Apple released the latest invitation letter for this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC22). At 1:00 am Beijing time next Tuesday, Cook is going to meet us again. Counting down, this is already Apple’s 33rd developer conference, and judging from the existing information, this Apple 2022 WWDC will still be held online, which is the same as the last two sessions that were delayed by the epidemic.
The “code opening” in the latest invitation letter undoubtedly shows that the content related to “code” will become the protagonist, and the original invitation letter of this Apple WWDC22 is a simple “Swift” LOGO. Swift is Apple’s programming language. It is known that at this Apple WWDC22, there should be important progress in the Apple developer ecosystem.
Recently, information related to the content of this Apple WWDC22 release has been continuously released. Apple’s five major systems, iOS 16, iPad 16, macOS 13, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16, will usher in important updates. For example, iOS was first adapted to the punch-hole screen iPhone, Small components turned into “big components”, and support satellite communication, and car collision detection.
Of course, the rumored MR (mixed reality) headset that Apple just showed to the board and whether the new Mac Pro will be unveiled have become the focus of attention in the industry.
And some foreign media broke the news that Apple’s Pro Display XDR top flagship display product line has a high probability of ushering in an update. In addition, the “spliced version M1 ULt
ra” core emperor, M2 chip, and new products of the MacBook series are also likely to be unveiled together.
On May 12, Google held its developer conference offline, and at this press conference, which should have been software as the protagonist, Google successively threw out six new hardware products, consisting of mobile phones, headphones, watches, and tablets. The whole family bucket”, has a great challenge to Apple, whether Apple will make a “response” at WWDC this time, is also worth looking forward to.
Although the conference will be held online, it is understood that on the opening day of the conference on June 6, Apple will still hold a small offline event in Apple Park, inviting some developers and students to participate. Called “Special Day”.
1. Develop iOS applications on Windows? iOS 16 adapts “punch screen” for the first time
Since it is closely related to developers, we can expect important updates to both Swift 6.0 and XCode 14.
Some more powerful functions and API interfaces must be opened to developers. In addition, there is news that Apple may improve the multi-platform compatibility of XCode, for example, developers can run XCode on Windows.
In this way, developers do not need a Mac computer or expensive virtual machine tools to develop applications for the iOS ecosystem. In Swift Playground 4.0, released last year, Apple has allowed developers to develop apps on the iPad.
However, Swift and XCode still have a certain distance from ordinary consumers. In contrast, everyone is more concerned about the upgrade of several major systems.
In the past four years, on the smartphone side, Apple’s iOS market share has shown a fluctuating growth trend, and it was close to 30% at its peak. Therefore, every important update of iOS has a high degree of attention.
1. Interface adjustment brought by punch-hole screen
According to multiple sources in Apple’s supply chain, this year’s iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models should adopt a “punch + pill” double-hole design. Therefore, iOS 16 needs to adapt to changes in screen shape and adjust the status bar and the surrounding area of the punch hole. area to adjust.
Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman believes that Apple will not make major changes to iOS 16 as a whole. In his opinion, iOS has not changed much since iOS 7 ten years ago, but this time Apple may add a new multitasking mode of operation to the interaction between the iPhone and the iPad.
2. The “big components” are coming
At WWDC in 2020, Apple added the “Widgets” function to iOS 14 for the first time, which is the “Widgets” function that domestic Android phones have used for many years.
This time in iOS 16, Apple may allow users to combine multiple small components to form a “big component”. According to a previous leak, users can control music playback, some control centers, and timers. , weather forecast, and other functions are put together to save space.
However, compared to this upgrade, more consumers may also expect some practical small upgrades, such as the ability to customize the folder name in the App Library (App Library), change the location of the application in the folder, and so on.
3. The notification function may have an “important” upgrade
Goodman reports that while there may not be “significant” changes on iOS 16, Apple will make “significant” upgrades to notifications and health tracking.
Last year, Apple added functions such as smart sorting of notifications, status reminders, and focus mode to iOS 15. The system learns user habits and makes notifications more intelligent.
Guman did not disclose the specific upgrade of the notification function this time.
4. Health App adds drug management function
Sports health has always been an area where Apple has continued to increase its layout. There were rumors that Apple intends to acquire Peloton, a well-known sports equipment manufacturer, but there has been no substantial progress on this matter.
On iOS 16, Apple will upgrade the Health App to add sleep tracking and medication management functions. The drug management function allows users to enter the drug information they are taking into the health app, to achieve better reminders and management.
