Every once in a while, a revolutionary product appears.
In 2007, at the original iPhone conference, Jobs used this sentence as an opening statement.
In 2023, at WWDC23, Cook, the successor of Jobs, finally said the word "revolutionary product" again.
On the 40th anniversary of WWDC, the 16th year of the iPhone's release, we had the opportunity to witness Apple's most important new product after the release of the iPhone - Vision Pro at Apple Park in Cupertino, California.
I don't want to use the term "iPhone moment" to describe the product's debut. Years from now, with the ubiquity of interfaces, I might think of that distant late night at work in front of multiple monitors.
At that time, smartphones were still computing centers, PCs were still the most important productivity tool for migrant workers, and we were still interacting with devices through keyboards and mice, screens, and voice. At the beginning of the new birth of the world, many things did not have names, but they could already bring tears to people's eyes.
16 years ago, the iPhone ushered us into the era of mobile computing. Today, we are beginning to enter the era of spatial computing.
He Zongcheng, Chief Content Officer of Aifaner, has experienced Apple Vision Pro for the first time on the spot, please pay attention to our subsequent update today for more experience details.
In addition to the most important Vision Pro, this WWDC conference also brought a lot of software and hardware updates, and you will see next:
- iOS 17
- iPadOS 17
- macOS 14
- watchOS 10
- 15 寸 MacBook Air
- M2 Series Mac Studio
- M2 Ultra Mac Pro (yes, you read that right!) ）
Vision Pro ushers in a new era
Apple introduces a new AR platform and a revolutionary product.
When Cook uttered this line that represented surprise and future, we all knew that the long-rumored Vision Pro was coming. The revelations that lasted for half a year made it less expected at first sight, but when it was unveiled, there was still a "wow" in the office at two o'clock in the morning.
With a large display structure, wide straps and a battery load on the rear, the all-in-one headset in recent years has left a heavy impression on us, and although the Vision Pro does not live up to the glasses form that Cook expected, the body slightly larger than the ski goggles has surpassed many competitors.
Apple uses a lot of advanced design and materials to ensure the compact feel of Vision Pro. Vision Pro's lens and custom aluminum alloy frame are perfectly integrated to better fit the user's face, and the modular eye mask and headband design can meet the fine adjustments of different people. The 3D woven headband is available in a variety of sizes for more breathability and can even be used as a cushion.
If look is a reason to fall in love at first sight, then the core configuration of Vision Pro is what you have to promise. For headsets, we focus on display, performance, and optics.
Screen: A window to the outside world
This is the biggest difference between Vision Pro and other headsets, and when you wear it to communicate with other people, your eyes are not blocked by Vision Pro.
With a face-tracking camera and an eye tracking camera on the inside of the device, Vision Pro can accurately capture facial expression changes and display them on an external screen. Friends will also judge your status based on what the screen shows.
When you're immersed in Vision Pro, such as watching a movie, the screen hides your eyes and shows the effect of a halo shift.
When you use the app, there will be color changes around your eyes, and you can also see the outside environment.
When someone comes to talk to you, the color change around the eyes stops, letting the other person know that you have stopped and focus on communicating with them. In this way, the use of virtual reality glasses is no longer a "single game", this unique external screen is a bridge between the virtual and the real.
Performance: The power of the Mac, comes to virtual reality
Apple has designed a unique dual-chip design for Vision Pro, the main chip is our familiar M2, responsible for visual algorithms and image information processing, so that Vision Pro has a smoother experience.
At the same time, in order to process the information of 12 cameras, 5 sensors and 6 microphones, Apple also brought a new R1 chip, so that the image can be synchronized to the Vision Pro screen in 12 milliseconds, almost without delay, as if everything happened in front of you.
At the bottom of the Vision Pro, there is also a specially designed cooling system that keeps it warm and quiet while smooth.
Optics: Leading-edge design in one package
Vision Pro uses a custom micro OLED screen with monocular resolution that exceeds that of 4K TVs, and a custom three-lens structure that makes Vision Pro clear enough at any angle, and all text is clear and sharp.
At the same time, Vision Pro provides a very wide range of vision correction, which is convenient for myopic users. Although Apple did not provide more information (such as viewing angles), it is most likely the largest virtual reality headset today.
Audio: Truly immersive, immersive
To make the experience even more immersive, Vision Pro features a state-of-the-art spatial audio system with a set of dual drivers on each side of the ear, allowing sound to come from all sides and "fool your brain." Vision Pro also analyzes the acoustic properties of your room, such as physical materials, to match the audio effect that suits your room.
