Technologies

WWDC Is Monday: iOS 17, Apple’s VR Headset, New Macs and Everything Else We Expect

Apple’s 2023 developers conference could bring more than just new iPhone software. Here’s how you can follow along.

Apple’s WWDC is set for Monday. Traditionally, the big developer-focused event has been where the company gives us a first look at new software for iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macs. But occasionally we get some new hardware, too.

This year seems set to be the latter, with plenty of rumors circulating around the tech giant’s mysterious augmented reality headset, a new 15-inch MacBook Air and the long-teased Apple Silicon-powered Mac Pro.

Although there’s still some time until Tim Cook pops up on stage and makes things official, here’s what we expect at the keynote address on June 5.

When is WWDC?

Apple’s icon for SwiftUI.

Apple

This year’s WWDC runs June 5 to 9. The opening keynote speech is set for 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) on Monday.

As with past years, Apple will be streaming the keynote on its website.

What do we expect?

Apple headset

The biggest rumor heading into this year’s WWDC is, of course, the Apple headset. Rumored to be running on a new «XROS,» the device could utilize mixed reality, a combination of virtual reality and augmented reality. There may be eye and hand tracking, high-resolution displays and… a potential $3,000 price tag.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently detailed how Apple plans to incorporate sports, gaming, workouts and iPad apps into the headset to show off what the new platform can do. Whether that’s enough to excite consumers and persuade them to drop three grand or for developers to commit to building apps for it remains to be seen.

MacBook Air 15

The MacBook Air has long been one of Apple’s most popular laptops. Frequently sold with a 13-inch screen, Apple has experimented with different sizes of Airs in the past, including offering an 11-inch model for years. Rumors these days, however, suggest that the company has a larger, 15-inch M2-powered Air raring to go. That once again comes from Bloomberg’s Gurman, who expects the new laptop to be announced at this year’s event. It’s about time.

While rumors point to an imminent announcement, it’s unclear how much Apple might charge for the new Air or how it might fit into the company’s existing MacBook lineup. The 2020 M1-powered 13.3-inch MacBook Air is still sold for $999, while the updated M2-powered 2022 13.6-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,199. A 16-inch MacBook Pro, meanwhile, starts at $2,499. Might the 15-inch Air fit somewhere in the middle?

Apple M-Series Mac Pro

Oh, the Mac Pro. Apple last updated the Mac Pro at WWDC in 2019. Despite some teases that confirmed it’s working on a new one powered by its Apple Silicon chips, the company has largely been quiet about the super powerful computer. Might the «another day» be June 5? It’s possible and Mac Pro fans may want to tune in, but with tempered expectations.

In an April appearance on The MacRumors Show, Gurman, the Apple savant, suggests that it still may arrive this year but not at WWDC.

New software: iOS 17, WatchOS 10 and more

In addition to all the hardware rumors, we can expect Apple to detail the latest updates coming this year to its iOS, iPadOS, WatchOS and TVOS platforms.

Among the bigger iOS changes, Apple might finally add support for installing apps not downloaded from the App Store. The iPhone maker has long resisted opening up its mobile software to allow for sideloading, but new European regulations may have forced its hand.

Other software changes Apple might unveil include a new mental health app as well as widgets returning to the Apple Watch. Bloomberg has also reported on Apple possibly turning locked iPhones into smart displays with iOS 17.

For more, check out our expectations for WatchOS 10 and iOS 17. Plus, every feature we think Apple should steal from Android 14.

Watch this: Why Apple Needs a 15-inch MacBook Air

03:51

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Nov. 4

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Nov. 4.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? There are a few tricky clues, so read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Quickly fall asleep after a long day
Answer: CRASH

6A clue: 1/16 of a pound
Answer: OUNCE

7A clue: Where chess, shampoo and the number zero were invented
Answer: INDIA

8A clue: Uproar
Answer: FUROR

9A clue: Opposite of saved
Answer: SPENT

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Fancy hairdos
Answer: COIFS

2D clue: Period preceding a big event
Answer: RUNUP

3D clue: Tennis great Agassi
Answer: ANDRE

4D clue: Descendant of a wealthy family
Answer: SCION

5D clue: Symbol for «like» on Instagram
Answer: HEART

Technologies

Windows 11 Previews a Feature That Lets You Share Audio With Another Person’s Device

The feature would let people share their audio over Bluetooth with another speaker, headphone or Bluetooth-compatible hearing aid.

Want to watch the same movie with family members on a plane, but still allow each person to use their own audio device? Microsoft is previewing a new feature that will allow Windows 11 users to share audio over Bluetooth LE. The audio sharing feature should support any headphones, speakers and hearing aids with Bluetooth LE compatibility, and it will allow users to share the same audio stream to two sources at once. Bluetooth LE refers to Bluetooth Low Energy, which uses significantly less power than traditional Bluetooth.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

«Built on top of Bluetooth LE Audio broadcast technology, shared audio lets your supported Windows 11 PC transmit an audio stream to two Bluetooth audio accessories at the same time,» Microsoft said in a blog post. «Shared audio lets students share music with a friend while studying or brings family members closer by watching a movie together on an airplane.»

Insiders will receive a new shared audio preview tile in Windows Quick Settings, enabling the feature. Users then connect their Bluetooth device and add a second one. The PC will transmit audio to both devices once both are connected.

Microsoft is rolling out the update for supported Surface Laptop and Surface Pro devices starting Monday, and it will roll out to other devices in the coming weeks. You can also check settings to determine if your Bluetooth device is compatible with Bluetooth LE, which will make it compatible with audio sharing.

Your Bluetooth device must support Bluetooth LE to use the feature. Fortunately, most of the best headphones on the market today do, which will make the transition easier if you already own top-tier Bluetooth headphones.

Doing more with Bluetooth LE

The preview comes amid a larger push from Microsoft to bolster its Bluetooth audio offerings. Part of that included a super-wideband stereo profile for gamers, which uses better audio compression and a higher sample rate to improve audio quality over Bluetooth LE while allowing users to keep using their microphones. Microsoft has also recently rolled out spatial audio support over Bluetooth in Teams, which will add some new functionality for your favorite work-from-home headphones.

Bluetooth LE has been a hot topic for operating system updates over the last couple of years, and Microsoft’s preview will bring Windows 11 back into parity with its competitors. Android users received shared audio over Bluetooth LE earlier this year, while Apple users have had the feature on iPhones and iPads for a few years. MacOS also has the feature.