MacRumors

Apple today announced macOS Sonoma, the latest version of its Mac operating system. Launching this fall, macOS Sonoma includes several new features, including desktop widgets, Apple TV-like aerial screensavers, enhancements to apps like Messages and Safari, a new Game mode that prioritizes CPU and GPU performance for gaming, and more.

The first feature that Apple detailed was new interactive widgets, which can now be placed right on your desktop. Widgets blend into your desktop wallpaper to not be obtrusive when you're working, and with Continuity you can use the same widgets from your iPhone on your Mac.

macOS Sonoma also introduces enhanced video conferencing features, including Presenter Overlay to allow a user to display themselves in front of the content they are sharing. Reactions let users share how they feel within a video session, and Screen Sharing has been improved with a simplified process.

As is usual with macOS updates, Safari is getting numerous new features within Sonoma. There's an update to Private Browsing that provides greater protection from trackers and from people who might have access to the user's device.

Profiles within Safari offer a way to separate browsing between topics, like having one for work and one for personal browsing. There's also a new way to create web apps that work like normal apps and let you get to your favorite website faster.

When you're not actively using macOS Sonoma, the new screen savers feature slow-motion videos of various locations worldwide. They shuffle between landscape, Earth, underwter, or cityscape themes, similar to what you'll see on tvOS.

For gamers, there's a new Game Mode in macOS Sonoma that delivers an optimized gaming experience with smoother and more consistent frame rates. It dramatically lowers audio latency with AirPods and reduces input latency with game controllers, and it works with any game on Mac.

The beta version of macOS Sonoma is available today through the Apple Developer Program, and a public beta will launch next month. All Mac users can expect a public release of the software sometime this fall.

Apple today at WWDC announced iPadOS 17, bringing several new features to iPads, including updates to widgets and the Lock Screen that bring more parity with iPhones.

For the first time, iPads will support customized Lock Screens, while Home Screen widgets will be interactive. There's also now support for Live Activities, and the Health app is now available on iPad and takes advantage of the device's larger display sizes.

iPadOS 17 includes improvements across the Notes, Messages, FaceTime, and Safari apps. In the Messages app, for example, there is a new consolidated sticker drawer that brings all of a user's stickers into one place, including Live Stickers, emoji stickers, and third-party sticker packs. ‌iPad‌ users can also create their own stickers from photos.

Starting with iPadOS 17, PDFs appear full width on the screen. Apple has also introduced machine learning that can identify fields in a PDF so that users can quickly add details, such as names, addresses, and emails from the Contacts app.

iPadOS 17 is available in beta starting today, and will be publicly released later this year. The update is compatible with the second-generation iPad Pro, third-generation iPad Air, sixth-generation ‌iPad‌, and fifth-generation iPad mini and newer.

Apple today announced new updates coming to Phone, FaceTime, and Messages in iOS 17 later this year.

With the new update, you'll be able to create your own custom contact poster with your photos or Memoji. This custom creation will then appear on other people's iPhones when you call them.

There's also a new Live Voicemail feature that provides live voice transcription in real time on your iPhone Lock Screen. Apple said that with this, you'll be able to make a more educated decision as to whether you want to talk to someone or not.

In ‌FaceTime‌, you can now leave video messages if someone doesn't pick up your video call. They'll get a notification about the message and can watch it whenever they have time, like a voicemail.

Lastly, Messages has a ton of updates. There are new search filters, a new "catch up arrow" that quickly jumps you to the first unread message in a long conversation, and easier inline replying with swipe to reply.

Audio messages are also now transcribed right within the messages thread, and there's inline location sharing. Check In provides a way to give updates on your location within a messages thread, and if you're ever delayed it'll send an alert to friends.

Apps within Messages have been moved to a new "plus" button at the bottom left of the app. Stickers have been revamped and you can even create your own stickers and motion stickers from your own live photos.

These updates are a small portion of updates coming to iOS 17, so be sure to read more about the new ‌iPhone‌ software in our main post.

As part of iOS 17, Apple at WWDC 2023 announced a new AirDrop-related feature called NameDrop, a potentially more convenient way of sharing things with another iPhone owner that's in the same physical location as you.

With NameDrop, two people only need to bring each of their iPhones close together, and one can share a file or photos with the other person automatically. NameDrop supports the sharing of contact information (users can select which numbers and email addresses to share), and the feature also works between an ‌iPhone‌ and an Apple Watch as long as they are running up-to-date software.