Especially when using FaceTime, the sound seems to come from the avatar window, making the experience more immersive.
External battery design
If you want to explore the secret behind the Vision Pro's lightness, then the external battery must be a top priority.
Vision Pro does not have a built-in battery, but an external battery that can last about 2 hours by magnetism.
If you need to use it for a long time, you can also use it with an external power supply, but this use reduces mobility.
Apple said that Vision Pro can change communication, writing, work, entertainment and other scenarios, and in Apple's presentation, it does describe a very bright future for us. Vision Pro costs $3,499 (about 24,860 yuan) and will be available next year, will you get it?
The closest interaction pattern to nature
The strong hardware base enriches Vision Pro with many incredible features.
The first is interaction, you don't need to use controllers or other controllers, eyes, hands and mouth are the best way to control Vision Pro.
When you want to select an app, all you have to do is look at the app and open it with two taps of your finger, and the whole process is very natural.
If you want to enter text, just speak.
Of course, you can also use Siri to do things like open apps.
With these interactions, you can adjust the size and position of the app at will, such as zooming in on a movie to 100 feet to fill an entire room, or pulling a Facetime object in front of you to chat face-to-face.
By twisting the knob on the Vision Pro, you can adjust the Immersive Environment interface.
Simply put, you can switch to a virtual environment like VR glasses, except that this environment is very realistic and beautiful - night view of the desert, morning in the forest, etc., in an immersive environment.
All the UI runs in space, and as Apple says, it's a spatial computing device.
visionOS is here: Redefining the virtual reality device experience
Imagine an infinitely large iPad screen, you can browse the web through your eyes, you can pull distant apps in front of you with your fingers, you can instantly turn the living room into a meditation room, a library, this is the experience that Vision Pro will bring you.
The UIs of visionOS aren't actually disruptive — it looks like it's hanging iPadOS in front of us, but the iPad-like interface does make it easier for us to get started.
But the amazing thing is that the app will appear directly in your room, and every element has a volume, a shadow, and you can feel its size and position at any time. It's like moving the real thing.
Familiar apps like Safari, Keynote, Final Cut Pro, and more can be found on Vision Pro.
You can browse web content in an oversized Safari or FaceTime chat in life-size.
When watching a movie, you can directly help you change the entire environment and darken the surrounding environment. Of course, you can also directly change the environment to bring you a spectacular movie-watching experience, and any room can become your private cinema.
You can also watch sports in a whole new way, not only by watching live video in 2D, but also by watching a 3D overlook movie as if you were there.
As a new member of Apple's ecosystem, visionOS can naturally also be linked with other devices. You can turn Vision Pro's screen into a Mac display and work efficiently with multiple large screens in the virtual world.
Of course, you can use Bluetooth devices such as keyboards and mice for complex input operations like long text editing.
Vision Pro is not only a headset, but also Apple's first 3D camera.
You can press the physical button on Vision Pro to capture precious moments with your family in the form of 3D imagery and spatial audio.
When you watch these movies in Vision Pro, it's like being back on the scene.
You can also watch 3D movies like the Avatar 2, and Vision Pro will bring a 3D experience far beyond traditional flat devices.
If you receive a 3D model file, you can also pull it out and watch it directly – an advantage of a higher dimensional device.
If you look at the panoramic photos taken by your iPhone, it will be like the real scene is spread out in front of you.
At the same time, visionOS has a lot of exclusive applications, and you can even use Vision Pro to do Word, PPT, immersive office. The whole world is your artboard, and you can resize them to suit your needs.
Most importantly, iPhone and iPad apps can be used natively on Vision Pro, so you don't have to worry about Vision Pro encountering an ecological shortage without apps available.
Vision Pro also supports Apple Arcade, where hundreds of games can be played directly.
Apple revealed that visionOS will have a new AppStore, and there will be more applications specifically developed for Vision Pro in the future, such as 3D anatomical diagrams.
iOS 17: Keeping up with the AI wave
Let's first quickly summarize the most noteworthy updates of iOS 17:
1. StandBy, the iPhone becomes a smart screen
2. Call posters, every call is personal
3. AirDrop big upgrade, all-round transmission
4. Journal, your smartest handbook
5. Live Sticker, collect stickers
6. Check in, tell friends and family to get home safely with one click
7. More accurate input with built-in AI models
8. Call Siri faster and easier
StandBy, the iPhone becomes a smart screen
StandBy should be the most interesting feature on iOS 17, when you charge the iPhone horizontally, the iPhone enters this new interface and becomes a "smart home screen".