In addition, the health app may also introduce new features for women’s health management.
Of course, in the field of sports health, Apple’s Apple Fitness + service will continue to support some new fitness types. At the same time, Apple also hopes to launch a service that integrates nutritional data in health apps to further strengthen the management and analysis of personal health data.
5. What is the difference between hardware subscription and installment payment?
In the financial report of the latest fiscal quarter, we can see that Apple’s service business revenue has increased again, and the service business is also the bulk of Apple’s profits.
In terms of services, Apple may add several new services to iOS 16. For example, in the payment field, Apple will launch a “buy now and pay later” feature that allows users to pay in installments for consumption in Apple Pay.
In addition, Apple may also launch a hardware subscription service, which has been fermented in the industry for a long time. A “hardware subscription,” as the name suggests, is a monthly fee that users can pay to use an iPhone, iPad, or Mac product, but the item itself remains owned by Apple. Back then, using the iPhone was like subscribing to iCloud or Apple Music.
Apple’s products have always had 24 interest-free services, and how this hardware subscription service will be differentiated from the former, and the level of subscription fees, are the focus of everyone’s attention.
6. Car collision detection and emergency satellite communication
There will also be some upgrades to safety features on iOS 16. For example, there are rumors that the iPhone 14 series will support a car crash detection feature, which allows the iPhone to detect the occurrence of a car accident and automatically make emergency calls.
If this feature is to be implemented in the iPhone 14 series, iOS 16 will likely add support for this feature.
In addition, Apple is also planning to add an emergency satellite communication feature to the iPhone 14 series, which will allow the iPhone to send text messages in emergencies with no signal, as well as report major emergencies.
2. iPadOS enhances the ability to interact with mobile phones, and watchOS continues to optimize battery life
Since the M1 series chips landed on the iPad product line, consumers have been calling for an upgrade to the iPad’s software level, because the existing applications on the iPad can no longer fully “squeeze” the performance of the M1 chip. In particular, productivity-oriented users are looking forward to having a “desktop-level” creative experience on the iPad.
However, there is currently less relevant information about the upgrade points of iPadOS 16. The desktop homepage may be slightly optimized, and the widget functions will also be upgraded synchronously with iOS 16. Goodman believes that Apple will add a multitasking interface to the iPad, to improve the interaction between the iPhone and the iPad.
Regarding watchOS on the Apple Watch, this year’s watchOS 9 may add a power-saving mode to reduce the energy consumption of various functions of the Apple Watch. Previously, Apple’s “Power Reserve” function did greatly extend the battery life of the watch, but most of the functions in this model were no longer available.
This new power-saving mode will extend the battery life of the watch while taking into account the use of most functions.
Of course, as an important part of Apple’s health layout, Apple Watch also plays an important role. This time Apple plans to further expand the scope of atrial fibrillation detection in watchOS so that the watch can calculate the “burden” of the heart, or at a certain time. Frequency of intracardiac atrial fibrillation.
In addition, support for some new sports modes and some new dial styles will also be added as usual.
Regarding macOS 13, there is not much relevant information at present. The macOS Monterey released last year has few changes compared to the redesign in macOS Big Sur, and whether this year’s macOS 13 will bring some surprises and whether it will be carried out for its M1 series chips More unique optimizations are worth looking forward to.
In recent years, Apple has continuously improved the quality of content provided by its applications. Following the release of Apple TV+ and Apple joining the Matter smart home standard ecosystem, will Apple strengthen multi-device collaboration, content flow, and better support for high-quality content on the tvOS side? , are possible.
3. Apple’s first MR head-mounted display may be unveiled, and the “M2” chip is likely to be unveiled
Judging from the information currently leaked, the upgrade at the software level does not seem to be eye-catching enough, so the main event may come to the hardware field.
1. Apple’s MR headset is just one step away, and the price exceeds 20,000 yuan
At present, Apple is developing an MR headset and will release it within one or two years. It has almost become an industry consensus. Therefore, it is generally believed in the industry that Apple may release relevant information at this Apple WWDC22 so that developers can develop applications and content in advance. Prepare.
Apple recently showed a prototype of the MR headset to the company’s board members, which means that the development of Apple’s MR headset has come to an end.
