Apple introduces an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 chip

Apple didn’t just introduce a new MacBook Air at WWDC — it also unveiled an overhaul of the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The new ‘entry’ pro laptop unsurprisingly uses an M2 chip that promises improved performance and efficiency, including a hefty 20 hours of peak battery life (during video playback) and accelerated ProRes video processing. The new model isn’t a major redesign like its Air counterpart, and keeps the Touch Bar.

You can also expect “studio-quality” microphones, up to 24GB of RAM and a maximum 2TB of storage. As with its M1 predecessor, then, this isn’t a no-holds-barred workstation. You’ll need to buy a higher-tier MacBook Pro if you demand a ton of memory or drive capacity. 

The MacBook Pro M2 will start at $1,299 ($1,199 for education) when it arrives in July. This system’s position in the lineup hasn’t changed, then. This is the Mac portable for users who want an active cooling for heavy workloads, but don’t need the extra power of premium machines like the 14- and 16-inch Pro models. With that said, the 13-inch machine is a tougher sell when the new Air offers similar performance, a larger screen and a MagSafe power connection for less money.

Follow all of the news from WWDC right here!

Apple redesigns the MacBook Air with a bigger screen and M2 chip

Somehow, it’s already been almost four years since Apple redesigned the MacBook Air with a Retina display. That laptop got a big performance upgrade in late 2020 as one of the first computers to ship with Apple’s M1 silicon, but lately the device has started to feel long in the tooth. As expected, Apple is refreshing the MacBook Air today with the just-announced M2 chip inside and a larger, 13.6-inch display. It also includes MagSafe for the first time in years, just like the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro that Apple released last fall. It also has two Thunderbolt ports (now you don’t have to give one up for charging) and a headphone jack.

The M2 chip comes with an 8-core CPU, up to a 10-core GPU and up to 24GB of RAM — though the base model only comes with 8GB of RAM and an 8-core GPU. And as before, Apple is promising 18 hours of battery life for the MacBook Air. The new Air has a little notch, just like the MacBook Pro, and that notch holds a 1080p webcam that Apple says has twice the resolution and twice the low-light performance of the previous MacBook Air camera. The keyboard also mimics the one on the new MacBook Pro, with a full size row of function keys. 

Its design is also reminiscent of the new MacBook Pro, too, with a slightly more squared-off body — and for the first time, the MacBook Air isn’t a tapered wedge design like all the previous models. It’s still extremely thin and comes in a 2.7 pounds, just slightly less than the old model. Colors have been tweaked as well, although we’re unfortunately not getting the bright, iMac-style colors that were rumored. Instead, we’re looking at silver, space grey, “starlight” and “midnight.” 

The MacBook Air is, unfortunately, more expensive than before. It starts at $1,199, $200 more than the old model. There’s no word on exactly when it’ll ship, though — they said it would ship next month. And the old M1-powered MacBook Air will stay in the lineup at $999.

Follow all of the news from WWDC right here!

Apple’s Fitness app no longer requires an Apple Watch

You won’t need an Apple Watch to access the company’s Fitness app anymore. With iOS 16, Apple is bringing the software to iPhone, the company announced during WWDC 2022. Like its watchOS counterpart, the app will allow you to set daily activity goals, with a “Move ring” there to motivate you to stay active throughout the day. Your iPhone will use its sensors to track your steps and workouts and then convert that information into an estimation of the calories you’ve burned. At any time, you can share your Move ring with friends and family to push them to achieve their activity goals too.  

Follow all of the news from WWDC right here!

watchOS 9 will include improved sleep tracking and medication reminders

Apple is at last promising better sleep tracking for Apple Watch as part of watchOS 9. The updated Sleep app will include a sleep stage function. It will be able to detect the REM, core and deep sleep stages and track those over time. You’ll be ab…

Apple’s M2 chip will make Macs even more efficient

Almost two years since the launch of Apple’s M1 chip — the first ARM-based “Apple Silicon” hardware — we finally have a successor: M2. While the M1 chip was notable for showing what Apple could accomplish with a more efficient mobile design (a dramatic…

watchOS 9 will know what heart rate zones you’re in during sleep and workouts

As expected, Apple has introduced watchOS 9 at WWDC. The new Apple Watch platform includes a big upgrade to fitness features with enhanced metrics that include distance and time intervals. You’ll know when to slow down for a recovery, for instance. There are also heart rate zones (for both sleep and workouts), multi-sport workouts and personal bests that can help you improve performance over time. You won’t always need the wristwear, though— Apple has also promised to offer fitness features on the iPhone.

