While primarily an event aiming to give developers a running start on software updates, Apple has taken to dropping a few hardware Easter eggs into its Worldwide Developers Conference agenda, and Monday’s edition was no exception.
Apple unveiled an entirely redesigned MacBook Air (goodbye wedge-shaped design, hello colors) and upgraded 13-inch MacBook Pro, both powered by the company’s new M2 chip.
The new Air is thinner, has more screen real estate, a four-speaker sound system and better battery life, according to Apple. The aluminum skinned machine comes in four colors — silver, space gray, midnight and starlight — is less than 1/2” thick and weighs under 3 pounds.
The new MacBook Air. Supercharged by M2. With an impossibly thin design. All-day battery life*. And a stunning 13.6” Liquid Retina display. Don’t take it lightly. Coming next month. *Battery life varies by use.
— Apple (@Apple) June 6, 2022
“We’re so excited to bring our new M2 chip to the world’s two most popular laptops — the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, in a press statement. “Completely redesigned around M2, MacBook Air is thinner, lighter, and faster with a bigger display, better camera, and all-day battery life, in four beautiful finishes. Only with Apple silicon can you build such a thin and light notebook with a fanless design, and this combination of performance and capabilities.
“M2 also comes to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, featuring incredible performance, ProRes acceleration, up to 24GB of memory, and up to 20 hours of battery life — making our most portable pro notebook even better.”
Apple also announced a slew of software updates, including the new iOS 16 system that runs on the company’s popular iPhones.
Highlights include:
- Apple has joined a growing fray of buy-now-pay-later apps and services with its own Apple Pay Later that integrates with the iPhone Wallet/Apple Pay feature. Users can apply for Apple Pay Later when they are checking out with Apple Pay, or in Wallet and, if approved, can split the cost of an Apple Pay purchase into four equal payments spread over six weeks, with zero interest and no fees. Apple says its Pay Later option is available everywhere Apple Pay is accepted online or in-app, using the Mastercard network. Additionally, with Apple Pay Order Tracking, users can receive detailed receipts and order tracking information in Wallet for Apple Pay purchases with participating merchants.
- With iOS 16, iPhone users will be able to totally customize their lock screens with photos that now appear in front of the clock feature and widgets that take inspiration from Apple Watch complications, making it easy to get information at a glance, such as upcoming calendar events, the weather, battery levels, alarms, time zones, Activity ring progress and more.
- Ever wanted to reel that last poorly written, awkward or untimely text message back in? New Message features in iOS 16 allows users to edit or recall recently sent messages, recover recently deleted messages and mark conversations as unread so they can come back to them later. In addition, SharePlay is coming to Messages, making it possible to enjoy synced content like movies or songs and shared playback controls all while chatting in Messages.
The new Apple MacBook Air with the M2 processor is displayed on Monday, June 6, 2022, following the keynote presentation of Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference on the campus of Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.
Noah Berger, Associated Press
Apple also announced a new operating system for its family of laptop and desktop computers on Monday, macOS Ventura, which is set to become available to the public later this year.
The new system includes a host of new features including Stage Manager, which creates new options for managing open windows; Continuity Camera, which integrates the iPhone as a multifunction webcam; and Handoff, which will coordinate moving a FaceTime call that originates on an iPhone or iPad to a Mac.