Apple needs third-party support to get behind in a big way. 

So we'll see whether Apple Reality Pro happens to be a teased end-of-presentation 'one more thing', or if it'll be a core part of this whole event... I'm excited to see what's on the cards. 

So what else to expect?

I was updating T3's 'Next Apple Event' piece this morning and mulling over the five main expectations for WWDC 2023: Apple VR headset, new Apple Silicon (M2 Ultra?), an all-new Mac Pro, a 15-inch MacBook Air, and iOS 17 and macOS updates. 

All of which I now reckon are pretty likely. It's just whether there will be any additional surprises thrown into the mix too. Because who doesn't love a surprise? And I'm actually pretty stunned that nothing Apple VR-related has leaked – it makes this a very rare event as a result!

Colour me impressed

Swirly graphics everywhere. It's no Dan the Duck from Google IO, that's for sure. But Apple is keeping it classy and the tension high. The YouTube page only had a countdown timer, no fancy animations for a while. 

Anyway, the clock is ticking and we're now just moments away from kick-off in Cupertino. So let's strap in, settle down and have at it... 

It's all bubbles and rainbows

Got to love an intro video. We're calling it 'Man Chases Bubble'. Followed by Tim at Apple Park beneath a rainbow looking delightfully sunned. It's the 15th anniversary of the App Store, if you didn't know, which is pretty amazing. How far it's come...

Mac o'clock

Straight into it: it's Mac time! Talking about MacBook Air M2 being the best-selling laptop in the world. 

But that's not the real news: it's that the 15-inch MacBook Air is, you guessed it, a real product. Hardly surprised, but I'm definitely pleased (and now wish I'd not bought a 13-inch model so recently)!

For the details: it's 15.3-inches on the screen; 500-nits of brightness; 5mm bezel around the edges; a 1080p camera (notch included, of course!); six speakers for immersive Spatial Audio; and the battery life is claimed to be up to 18-hours (wowzers). 

It's M2 only, though, you won't find the MacBook Pro-grade M2 Pro or M2 Max here.

The MacBook Air 15-inch starts from $1299 ($1199 for education) and it'll be on the shelves from next week. Yup, that soon! The 13-inch M2 model has a $100 price reduction, too, taking it to $1099.

Mac Studio & M2 Ultra

Mac Studio is getting a big upgrade: featuring M2, available in Max or brand-new Ultra options. "The most powerful chip ever created for a personal computer".

The M2 Ultra can support an insane 192GB of unified memory. That's completely bananas (and I bet it costs an absolute fortune). 

It still starts at $1999 and will be available from next week.

The cheese grater returns!

Here it is: a new Mac Pro. It only comes with M2 Ultra because it's the most powerful Mac you can buy. This is for seriously high-end users. 

Every Mac Pro has Afterburner card performance built-in, with seven of them. Apparently that means you can encode up to 24 4K camera feeds to ProRes in real time. Whaaaat. 

Pass me the parmesan please... and you'd better be hungry, because the Mac Pro starts at $6999 when it goes on sale next week. And I suspect it will be possible to price it much, much higher than that. 

iOS 17 feature updates

Craig Federighi is on stage to talk about iOS 17. There are various updates: 

Phone will get a rich new visual identity, called Posters, where you can choose image, font, colour and text integration for your contact cards to make them stand out as you wish. 

Live Voicemail is another new feature: it's a live transcription in real-time as they speak. A great way of spotting whether you've got a real call or it's yet another spam caller. Nice!

FaceTime is also getting a big update: when you call and they're not available you can leave a message. Yay. Video voicemail!

Messages adds Search Filters, so you can narrow results to find what you're looking for in conversations. Replying in-line is also easy with a quick swipe. And audio messages are now transcribed so you can preview the text and listen later. 

Check In is introduced: a method to let your friend or loved ones know when you're headed home or to a safe place. A nice safety tracker idea. 

Stickers are now introduced all in one place and all Memoji are now in Stickers format. You can also add effects to your stickers, like making them all nice and shiny. Lovely stuff. 

Dropping da bomb

AirDrop is also getting an update: NameDrop is a proximity way to share contact details. It'll work with an iPhone or an Apple Watch too. 

AirDrop will also function outside of range, using an internet connection when you're no longer in proximity. So long as you make the initial connection. 

iOS 17 also brings big updates to keyboard to improve your typing. Autocorrect is powered by on-device machine learning and that's gotten more accurate over time; it also features sentence-level autocorrect. Predictive text will now appear in-line as you type, just tap the space bar if you like what's offered (as learnt from your behaviour and common word uses). 

Introducing Journal, an all-new app coming later this year to inspire diary writing. Your iPhone can create personalised suggestions that are personally curated from your contacts, location, music, photos and more.

StandBy turns your always-on display, such as on the iPhone 14 Pro, into a nightstand-like device. A bit like a miniature smart hub, as you can access widgets for access to schedule, home controls and more. And when it's dark the default clock display will fade down and use red to avoid disrupting sleep. 

iPadOS 17

Since Apple differentiated iOS with iPadOS for its iPad tablets, the company has continued to add tablet-specifics to its software. And that's what iPadOS 17 is all about. 

Widgets are now interactive, allowing you to to make quick adjustments in widgets without fully opening an app. Developers can add interactivity to their widgets too. 

Lock Screen has a wider selection of Wallpapers too, including the use of Live Photos with slow-motion effects to give you a little added va va voom when interacting with a locked iPad. 

