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Apple gave a look at its latest accessibility updates during its annual WWDC on Monday, including new voice and and assistive tech features, that will launch with iOS 17. 

For iOS users with cognitive disabilities, Apple’s new Assistive Access features lets people customize apps with high contrast buttons and large text labels to meet their individual needs. Apple also added Live Speech and Personal Voice for people who are unable to speak, have trouble speaking or may lose their voice over time. 

With Live Speech, you can type what you want to say and have it spoken out loud to others on a phone or FaceTime call or jot down commonly used phrases to select during conversation to avoid any delay that comes with typing out in the moment. Personal Voice creates a voice that sounds like you by recording 15 minutes of random phrases. As an example, Apple wrote in a May release that people with ALS or other conditions that impact speech can save their voice to their device to use with Live Speech and other assistive tech as their condition progresses. Other new accessibility updates include a Point and Speak feature to read the text on household object aloud.

Follow all of the news from Apple’s WWDC 2023 right here.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-new-accessibility-features-wwdc-assistive-tech-personal-voice-182842341.html?src=rss 

Safari might not be the most exciting part of macOS, but Apple isn’t giving its web browser the cold shoulder. The latest version includes a number of useful improvements, including better privacy controls, encryption features, and the ability to create “apps” from any web page. 

The splashiest feature might be the new web apps. This puts a website in your dock, just like any other app and opens it with a minimal interface that helps mask the fact that you’re just using a webpage in a browser. If this sounds similar, that’s because it’s almost exactly like shortcuts in Google’s Chrome which can also put a link, complete with a favicon in your dock and opens the site in a simple frame with none of the normal browser controls. This helps blur the line between desktop and web apps, which was part of Chrome’s whole pitch, especially as it grew into Chrome OS. 

The more important improvements to Safari though, are to privacy and profiles. Now private browsing blocks more trackers and your fingerprints from sites so they can’t identify you. You can also now lock private browsing sessions behind your fingerprint, so you can step away from your computer without worrying that someone can sneak a peak while you’re shopping for a gift or having to close your session.

Profiles also allow you to separate your browsing by topic or context. So you could, for example, keep all your work tabs in a separate Safari window that has its own cookies, extensions and favorites. Then you can quickly switch to your personal profile to pick up where you left off trolling eBay for deals on vintage cameras. 

Lastly, users will be able to share passwords or groups of passwords through iCloud Keychain with end-to-end encryption. The latest version of Safari will be available later this year as part of macOS Sonoma which will be launching in beta next month.

Follow all of the news from Apple’s WWDC 2023 right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/safari-gets-major-privacy-updates-and-the-ability-to-put-web-apps-in-your-dock-183749938.html?src=rss 

Apple’s long-rumored 15-inch MacBook Air is finally a reality. As expected, the new laptop is extremely similar to the redesigned 13-inch version that Apple announced at WWDC one year ago — just a bit bigger. This marks the first time Apple has released a laptop with a screen this size that wasn’t part of its “pro” lineup of devices, whether we’re talking about the MacBook Pro or its predecessor, the PowerBook.

As expected, the 15-inch MacBook Air is using the same M2 chip as the smaller model, a processor that was also unveiled about a year ago. Despite its age, we don’t have any immediate misgivings about the choice, given how well it performs on the 13-inch MacBook Air.

Design-wise, it’s unsurprisingly similar to all the other laptops Apple has released recently, with a squared-off design rather than the old wedge that the Air was previously known for. It also has the same controversial notch in the display for the 1080p webcam.

Apple hasn’t said exactly what the resolution of the 15-inch MacBook Air display is yet. But we know the screen is a 15.3-inch “liquid Retina display” that maxes out at 500 nits of brightness. This means it doesn’t have the “ProMotion” adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz; this one tops out at 60Hz. It’s also a standard LCD, not the “XDR” extreme dynamic range display found in the Pro. None of these changes are terribly surprising, as Apple needed to cut costs and differentiate the Pro lineup from the Air.

Apple says that the MacBook Air delivers 18-hour battery life and is only about 3.3 pounds in weight and 11.5mm thick. Like the 13-inch model, it doesn’t have a fan. It also has the same slightly sad amount of ports: Two Thunderbolt 4 ports, plus a headphone jack and MagSafe charging port.

The 15-inch Air will ship in the same four colors (or shades of gray, depending on who you’re asking) as the smaller laptop: Midnight, Space Gray, Starlight and Silver. The laptop starts at $1,299 and will be up for pre-order today. It’ll be available in stores starting next week. We’re still waiting to see how much RAM and storage the different Air models come with and will update this post when we have more details. 

At the same time, Apple cut the price on the two existing 13-inch MacBook Air models. The M2 MacBook Air now costs $1,099 instead of $1,199, while the M1 model starts at $999.

Rumors about this device picked up last year — just after WWDC 2022, Bloomberg reported that a 15-inch Air was in the works for 2023. And then just a few months ago, developer logs were shared with the publication that showed Apple was testing a new device for compatibility with third-party App Store apps. The device in question had specs similar to the 13-inch Air, but was identified in these developer logs as a “Mac 15,3.” 

While the rumors of a 15-inch MacBook Air have been a lot more concrete in the last year, they’ve existed for almost as long as the MacBook Air lineup itself. For a fun trip down memory lane, check out this sketchy rumor report from way back in 2009.

