This year’s Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) was filled with announcements and sneak peaks into amazing new features that will inspire developers to bring exciting workflows and productivity gains to the lives of Apple-at-Work employee’s (and all Apple users).
The top headlines:
- Vision Pro expansion is finally here! Australia will see availability hitting our shores on July 12th.
- Big updates to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS and more!
- This year marks the 5th anniversary of Apple TV – and where would we all be without Ted Lasso & Morning Wars.
- But the hottest announcement came with the welcome of Apple Intelligence for iPhone, iPad and Mac.
If you’re short on time:
- Check out the Mac Centre WWDC24 highlights video, where Mac Centre’s own Niko Ramos & Cristina Antonucci talk us through their thoughts post the event.
- Apple also released a wrap up video of their own – 18 Things from WWDC24.
Keen to read on? Mac Centre have summarised all the key updates you need to know below:
Vision Pro coming soon!
Let’s just start right here! The long-awaited announcement for international access to the Vision Pro is finally here. Availability hitting our shores on July 12th – let’s say the team at Mac Centre are a little excited about this one! Check out all the updates here.
If your interested to learn more about the role Vision Pro can have within your business? Contact Mac Centre – to learn more.
Apple platform – Software updates:
We previewed incredible advances to Apple’s software platforms, powering all new productive workflows:
- Apple previewed iOS 18, featuring major updates to Photos and Mail, new iMessage features for ‘impactful communication’, live audio transcription in Notes and Phone apps, support for RCS messaging, and ‘Send Later’ functionality in messages. Enhanced privacy controls offer more precise app permissions and options to lock and hide sensitive apps. New satellite-based communication and Emergency SOS ensure connectivity and safety when Wi-Fi or cellular networks are unavailable (iPhone 14+ in the US at launch). Explore all the new features here.
- iPadOS 18 introduces Smart Script in Notes for enhanced handwriting capabilities, a new Calculator with Math Notes and Apple Pencil support, and a redesigned floating tab bar for easier app navigation. Additionally, new customisation options for the Home Screen and Control Centre are available. Discover more about the new features here.
- Say hello to macOS Sequoia – packed with productivity and creativity features, including easy window tiling for customised workspaces and enhanced Safari browsing with prioritised notifications and a redesigned Reader view. iPhone Mirroring extends continuity, allowing full control of your iPhone from your Mac. The new Passwords app simplifies password management, and video conferencing improvements include presenter preview and background replacements. Explore all the new features here.
- watchOS 11 offers new features to stay active and connected, including training load measurement, customisable activity rings, and a new Vitals app for key health metrics. Updates also include interactive widgets, enhancements to Smart Stack, and the Check In feature. Learn more about the watchOS announcements here.
- VisionOS 2 creates powerful new ways to transform existing photos into spatial photos with depth and dimension, uses intuitive hand gestures for quick access to information, and introduces features like Mac Virtual Display, Travel Mode, and Guest User to enhance on-the-go productivity. Discover all the announcements here.
- And of course, these updates come off the back off some incredible new accessibility features announced last month, including Eye Tracking, Vocal Shortcuts, Vehicle Motion Cues (to reduce motion sickness in moving vehicles) and lots more – see the announcement here.
- Compatibility is always a big question. Consult the OS preview pages (as highlighted above) for full details or reach out to the Mac Centre team if you have any questions.
Apple Intelligence:
While Apple has been using machine learning along with artificial intelligence for years, today, Apple announced capabilities that will dramatically transform that experience.
Welcome Apple Intelligence. Deeply integrated into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, Apple Intelligence harnesses the power of Apple silicon to understand and create language and images, take action across apps, and draw from personal context to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks, including:
- Powerful new capabilities transform the way we communicate.
Intelligent Writing Tools that can proofread, rewrite, and summarise text; priority messages in Mail and Notifications to highlight urgent messages; smart replies in Mail; and transcription and summarisation of audio recordings in Notes and Phone apps, all supported by new focus modes to perform tasks without interruptions. - For creative expression, users can produce fun, original images quickly with Image Playground, Image Wand can transform rough sketches into masterpieces or take inspiration from surrounding context to create stunning visual pictures, along with utilise new language search and cleanup tools across photos.
- Siri enters a new era with an all-new design, richer language understanding, and a type-to-interact feature for convenience. Enhanced with greater personal contextual awareness, Siri offers more natural and relevant interactions, on-device Apple Support for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and the ability to respond to hundreds of new actions across Apple and third-party apps.
- Emphasising privacy, Apple Intelligence relies on deep personal context understanding, while ensuring privacy through on-device processing along with Private Cloud Compute for handling complex requests securely.
- Finally, the seamless integration of ChatGPT and OpenAI into Siri and Writing Tools, eliminates the need to switch between tools, providing users with expertise when they need it most while maintaining control.
See the full Apple Intelligence announcement here.
*Note: Apple Intelligence will be available in beta as part of iOS18, iPadOS18 and macOS Sequoia, and will be available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, along with iPad and Mac with M1 and later.
What’s new for Business:
The Business and Education section of the Apple Developer App now features a preview of the content that will be released in developer sessions throughout this week – including Enterprise APIs for vision OS (available now), and What’s new in device management (coming later this week). There are also labs and activities throughout the week. You can watch these in your own time via the Business & Education section of the Developer app.
And that’s a wrap!
Apple have certainly delivered on a BIG #WWDC24! A load of updates. The moment in time where AI meet’s AI, and VisionPro is set to land in Australia.
Stay tuned to Mac Centre’s LinkedIn page for more relevant info and updates to come from the week ahead. And of course, reach out to your Account Manager or Contact Us – if you have any queries on availability, compatibility or general updates.