With the same close-contact phone gesture, you can also share content or start SharePlay to listen to music, watch a movie, or play a game while in close proximity between ‌iPhone‌ devices, according to Apple.

NameDrop is compatible with iPhones running iOS 17 and will be supported on Apple Watch models running an update that Apple says will be available "later this year."

Apple today announced iOS 17, the next major operating system for the iPhone, introducing a range of new communication and sharing features.

iOS 17 features personalized contact posters with photos, Memojis, and eye-catching typography that appear during calls and in the updated address book. A new Live Voicemail feature brings live-transcription in real-time, allowing for old-school call screening. Users can now pick up the phone mid-voicemail and transcription is handled-on device.

Messages now offers improved search features, an arrow to jump to the first unread message in a conversation, easier inline replies with a swipe gesture, inline location sharing, and a new Stickers experience. iMessage apps and the camera have now been moved to a new plus button.

Check In is a new feature that gives updates on your location to let family or friends know when you get home safely. If you're delayed, it can recognize that and check in with you. If you don't respond, it can share an alert with friends, sharing location, battery, and cell service status.

Users can AirDrop content by bringing their iPhones close together and transfers can now occur in the background. It is also now possible to swap numbers with someone new via "NameDrop," enabling users to share contact information when phones are brought close together.

There are updates to keyboard and dictation, bringing improvements to autocorrect via a new "transformer" language model and sentence-level correction.

iOS 17 also introduces a new "Journal" app. The app sources new memories using people, places, activity, music, and photos that users can add to daily journal entries. Users can set reminders to remember to write a daily entry. Journal comes to ‌iPhone‌ later this year.

A new mode called "StandBy" provides a view for displaying the time, widgets, and other information when the ‌iPhone‌ is horizontal. Users can now simply say "Siri" instead of "Hey ‌Siri‌," and ‌Siri‌ will understand follow-up commands that do not include the trigger word.

Apple today updated its Mac Pro desktop tower with the all-new M2 Ultra chip, which features a 24-core CPU, up to a 76-core GPU, and support for up to 192GB of memory. Apple says the new Mac Pro is up to 3x faster than the fastest Intel-based Mac Pro.

The new Mac Pro has the same overall design as the previous Intel-based model. However, the tower is now equipped with eight Thunderbolt 4 ports instead of four, two higher-bandwidth HDMI ports that support up to an 8K display at 240Hz, seven PCIe expansion slots, dual 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports, and a headphone jack that supports impedance headphones. The computer can be configured with up to 8TB of SSD storage.

Like the new Mac Studio, and the latest MacBook Pro and Mac mini models, the Mac Pro now supports faster Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

The new Mac Pro is available to order starting today, and it will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Tuesday, June 13. In the U.S., pricing starts at $6,999, whereas the previous Intel-based Mac Pro started at $5,999. A rack-mounted version of the Mac Pro remains available from $7,499.

Alongside a new Mac Pro desktop tower, Apple today announced second-generation Mac Studio models with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips.

As expected, the M2 Ultra chip is essentially a doubled-up M2 Max chip. It features a 24-core CPU, up to a 76-core GPU, a 32-core Neural Engine, and support for up to 192GB of unified memory. Apple says the Mac Studio with the M2 Ultra chip is up to 3x faster than the previous-generation Mac Studio with the M1 Ultra chip, released last year.

The new Mac Studio has the same overall design as the original model, but with a higher-bandwidth HDMI port that supports up to an 8K display at 240Hz. The back of the Mac Studio has four Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port, an HDMI port, and two USB-A ports. On the front side, there are two USB-C ports and an SD card slot.

As with the new Mac Pro, and the latest MacBook Pro and Mac mini models, the Mac Studio now supports faster Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

The new Mac Studio is available to order starting today, and will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Tuesday, June 13. Pricing continues to start at $1,999 for the model with the M2 Max chip, while the M2 Ultra model starts at $3,999.

Apple today unveiled the M2 Ultra chip alongside the new Mac Studio and Mac Pro, the most powerful Apple silicon chip to date.

The ‌M2‌ Ultra is based on the ‌M2‌ Max chip that debuted in the refreshed 14- and 16-inch MacBook Air earlier this year. It is built using two ‌M2‌ Max chips connected via "UltraFusion," Apple's custom-built packaging technology.