Fitness+ is more useful, too, with on-screen guidance to help you tackle all-out pushes and recoveries in several workout types. You’ll also find support for AirPlay to devices besides the Apple TV.

A new Medications feature in Health on the Apple Watch and iPhone helps you manage notifications, and will give you alerts when it’s time for your next dose. You can even learn about potentially harmful drug interactions. If you’re taking care of a loved one, they can also volunteer to share their health information with you. Atrial fibrillation tracking, meanwhile, now provides a history to let you know often your heart stays in an irregular rhythm.

You’ll also see some interface tweaks such as banner notifications, a priority-focused dock, a redesigned Calendar app, double-pinch “Quick Actions” gestures and a new Siri presentation. Apple has both revamped existing watch faces (such as Astronomy, Simple and Utility) and introduced new ones like Lunar, Metropolitan and Playtime.

The developer beta of watchOS 9 is available today, with a public beta expected in July. The finished update will arrive this fall for anyone using an Apple Watch Series 4 or later. This is the swan song for Apple’s original smartwatch form factor, in other words — you may want to think twice about buying the Series 3 (still on sale) knowing that it won’t get major updates from here on out.

Follow all of the news from WWDC right here!

Apple expands personal safety features with ‘Safety Check’

Apple is expanding its personal safety features in iOS 16 with Safety Check, a new feature meant to make it easier to lock down privacy and security settings. Safety check allows users to quickly review which contacts may have access to their location or calendar info, as well as the permissions being used by individual apps.

The feature is formatted into a checklist to make it easy to review and revoke access on an app-by-app or contact-by-contact basis. The company said the feature could be particularly impactful for people trying to flee an abusive relationship. In addition to the checklist, there’s an “emergency reset” that allows users to sign out of iCloud, lock down privacy settings and limit incoming messages to only “the device in their hand.”

The update comes after Apple has faced widespread scrutiny over AirTag-enabled tracking features that have since been linked to dozens of reported stalking incidents.

Follow all of the news from WWDC right here!

Apple’s next-gen CarPlay will better integrate with your car’s infotainment system

Apple has designs to reinvent the driving experience with a new generation of CarPlay app, one that more deeply melds the forms and functionality between your vehicle’s infotainment system and your iPhone. The company is remaining tight lipped about what exactly this reimagined version of the app will be able to do — those announcements will reportedly be teased out later next year — but hinted that they would effectively make your phone the “core” of the in-cabin systems. 

According to the company, this evolved CarPlay will source content and information to multiple screens within the vehicle – think Apple aesthetics on your phone, in your home and soon your car — as well as control in-cabin systems like the radio and climate directly through CarPlay. It can even replace the factory-set instrument cluster displays with its own UI so you can read your fuel gauge. Users will also be able to personalize their screens with a variety of widgets, skins and apps.

 Follow all of the news from WWDC right here!

Apple Maps adds multi-stop navigation routes in iOS 16

During the WWDC 2022 developers conference on Monday, Apple executives announced that that its Maps app will be receiving a number of feature updates, including one long sought after by users: the ability to add multiple stops to a route. 

Users will be able to preload up to fifteen stops for a trip on their Mac, then send the route to their iPhone. Further stops can be added on, either tactilely through the phone app or using CarPlay voice commands if you’re already behind the wheel. 

The company is also expanding Maps to nearly a dozen more countries — France, Switzerland, New Zealand, Belgium, Israel, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands — out from the 10 nations already covered. On the development side, the new version of Maps will make the process of integrating Maps’ high resolution imagery with other apps, like Zillow.

Follow all of the news from WWDC right here!

Apple Pay Later will let you make no-interest payments on purchases

As expected, Apple is adding pay later functionality to its Apple Pay service, the company announced today during WWDC 2022. The feature will allow you to split the cost of purchases into four equal payments over six weeks with no interest and late fee…