You can display different styles of time in StandBy, or photos, calendars, weather, notifications, and other important content or information.
You can also put on the HomeKit hardware module to control the smart home in one stop, and there are many ways to play.
Here's the good news for iPhone 14 Pro users: With the updated always-on display function of the iPhone14 Pro series, when you put the iPhone horizontally on the bedside table before going to bed, the phone becomes an electronic clock that never goes out, and you can understand all the important arrangements at a glance.
Call poster, every call is personal
Do you think caller ID is too monotonous? Now you can set up your own caller ID poster!
You can choose your own photo or Amoji image as the caller ID poster, when someone receives your call, your "big head" will appear on the caller ID interface of the other party, which is very recognizable, and applications that support CallKit can call the poster.
At this time, my rice noodle colleague suddenly reacted: Isn't this a MIUI call show!?
By the way, when you set up a call poster, the other person's address book will also update your latest image.
Let me guess if you want to put a meme as a poster in front of the screen!
AirDrop big upgrade, all-round transmission
The AirDrop feature, which is the favorite of Apple ecological users, has also been upgraded, and now you can not only Drop files (memes), but also Drop mobile phone numbers!
When you want to exchange contact information with a new friend, you can drop your phone number and email address with a sticker on your phone, and Apple Watch can also be used.
To exchange photos after traveling, you can also drop your phone close together, and if the transfer is too far away, the iPhone will switch to a wireless network to continue transferring photos.
Next is the SharePlay function, for the software that opens the SharePlay function, you can listen to the same song and watch the same live broadcast together with a sticker.
Journal, your smartest handbook
Friends who have a hobby of making handbooks like to collect the bits and pieces of their lives and record their lives in a notebook.
Now you can also record your "digital life".
Journal is a new app for iOS 17, you can record the songs you have heard, the movies you have watched, and the sports you have done in Journal and write a handbook.
If you don't know where to start, Journal will also give you relevant text suggestions, like a built-in ChatGPT.
With such a convenient and fast digital handbook, are you willing to record your life every day?
Live Sticker, collect stickers
How many friends like to chat with iMessage? Now you can fight with friends with richer emoticons!
With powerful AI processing capabilities, you can extract LivePhoto content into animated stickers to interact with your friends directly on iMessage.
You can put stickers on each reply to express your feelings.
You can also use stickers in more places in the system, including notes and third-party apps, and let you experience more gameplay in detail when we update the new system.
Check in, tell friends and family to get home safely with one click
iOS 17 also updates iMessage with many new features, including speech-to-text, direct location, etc., let's pick the most important feature - check in.
When you get home, you can send a "report safe" text message to your friends and relatives with one click, informing them that you have arrived home safely.
The whole process is automated, and iPhone will detect whether you arrive home safely based on location and time, and if you are delayed, it will also pop up notifications to remind you if you want to tell friends and family that you have a problem on the road.
If you don't reply, it will automatically share your current location and friends and family can see your address, battery, and signal status.
More accurate input, built-in AI models
This should be an update of Apple's most emphasis on AI, and Apple has repeatedly mentioned the Transformer model - the technical basis of ChatGPT at this conference.
Apple said that the keyboard will now use the Transformer language model to make predictions and provide you with more accurate recommendation words, so that you can quickly type long sentences as long as you type a few letters.
In addition to the keyboard, Apple also uses the Transformer model in voice input to improve the accuracy of input, Apple emphasizes that all calculations are based on the local mobile phone, so there is no need to worry about privacy leakage.
Call Siri faster and easier
Finally, a small but not simple upgrade: in the future, you don't have to call Siri directly to call it out and talk to it continuously.
Behind the simplification is Apple's semantic recognition technology that has gone up another level, waking up voice assistants with shorter keywords.
However, will the false wake-up rate also increase?
The above are the most noteworthy updates of iOS 17, more detailed updates, please look forward to our subsequent experience (soon to be released!). ）。
Finally, speaking of support, iOS 17 supports iPhone devices released after iPhone XS, which means that neither the iPhone 8 series nor iPhoneX will be able to upgrade to the latest system.
Apple's strongest computer bombed the field, completely abandoning Intel
Fifteen years after Jobs pulled the MacBook Air out of the file bag, one file bag could not hold a MacBook Air. Tonight, Apple has once again expanded the screen size of the MacBook Air, bringing it to an unprecedented 15.3 inches.
The 15.3-inch MacBook Air uses the same hardware specifications as the 13.6-inch model, the built-in M2 chip is also an 8-core CPU, the GPU is still up to 10 cores, the memory starts at 8GB, and the optional 24GB.