The ‌M2‌ Ultra chip has a 24-core CPU that consists of 16 high-performance cores and eight high-efficiency cores. This nets the chip 20 percent faster performance than the M1 Ultra. Users can configure the GPU with 60 or 76 next-generation cores, which is up to 12 more cores compared to the GPU of the ‌M1 Ultra‌.

The ‌M2‌ Ultra features a 32-core Neural Engine that is 40 percent faster than the ‌M1 Ultra‌, and it has improved video processing that can play back up to 22 streams of 8K ProRes video simultaneously.

Every ‌Mac Pro‌ now contains the ‌M2‌ Ultra chip, supporting up to 192 GB of unified memory – 50% more than ‌M1 Ultra‌. Apple also noted that with ‌M2‌ Ultra in the ‌Mac Pro‌, the transition to Apple silicon is complete across the Mac desktop and laptop lineups.

Apple at WWDC 2023 announced a new MacBook Air with a larger 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display that is powered by Apple's latest M2 processor under the hood.

Described by Apple as "the world's thinnest 15-inch laptop," the new ‌MacBook Air‌ is 11.5mm thick and weighs in at 3.3 pounds (1.5 kilograms). With the ‌M2‌ chip, it is 12x faster than the fastest Intel-based ‌MacBook Air‌, and is twice as fast as competing laptops, according to Apple.

The new fanless ‌MacBook Air‌ has a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, a three-microphone array, and an "all-new" six-speaker system with two tweeters and two sets of force canceling woofers that support immersive spatial audio. Apple also claims the laptop can last up to 18 hours on a single charge.

The new laptop also includes MagSafe, two Thunderbolt ports for connecting accessories and up to a 6K external display, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

In terms of the display, it offers up to 500 nits of brightness and support for 1 billion colors, while being twice the resolution and 25% brighter than the comparable best-selling Intel Core i7 PC laptop. As for the ‌M2‌ chip, it has an 8-core CPU with four performance cores and four efficiency cores, a 10-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. ‌M2‌ also delivers 100GB/s of memory bandwidth and supports up to 24GB of fast unified memory.

"We're thrilled to introduce the first 15-inch MacBook Air. With its incredible performance and striking design, the new MacBook Air is the world's best 15-inch laptop. And it's only possible with Apple silicon,” said John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. "From its expansive Liquid Retina display and remarkably thin and fanless design, to extraordinary battery life and an immersive six-speaker sound system, the new MacBook Air has it all."

Like the standard ‌MacBook Air‌, the new 15-inch model comes in four colors, including Silver, Space Gray, Starlight, and Midnight. The new ‌MacBook Air‌ starts at $1,299, or $1,199 for education customers. Pre-orders open today with deliveries beginning next week. The 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ with ‌M2‌ also gets a new starting price of $1,099 — $100 less than before.

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) starts today with the traditional keynote kicking things off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. MacRumors is on hand for the event and we'll be sharing details and our thoughts throughout the day.

We're expecting to see a number of announcements, including Apple's long-rumored AR/VR headset with its "xrOS" operating system, some new Macs, and the usual batch of operating system updates including iOS 17, macOS 14, watchOS 10, and tvOS 17.

Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV and Developer apps across its platforms. We will also be updating this article with live blog coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the keynote unfolds. Highlights from the event and separate news stories regarding today's announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.

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Live blog transcript ahead...

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Apple's mixed-reality headset could launch as late as the fourth quarter of 2023 or early 2024, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo shared the information in a tweet earlier today, noting that the latest forecast represents a delay over the previous third quarter of 2023 prediction for mass shipments of the headset. He added that investors are more interested in whether the product announcement will convince customers that "Apple's AR/MR headset device is the next star in consumer electronics," rather than shipment numbers. If the device does launch this year, shipments are likely to be even lower than existing estimates, he added.

Morgan Stanley analysts believe Apple's headset will enter mass production in October and launch by December, just in time for the holiday period – a time frame that broadly mirrors Kuo's forecast. Apple's supply chain is apparently preparing to assemble only 300,000 to 500,000 headsets in 2023.

Apple's headset is widely expected to be announced today during its WWDC keynote, so there may soon be further information about when the device will launch. Follow along on MacRumors.com and @MacRumorsLive on Twitter for full coverage of Apple's announcements throughout the day.