According to the information that has been exposed, Apple has been developing this MR headset with the internal codename N301 since 2015. The headset will be equipped with a “desktop-level” chip with performance comparable to the M1. This MR headset may be equipped with more than 12 cameras while using Sony’s 4K Mirco OLED display.
However, the current global epidemic has caused Apple’s supply chain to be full of uncertainty, and it is also possible that the MR headset will be affected and the release will be delayed.
In terms of price, the industry expects that the price of this MR headset will be more than 3,000 US dollars (about 20,000 yuan).
Recently, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote that Apple will probably not release the MR headset and the operating system reality for the device at Apple WWDC22 this year, but he also added that if Apple does release it, then his competitors Similar competing products will be launched quickly (starting a copycat project) and listed before Apple. One cannot help but sigh that the power of Huaqiangbei cannot be underestimated.
2. The new Mac Pro uses neither M1 nor M2? New MacBook or first M2
In addition to the MR headset, Apple’s Mac computers may also usher in an important update at Apple WWDC22. Goodman revealed that Apple will release new Mac products in May or June. Now that May is coming to an end, the probability of Apple releasing new Mac computers at Apple WWDC22 has increased significantly.
At Apple’s spring new product launch in April this year, Apple announced that the Mac Pro products will be updated soon, and all of Apple’s Mac computer products will complete the transition from Intel processors to Apple’s self-developed M1 series chips.
From the design of the M1 Ultra, it is not difficult to see that the Apple M1 series chips have extremely high scalability. According to industry information, the Apple Mac Pro focuses on heavy-duty productivity office scenarios and will be equipped with more powerful Apple self-developed chips. Whether it is the rumored “M2” chip is unknown.
However, a source on Twitter said that the new Mac Pro will not be equipped with M1 series chips, nor M2 series chips, and the words are very positive, which inevitably adds a bit of suspense to the configuration of the Mac Pro.
Another source said that the new Mac Pro may be equipped with two M1 Ultra chips. At that time, the Mac Pro’s CPU will have 40 cores, the GPU will be 128 cores, and the memory capacity will be as high as 256GB. The configuration is extremely “luxury”.
Whether this chip will be named “M1 Ultra Duo”, there is a certain possibility. However, Guman believes that the specific release of the Mac Pro may not be before and after Apple WWDC, and Apple may release the relevant information about the Mac Pro in advance so that developers have time to develop corresponding professional applications for chip replacement or to carry out existing applications. Adaptation, the specific release time may be later.
On the hardware side, Guman said Apple is working on several new Macs, including an updated MacBook Air, a 13-inch MacBook Pro, a 24-inch iMac, and a new Mac mini. However, there is a high probability that these products will not be unveiled at this year’s Apple WWDC22.
It is worth mentioning that if Apple releases the new M2 chip at this Apple WWDC22, then there is a high probability that Apple will also introduce the new MacBook Air. In addition, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro is also expected to be equipped with the M2 chip, so it can be said that the probability of the M2 chip being released at the same time as the new MacBook series is relatively high.
The new monitor is equipped with a Mini LED screen
In addition, Apple may update a Studio Display Pro on the display product line, and this display will use a Mini LED screen. 16,600 yuan to 20,000 yuan).
At that time, Studio Display, Studio Display Pro, and Pro Display XDR will become different representatives of the entry-level, mid-range, and flagship products of Apple’s display product line.
However, in terms of configuration, Studio Display Pro may crush the current big brother Pro Display XDR. It is said that the number of Mini LED backlight partitions of Studio Display Pro will be twice that of Pro Display XDR, while the number of Mini LED lamp beads It will be 7 times, which can be said to be “not about martial arts”.
Of course, this may seem unreasonable, so some people in the industry speculate that this “Pro” display may also be the next-generation iMac Pro.
And there is a high probability that Pro Display XDR will launch new products. The size is still around 32 inches, the resolution is 6K, and there will be more Mini LED backlight partitions.
In the past two years, Apple has gradually completed the layout of self-developed chips in iPad and Mac computers, and the major hardware changes are inseparable from the improvement of the software ecosystem. Apple has focused Apple WWDC22 on developers this time. emphasis on ecological construction.
However, it is worth noting that compared to the upgrade of various programming tools for developers, mass consumers may pay more attention to the release of important new hardware products such as Apple Mac Pro, Pro Display XDR, M2 chip, and MR head-mounted display.
In any case, based on its ecological advantages of integrating software and hardware, Apple will undoubtedly make great strides to launch attempts in new fields.
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