ALTHOUGH THE SCREEN HAS INCREASED TO 15.3 INCHES, ITS WEIGHT HAS ALSO REMAINED AT A DECENT LEVEL - ABOUT 1.5KG. However, it does not eat the endurance dividend brought by the large size, and the battery life is the same as that of the 13.6-inch model, which is still 18 hours.
In terms of price, the starting price of the 15.3-inch MacBook Air is 10499 yuan, and if the 256GB SSD is increased to 512GB, the price will come to 11999 yuan.
On the other hand, Apple has completed the last piece of the puzzle of the M2 chip - the new Mac Studio will be equipped with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips.
In addition to the new chip, Mac Studio also gets a stronger HDMI interface, supports greater bandwidth, and 8K resolution and 240 frames are not a problem at all. Of course, the price is still at the level of Studio - from 16499 yuan.
If the 15-inch MacBook Air isn't big enough, Apple has brought a bigger guy — the new Grater, oh no, the new Mac Pro.
The Mac Pro with the M2 Ultra chip has unprecedented performance, supporting up to 192GB of unified memory, the graphics performance is equivalent to the Intel version of the Mac Pro plugged in with 7 Afterburner graphics cards, which can process 24 4K videos simultaneously and perform real-time ProRes encoding.
There is also progress in interfaces, the whole machine has 8 Thunderbolt 4 ports, and it also has 7 PCIe interfaces inside, 6 of which support PCIe Gen4.
Although you need to pay at least 55999 yuan to move this performance monster home, the launch of the new Mac Pro still means that Apple has completed a full transition to Apple Silicon.
macOS 14: Play Death Stranding!
The focus of macOS update this time is on game performance. Yes, you heard it right.
Apple has added a game mode to the new macOS Sonoma this time, after turning on the game mode, the system resources will be completely tilted to the game, and the delay of the controller and Bluetooth headset will be shortened to provide a better gaming experience.
However, it is well known that the biggest problem with a Mac is the game itself. Apple naturally knows this.
Apple says that on macOS Sonoma, it will be much harder for developers to port games to the Mac platform. In order to convince game developers of this, Apple moved in Hideo Kojima, the producer of "Death Stranding".
Hideo Kojima said that "Death Stranding Director's Cut" will be available on Mac later this year, and players will soon be able to pre-order on the AppStore.
In addition, macOS Sonoma brings a lot of interesting new features, such as widgets that can be added to the desktop, cooler FaceTime, safer Safari, more efficient web apps...
These new features are waiting to be explored.
iPadOS 17: iOS has it, so does iPad
The major update of iPadOS 17, we have to start with the new experience of widgets and lock screen brought by iOS 16.
Apple brought a "custom lock screen" feature to iPadOS 17, as we have already experienced with iOS 16, where we can change personalized pictures, place interactive widgets, and intuitively browse real-time updates - although the iPad product line does not yet have a smart island.
It has to be said that although these "new features" that should have appeared on iPadOS 16 are belated, they finally make the large screen of the iPad have a greater use.
On top of that, the Home screen widget on the iPad finally supports direct interaction, to-dos can be checked on the home screen, and music can be controlled directly on the widget – which is what the widget is supposed to look like.
Now, the iPad is probably the best PDF reader to use. In the built-in PDF reader, iPadOS 17 can use machine learning to identify fields in PDFs, click on the text box, and directly complete the filling of name, address and other information.
The usual notes app is also a great PDF reading & editor, and in iPadOS 17, we can organize, read, annotate, and even collaborate on PDF documents directly in notes.
Apple informed developers that HealthKit officially landed on iPadOS 17, so iPadOS 17 also brought a "health" app to the iPad, allowing users to see their health monitoring status on a larger screen, understand their health data based on interactive charts, and track and manage drug use. This is still much more convenient for users who often use iPad to exercise on a daily basis.
So the question is, when will Apple consider adding a calculator app to the iPad?
watchOS 10: A milestone upgrade
When watchOS was updated to the 10th version number, Apple not only shouted the slogan of "milestone update", but also redesigned various apps in watchOS, bringing a new set of software interface design specifications.
At the same time, watchOS has introduced a series of widgets, we just need to turn the digital crown directly on the front page of the watch face, and the widgets hidden at the bottom of the watch face will slide in front of us. Widgets not only present instant information, but also keep users up to date with important information they care about, such as calendars, boarding passes, and even takeout progress.
If you turn the digital crown directly on the home page of the watch face, you can directly browse a series of widgets.