Just hours away from WWDC’s opening keynote, some developers have been sharing the contents of their conference swag bags on social media. The bags are given to attendees when they register for the event, and typically contain limited-edition Apple gifts.

This year, developers have been registering at Apple's Infinite Loop campus, where they have been gifted a black tote bag emblazoned with the WWDC 2023 logo, along with a black drinks flask, a black cap, and collectible enamel pins.

Apple introduced the popular pin packs at WWDC 2017 and kicked off collections with the old rainbow-themed Apple logo, the "hello" Mac greeting, the Swift and Metal logos, the original Macintosh, and emojis. Attendees also received a flag pin of their home country.

Among the various pins this year are stylized Apple logo designs, the Mac's spinning beach ball, the Apple Park campus spaceship, a "melting face" emoji, the Finder app icon, and more.

MacRumors will be in attendance at the keynote, with live coverage of the event beginning shortly after 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Stay tuned to MacRumors.com and our @MacRumorsLive account on Twitter. We've also put together a guide explaining all the ways you can watch Apple's WWDC 2023 Keynote live as it happens.

Apple's online store is now down ahead of today's WWDC keynote at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. In addition to previewing its rumored AR/VR headset, Apple is expected to announce a 15-inch MacBook Air and potentially updated Mac Studio models.

Apple routinely takes down its online store prior to launching new hardware, a move that helps to build anticipation. In this case, the store going down is likely primarily related to new Macs, as investment firm Morgan Stanley recently estimated that Apple's headset is still months away from entering mass production and launching.

The new 15-inch MacBook Air is rumored to use the M2 chip, while the updated Mac Studio models would likely be available with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips.

This is the second consecutive year in which Apple's online store has gone down ahead of WWDC. Hardware announcements during last year's keynote included 13-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro models with the then-new M2 chip.

Follow along on MacRumors.com and @MacRumorsLive on Twitter for full coverage of Apple's announcements throughout the day.

Apple's annual Back to School promotion for students will begin this week in the U.S., according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a tweet today, he said the promotion will likely start on Tuesday, after new Macs are announced at WWDC on Monday.

Last year's promotion offered a free Apple gift card worth up to $150 with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad, while free AirPods were offered in 2021. The free item is in addition to Apple's standard educational discounts, with students already able to receive between 5% and 10% off most Macs, iPads, and Apple displays.

The promotion is typically available to students attending or accepted to a college or university, faculty and staff at higher-education institutions, parents purchasing on behalf of an eligible student, employees of a K-12 institution, and select others.

The offer will likely launch in Canada at the same time as in the U.S., followed by European and Asian countries a few weeks later.

Apple plans to announce a larger 15-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip during its WWDC keynote on Monday, according to Gurman. He also indicated that Apple is testing what appears to be new Mac Studio models with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips.

Apple at its upcoming WWDC 2023 Apple Park event plans to provide some developers and attendees with an opportunity to try out the new AR/VR headset following its announcement, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Apple built a new "structure" at the ‌Apple Park‌ campus that is designed to provide controlled hands-on demos of the headset. The test area is at the basketball courts at ‌Apple Park‌, near the fitness center available to employees.

Demonstrations will be given to members of the media and some developers at the event, but this area will be used for hands-on experiences throughout the summer. Apple may invite developers to ‌Apple Park‌ on an ongoing basis to allow them to test the headset for app development purposes.

There will also be a hands-on area in the Steve Jobs Theater for hardware demonstrations after the keynote. The hands-on experiences will see Apple showing off FaceTime in VR, Apple TV+ content, and games. Customers with select conditions like migraines, vertigo, post-concussion syndrome, and past traumatic brain injuries will be warned against using the headset.

If the hands-on experience is similar to previous events, developers and members of the media will be able to test the headset right after the keynote. Apple employees will be providing short, controlled demonstrations.

The AR/VR headset will not be available for sale after WWDC, and it will in fact launch several months after it is first shown off. Mass production has not yet begun, and the latest information suggests a launch ahead of the December holidays.

Apple's WWDC 2023 keynote event is set to be held at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Monday, June 5.

One of Apple's biggest events of the year is right around the corner, with a jam-packed keynote kicking off WWDC 2023 on Monday. Apple's long-rumored AR/VR headset is all but certain to finally come to fruition, but it looks like there will be much more than that revealed at the event.