Follow all of the news from Apple’s WWDC 2023 right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-finally-announces-the-15-inch-macbook-air-170715355.html?src=rss 

We’re only two and a half years into Apple’s transition to its homegrown CPUs, but things have advanced reasonably quickly. Today the company unveiled the M2 Ultra which is powering the latest refresh to its MacStudio and MacPro line of desktops. While previous versions of the M2 have been found exclusively in laptops, Apple was able to take brakes off with the Ultra version and claim some serious jumps in performance. It’s literally two M2 Max chips stuck together, similar to how the M1 Ultra stuck two M1 Maxes in the same package. 

On paper the M2 Ultra is huge leap from the M2 Max found in the MacBook Pro. Core count has doubled from 12 to 24, GPU cores double with up to 76 available on the high-end model, and RAM support jumps from 96GB to 192 with 800GB/s of bandwidth. Granted, almost no one needs that much RAM, but it’s nice to know it’s an option. Considering the M1 was limited to just 16GB of unified memory when it launched in November of 2020, this is a massive improvement. The Neural Engine is getting a similar boost for AI-based tasks, which should be 40-percent faster than the M2 Max.

Apple made a big point of talking up the media capabilities of their new chips, calling out the ability run 22 8k streams of ProRes footage simultaneously. That sort of power should make short work of almost any video-editing project. The MacPro specifically was singled out for having the equivalent power of seven Afterburner cards which the Intel-based MacPro relied on for video acceleration. 

The level of expansion though is what might truly set the M2 Ultra apart from its laptop-focused predecessors. There’s WiFi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3 and 10Gb Ethernet built-in (dual 10Gb Ether on the MacPro), but also room for up to eight Thunderbolt 4 ports on the MacPro and six PCIe gen 4 slots. PCI expansion is kind of a necessity for any pro-level desktop, and something that hadn’t made its way over to Apple Silicon machines yet. For Apple Silicon to make inroads in the workstation market it was going to have to offer users the ability to add high-end audio cards or 3D accelerators for rendering complex models. 

The launch of the M2 Ultra alongside the refreshed MacPro finally completes Apple’s years-long transition away from Intel chips to it’s own silicon. The company talks a big game about the advantages of its homegrown chips, but it remains to be seen successful it’ll be at infiltrating the highest end of the market.

Follow all of the news from Apple’s WWDC 2023 right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-announces-m2-ultra-chip-with-double-the-cpu-and-gpu-cores-171204873.html?src=rss 

Apple has introduced iOS 17, and some of its most important changes revolve around fundamental apps. Incoming calls can now include custom posters for certain contacts, and you’ll get Google-style live transcripts. Messages, meanwhile, offers easier replies, audio message transcripts, in-line location info and a “check in” that automatically lets people know if you’ve arrived or are delayed. FaceTime les you leave Live Voicemail messages. There’s a revamped sticker interface that lets you turn emojis into stickers, add effects and even add stickers to third-party apps.

Siri is now somewhat smarter. You can just say “Siri” to invoke a command, and the voice assistant will take back-to-back commands without requiring that you say the keyword each time.

Sharing is easier, too. NameDrop lets you share contact details just by bringing your iPhone close to someone else’s device. You can share photos that way, too, and leave AirDrop transferring content even when you have to step away. A developer framework will expand access to sharing in other apps, too.

Even typing is better. New AI modelling improves keyboard autocorrection, and you’ll see in-line predictions for what you’re writing. If there’s an unfamiliar word, iOS 17 will recognize it over time.

And yes, rumors of a life journaling app are true. The new Journal app lets document how you’re feeling, complete with suggestions for writing prompts based on events like trips. Developers can tap into these suggestions.

You can also turn your iPhone into a makeshift smart display with StandBy. Put your phone on its side and you’ll get automatically surfacing info through widgets, such as calendar info, music and sports scores. It even automatically adjusts to nighttime with a face that won’t hurt your eyes.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Follow all of the news from Apple’s WWDC 2023 right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-ios-17-revamps-core-apps-172548767.html?src=rss 

Apple confirmed at its WWDC conference today that its largest and most powerful desktop will be receiving a few upgrades, including the M2 Ultra chip. While it’s been through several aesthetic variations over the years, including the maligned “trashcan” model, for better or worse though, the Mac Pro will look identical to its cheese grater-like predecessor from 2019. This version, however, will support positioning as either a tower or a rack-mount. 

Other lines of Mac products have moved away from using third-party silicon, and now the hulking Mac Pro joins them. It’s former Intel Xeon W setup has been replaced with the aforementioned M2 Ultra. Apple claims its in-house chip can operate up to three times faster than the prior Intel models. As was rumored though, the decision develop a specialized M2 Extreme chip was shelved due to cost and technical difficulty. The Mac Pro will now come stocked with a 24-core CPU and up to a 76-core GPU. It support up to 192GB of memory, and seven Afterburner cards. That combined power, the company claims, can playback 22 8K ProRes video files or ingest up to 24 4K camera feeds “and encode them to ProRes in real time.”

Additionally, the new Mac Pro will come with seven PCIe expansion slots, eight Thunderbolt 4 ports, support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, two 10Gb ethernet ports, three USB-A ports and two HDMI ports that will be able to output 8k resolution at up to 240Hz. There’s a headphone jack too, just for good measure.

Once again though, the Mac Pro will cost a small fortune: $6,999 to start, while the upper bounds of a fully decked-out Pro remain unknown. That remains an unfathomable and likely prohibitive sum for most customers, but considering the prior model was just $1,000 cheaper and nearly everything else on earth seems to cost a lot more since 2019, it could be worse. Someone who is good at the economy please explain any of this to me. 

The Mac Pro can be ordered today, and will become available starting on June 13.

Developing…

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-refreshes-the-mac-pro-with-its-new-m2-ultra-chip-173145016.html?src=rss