Apple brought two new watch face designs, the Palette and Snoopy. The former uses three different overlapping layers on the surface of the palette and depicts time in different colors, and the colors also change over time; The latter allowed Snoopy to "live" in the Apple Watch, interact with confused customers in various ways, react to the weather conditions in their area, and become active when users exercise.
Unconsciously, Apple Watch has become a typical wrist health expert, while always paying attention to the user's physical health, watchOS 10 should further pay attention to the user's mental health.
With the new "Mindfulness" app in watchOS 10, we can record momentary emotions and daily moods in a convenient and rigorous way, so as to track our emotional changes and the causes that affect them. Without the Apple Watch, the Health app on iPhone and iPad also adds a record of mood changes.
Overall, the many changes in watchOS 10 are indeed worthy of the adjective "milestone".
Music & Family: AirPods are upgraded
In terms of audio, Apple has once again upgraded the experience of using AirPods.
The adaptive audio dynamic fusion function allows AirPods to automatically switch in noise reduction, transparency and other modes according to different ambient noises. Machine learning also automatically adjusts the sound level of your AirPods based on your experience.
When someone talks to you, conversation detection automatically reduces the sound of your AirPods, so you can talk without taking off your headphones. When you call, AirPods also adjust the noise cancellation effect based on ambient sound.
Note that adaptive audio is only available with AirPods Pro (second generation).
AirPods Pro (1st and 2nd generation), AirPods (3rd generation) and AirPods Max all add mute or unmute functions to enhance the AirPods calling experience.
Later this year, Apple will also open the function of scanning code to automatically connect to Wi-Fi, quickly play your favorite programs for hotels that support AirPlay, and simultaneous sharing will also support CarPlay, I believe the addition of these functions will make your journey more interesting.
Products that define Apple for the next 10 years
Since Apple appointed Mike Rockwell as the VR/AR team leader, Apple's headset has been in development for more than seven years. Tonight Apple finally unveiled, why is Vision Pro considered the most important product after Apple's iPhone?
For business reasons, Apple, the world's largest technology giant by market capitalization, also has to face the reality of smartphone growth and has to start looking for the next growth engine.
Apple has long wanted to get rid of "iPhone dependence", and the iPhone still contributes more than half of Apple's revenue. Although the iPhone bucked the trend in the first quarter of this year and became the only manufacturer to grow, this could not reverse the decline of the entire smartphone industry, with Canalys data showing that global smartphone shipments fell by 13% in the first quarter of 2023.
At a time when hardware sales have encountered bottlenecks and the wave of large models has swept in, as a company that has pushed the entire technology industry forward several times, Apple has faced unprecedented challenges, and the MR headset Vision Pro is its response, trying to bring new possibilities to Apple itself and the technology industry.
After Jobs' death in 2011, Apple released only a new device, the Apple Watch, and the general direction was also conceived and developed by Jobs and Jony Ive.
Vision Pro is the first truly new large-scale product launched during Apple's Cook era. This may also be the last big move in Cook's CEO career, wanting to re-prove Apple's unique creativity and ability to define computing platforms. Cook also mentioned in an interview not long ago:
I don't want to just piece together other people's stuff, because we want to control the main technology, which is the key to innovation.
Liu Xuewen, editor-in-chief of Aifaner, mentioned in the live broadcast:
The success of the industrial revolution brought by Apple, one looks at the hardware level, the second looks at interactive innovation, and then looks at the ecology, from the graphical interface, to the touch screen interaction, corresponding to the two eras of personal computers and smartphones, and now Vision Pro and it integrates gestures, eyeballs and voice of a new intuitive interaction, undoubtedly heralding another era, don't forget, there is a trend rushing, about to merge with Vision Pro.
The entire VR/AR industry is eager for Apple to find the real killer application scenario and ignite this tepid market that has been tepid for many years. Jay Wright, CEO of Campfire 3D, a VR/AR collaboration platform, said:
The Apple hair headset is one of the industry's greatest events. Whether it's doing hardware or software, we're very excited about it.
Of course, for the price of Vision Pro, it will not immediately make it as widespread as a smartphone. Apple obviously also knows that this original product is not aimed at ordinary consumers, and sales are not the main goal.
The real "iPhone moment" may not yet come, looking back at Apple's revolutionary products, whether it is the Lisa, a personal computer with a graphical user interface (GUI), or the original iPhone that provides touch interaction, sales are not impressive.
They are more like the tools of Apple's switch, suddenly changing the direction of the era train at a certain point.
Tonight, the trajectory of personal computing has quietly changed.