Live Activities is also available for the Lock Screen: keep real-time visuals from Widgets, such as timers (now multiple ones!), deliveries and more.

Health also comes to iPadOS 17, designed to take advantage of the bigger screen available on the tablet. It integrates all your Apple Watch and iPhone data in the one place. 

Don't all scream in excitement at once, but PDFs are getting an upgrade too: iPadOS 17 can recognise fields in PDFs so you can easily fill them out. Review PDFs in Notes, including the ability to annotate.

Crack open a bottle, macOS has a name 

The next macOS release has a name: Sonoma. The classic wine region in northern California (which I visited last year, how appropriate). 

Animated Wallpapers are now a thing, showing when locked and then slowly coming to a pause so you can work without distraction. 

Widgets fade into the background to avoid being too much of a distraction. These are also interactive, just as they are on iPadOS 17, and you can integrate iPhone-based widgets even without having specific apps installed on your Mac laptop/desktop. 

Game Mode is here. It puts games in the foreground, optimising CPU and GPU allocation, putting other apps into the background. Another positive step in Apple's Metal platform for gaming, which is in need of more gaming ports.

Safari also gets some tweaks: the best of them for my money is the addition of Profiles, meaning you can now split personal and work accounts. 

Kojima is in the house

If you're a gamer like me then you'll know the name Hideo Kojima. He's the studio boss that made Death Stranding, but is more famously known for Metal Gear Solid. And having Kojima on Apple's side is a big deal. 

"We are actively working to bring our future titles to Apple platforms," says Kojima. For now that just means Death Stranding: Director's Cut. So not a huge deal, but the promise of more in the future is a big step in the right direction for Apple's gaming kudos on macOS.

AirPods get a smart free upgrade

AirPods are getting an update via software. And who doesn't love a great free upgrade?!

What Apple is calling Adaptive Audio delivers the best of both AirPods' listening modes into one: it dynamically blends Transparency and Active Noise-Cancelling (ANC) to match the conditions of your surroundings in real-time. Nice. 

Of course you'll need ANC-toting AirPods, so we're talking AirPods Pro and AirPods Max products only here, far as I can tell. 

FaceTime goes bigger than ever

FaceTime isn't only for your iPhone or iPad... it's now coming to Apple TV too! 

You can use your iPhone like a webcam, taking advantage of Apple features such as Center Stage to keep you in the frame. 

I'm not sure anyone will ever really use this feature, but hey, there we go. It's always good to have the XL option. 

Apple Watch improvements incoming

Apple's watchOS 10 is coming to make the Apple Watch even better than ever. So what's on offer?

 - better widget integration, with long-press to incorporate new widgets into a crown-scrollable list

 - Activity app now includes redesign with full-screen views 

 - two new watch faces: Palette has three overlapping layers with shifting colours; Snoopy & Woodstock will also be available

 - Cycling new features: Apple Watch can now connect to Bluetooth-capable bike sensors, such as power meters or cadence monitors. Using such data the watch can measure your FTP (functional threshold power) and create workout zones. 

 - Maps will get topographic additions (starting in the US) for Hiking 

 - Health will have State of Mind to help improve and monitor your mental health

'One More Thing'

Oh golly, here it is! "An entirely new AR platform," says Cook. Introducing Apple Vision Pro.

"It's the first Apple product you look through and not at". "You're no longer limited by a display". "Use your apps anywhere and make them any size you want". Apple Vision Pro will introduce us to 'spatial computing'". Cook there dropping all the big quotes.

So how does it work? You control Vision Pro with your eyes, voice and hand-gestures. Your space is whatever is in front of you, Vision Pro augments that with a new space layer. You can invest in apps and experiences at any scale you wish – and there's a digital crown to adjust how immersed you are. A feature called EyeSight reveals your eyes, so those around you know what level of immersion you're in.

That Vision Pro didn't leak is one of the most impressive secrets in tech of recent times. I can't remember the last time something this major was kept under wraps until its reveal.

Vision Pro design

"It's not often we get the chance to define an entirely new category".

Performance, mobility and wearability were at the core of the design: the entire front piece is a single glass lens; a digital crown acts as the physical control. 

The system is modular: the light shield comes in different shapes and sizes; flexible straps connect the headband (which is interchangeable); glasses-wearers can add magnetically attached corrections (thanks to a partnership with Zeiss). 

The display system is a Micro-OLED that totals 23 million pixels total. That means there are more pixels per eye than a 4K TV would offer. That's insanely high resolution and well beyond the competition. Furthermore, a three-element lens ensures clarity throughout the field of view – something no competitor offers.

Apple silicon is what drives everything, with a dual Apple M2 system. It features a new sensor running in parallel called R1, which is used to eliminate lag to ensure everything is delivered in perfect tandem for life-like experiences. 

And you can guess what the operating system is called already: visionOS. 

Hang on, how much?

No, you're not seeing double. Apple just officially revealed that Vision Pro will cost... $3499. Three-and-a-half grand. Yikes. That's no small fry. 

It'll be available from early next year, so assume January 2024, in the USA, with other countries' pricing and release date information to follow...

And that's a wrap...

Ding dang doo, it's all over. Only a few minutes past the two-hour mark, which given how much was announced at this WWDC was an impressive feat to accomplish. 

I'm still slightly reeling at how much Vision Pro costs, but I'm also hugely impressed by some of the technological aspects that it presents that, from the sounds of it, will squash all the things I don't like about current competitors' AR/VR products. 

Good job, Apple.