In addition to the standard previews of upcoming major operating system updates and the headset, it looks like we'll be seeing multiple new Mac models. And of course, the headset will come with a brand-new operating system rumored to be called "xrOS," so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!

What to Expect at 'One of Apple's Longest Ever' WWDC Keynotes on Monday

Apple's annual developers conference WWDC kicks off next week with a keynote on Monday, June 5 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. Among the many ways to follow the event, video will be streamed live on Apple's website and in the Apple TV app.

The keynote will be "one of Apple's longest ever," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. We've put together an extensive guide for what to expect including "several new Macs," Apple's long-rumored AR/VR headset, and new software, including iOS and iPadOS 17, macOS 14, watchOS 10, tvOS 17, and xrOS for the headset.

And if you're looking for more discussion about what we're expecting, Dan and Hartley went over everything in detail on this week's episode of The MacRumors Show podcast.

New Mac Studio Likely to Be Introduced Alongside 15-Inch MacBook Air at WWDC

In addition to the much-rumored 15-inch MacBook Air we're expecting to see on Monday, Apple is also testing new desktop Macs with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips, according to Gurman. Apple already made the M2 Max chip available in the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro earlier this year, while the M2 Ultra chip has yet to be announced.

Gurman believes these are updated Mac Studio models with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips, and they could be announced at WWDC next week.

xrOS: What to Expect From the Software Designed for Apple's AR/VR Headset

Apple is expected to unveil the xrOS operating system for its rumored AR/VR headset at WWDC, and we've put together a guide outlining what to expect based on reported features and details.

Users will reportedly be able to control xrOS with eye and hand movements, and we should learn many more details next week. Apple's headset is expected to launch later this year for an estimated price of around $3,000.

iOS 17 Beta for iPhone Coming Next Week With These 12 New Features

The first beta of iOS 17 should be made available to members of Apple's $99/year Developer Program moments after the WWDC keynote next week, while a public beta will likely be available in July for members of Apple's free Beta Software Program.

We've put together a list of 12 new features and changes rumored for iOS 17. The update should be widely released in September, around the time that new iPhones launch.

Apple's 'My Photo Stream' Service Shutting Down in July

In a new support document, Apple recently announced that My Photo Stream will be shutting down on July 26, 2023. Moving forward, Apple recommends that users migrate to iCloud Photos.

My Photo Stream is an older service that uploads the last 30 days of images to iCloud, making them accessible across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other Apple devices. The service has largely been replaced by iCloud Photos.

Hands-On: What the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Will Look Like

Apple's next-generation iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models are a little over three months away from launching. Ahead of time, we have obtained dummy models that provide a closer look at what the devices are expected to look like based on rumors.

All four iPhone 15 models are expected to have a USB-C port and the Dynamic Island, while the Pro models are rumored to feature a titanium frame, A17 chip, and more.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

CrossOver will gain support for DirectX 12 starting this year to enhance the experience of playing Windows games on macOS, CodeWeavers this week announced.

CrossOver allows macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS users to run Windows apps as if they were native by translating Windows APIs into their Mac equivalents. CrossOver currently only supports Microsoft's DirectX 11. DirectX 12 is the latest collection of graphics rendering APIs available on Windows and Xbox, promising better performance, efficiency, and optimal use of multiple CPU and GPU cores.

Support for DirectX 12 games will be added to CrossOver on a per-title basis to circumvent bugs. From CodeWeavers' press release:

We have the beginnings of DirectX 12 support, and our QA team has confirmed that Diablo II Resurrected is running on macOS with early pre-alpha builds of CrossOver 23, which will be released later this summer. There are still bugs, but the fact that it's running at all is a huge win.

While we are elated with this breakthrough, we acknowledge that our journey has just begun. Our team's investigations concluded that there was no single magic key that unlocked DirectX 12 support on macOS. To get just Diablo II Resurrected running, we had to fix a multitude of bugs involving MoltenVK and SPIRV-Cross. We anticipate that this will be the case for other DirectX 12 games: we will need to add support on a per-title basis, and each game will likely involve multiple bugs.

The first game to gain DirectX 12 support in CrossOver will be "Diablo II Resurrected," but CodeWeavers plans to add more titles in the future. CodeWeavers maintains a compatibility database so you can see what may work work well with the software.

The first beta of CrossOver 23 is set to be released this summer, followed by the official launch later this year.