Technologies
WWDC 2023 Biggest Reveals: Vision Pro Headset, iOS 17, MacBook Air and More
From its expected AR/VR headset to new Macs to software updates like iOS 17, here’s what Apple unveiled at WWDC.
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference kicked off on Monday with a keynote address showing everything coming to the company’s lineup of devices. WWDC has been typically where the company gives us a first look at new software for iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macs. But this year, Apple revealed a bevy of new hardware, too.
The big announcement was the debut of the Apple Vision Pro headset, a «new kind of computer» as Tim Cook put it in the presentation. But with MacBook Air and other Mac hardware announcements — including new silicon — as well as software upgrades, no corner of Apple’s ecosystem lacked for updates.
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For a detailed summary of everything announced as it happened, give our live blog a look. Read on for the highlights of the presentation and links to our stories.
Apple Vision Pro, a new headset
The Apple Vision Pro is the company’s answer to the AR and VR headset race. It’s a personal display on your face with all the interface touches you’d expect from Apple, with an operating system that looks like a combination of iOS, MacOS and TVOS. And it’s not going to come cheap: The Apple Vision Pro retails for $3,499 and will start shipping early next year.
The device itself looks like other headsets, though the glass front hides cameras and even a curved OLED outer display (more on why later). The headset is secured to the wearer’s head with a wide rear band (no over-the-top strap), though as rumors suggested, there’s an external battery back that connects over a cable and sits in your pocket. There’s a large Apple Watch-style digital crown on the right side that lets you dial immersion (the outside world) in and out.
The Vision Pro has three-element lenses that enable 4K resolution, though you can swap out lenses, presumably for different vision capabilities. Audio pods are embedded within the band to sit over your ears, and «audio ray tracing» maps sound to your position. A suite of lidar and other sensors on the bottom of the headset track hand and body motions.
Technically speaking, the Vision Pro is a computer, with an M2 chip found on Apple’s highest-end computers. But a new R1 chip processes all the other headset inputs from 12 cameras, five sensors and six microphones and sends it to the M2 to reduce lag and get new images to displays within 12 milliseconds. The Vision Pro runs the new VisionOS, which uses iOS frameworks, a 3D engine, foveated rendering and other software tricks to make what Apple calls «the first operating system designed from the ground up for spatial computing.»
Interior cameras track your facial motion, which is projected to others when on FaceTime and other video chatting apps.
Apple Vision Pro can scan your face to create a digital 3D avatar.
To keep users from being cut off from the outside world, the EyeSight feature uses inside-pointing cameras and the headset’s outer display to show your eyes — essentially showing people around you what your eyes are focusing on. If you’ve dialed your immersion all the way on, your eyes will disappear on the outside screen. But you’re not totally cut off. While wearing the headset, if someone approaches you they’ll filter in to your vision.
The interface uses hand motions to control the device, though there are also voice controls. It’s tough to tell how these controls will work, and we’d expect that users will need some time to adapt to not using a mouse and keyboard.
This isn’t just an entertainment device. Apple is pitching its first new product in eight years as a work-from-home and travel device, essentially letting you open however many windows you want. It can work in the office as a display for Macs, and supports Apple’s Magic Keyboard and Trackpad devices.
The Vision Pro has Apple’s first 3D cameras and can take spatial photos, providing 3D depth with binaural audio to experience moments with more immersion. Of course, this spatial experience is extended to movies that’s «impossible to represent on a 2D screen,» Apple said during its presentation, continually teasing the exclusivity that non-headset wearers won’t even understand without trying out a Vision Pro. Disney CEO Bob Iger took the WWDC stage to vouch for the headset, and followed with a short video showing interactive 3D experiences that Vision Pro users will soon get to experience on the Disney Plus streaming service.
Now that Apple has all these new cameras and eye-tracking, it’s introduced a way to secure your data and purchases with Optic ID, which uses your eyes as an optical fingerprint for authentication. Camera data is processed at the system level, so what the headset sees isn’t fed up to the cloud.
Read more: Apple’s ‘One More Thing’ retrospective
New MacBook Air 15
As was rumored, Apple announced a new MacBook Air 15, a larger version of the MacBook Air 13 that launched last year.
The MacBook Air 15 is powered by an M2 chip and gets up to 18 hours of battery life. Configurations can come with up to 24GB of memory and up to 2TB of storage, retailing for $1,299 to start (or $1,199 with a student discount).
The 15-inch model is 11.5mm thick and 3.3 pounds, and has two Thunderbolt ports and a Magsafe cable connector — along with a 3.5mm headphone jack. It has an above-display 1080p camera in a notch, three microphones and six speakers with force-canceling subwoofers.
Read more: 15-inch MacBook Air M2 Preorder: Where to Buy Apple’s Latest Laptop
Mac Studio with M2
A new Mac Studio has landed and it comes with Apple’s latest silicon. The new model comes with an M2 Max chipset, or the new M2 Ultra chipset — essentially two M2 Max chips combined, which enables up to 192GB of memory.
The M2 Ultra stole the spotlight with new capabilities, with a 24-core CPU and streaming 22 videos at 8K ProRes resolution at once. It can support up to six Apple Pro Displays at once.
The Mac Studio starts at $1,999 and will be available starting next week.
Mac Pro with M2 Ultra
Apple wasted no time announcing that its new high-end desktop Mac Pro model would get the M2 Ultra as well. The new Mac Pro gets all the M2 Ultra upgrades as the Studio, including support for up to 192GB of RAM.
The Mac Pro has eight thunderbolt ports, two HDMI ports and dual 10GB ethernet ports, with six open PCIe Gen 4 slots. The new Mac Pro comes in both upright tower and horizontal rack orientations.
The new Mac Pro starts at $6,999 and will be available starting next week.
iOS 17
iOS 17 brings a ton of quality-of-life improvements, and the iOS 17 developer beta is available now to download. Finally, you can use more filters while searching within your Messages. In addition to pressing and holding on messages to reply, you can also simply swipe on specific messages to reply to them, and voice notes will be transcribed.
Say goodbye to gray screens when you get calls — now you can set full-screen photos or Memoji to contacts when they call you. And if someone leaves a voicemail, you can see it transcribed in real-time to help you screen calls if you don’t recognize a caller.
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A new safety feature, Check In, sends a note to a trusted contact when you reach a location — like when you make it home safe after late-night travel. If it’s taking you longer to get to a destination, you’ll be prompted to extend the timer rather than alert your contact. It also shares your battery and signal status. Check In is end-to-end encrypted.
Last year, Apple introduced an iOS feature to let you copy photo subjects and paste them as stickers — and now you can do that with video to essentially create GIFs to share with friends or even as responses to Messages. All emoji are now shareable stickers, too.
AirDrop has been a helpful tool to send files between Apple devices, but now you can share your contact info with Name Drop. You can choose what you want to share between email addresses, phone numbers and more.
Also, say goodbye to relying on Notes to jot down your thoughts — Journal is a new secure app for personal recollections. Apple is pitching it as a gratitude exercise, but iOS will auto-include activities like songs and workouts you’ve done to your personal log.
Apple Maps got an update that Android owners have had for years — the ability to use Maps offline, especially helpful when you’re outside network range while outdoors or conserving battery.
A new mode, StandBy, converts an iPhone to an alarm clock when it’s charging and rotated horizontally. It gets smart interactions like a large visible clockface along with calendar and music controls.
Lastly, as was rumored, you won’t have to say «Hey Siri» anymore. Just saying «Siri» will bring up the voice assistant.
Read more: Apple Finally Lets You Type What You Ducking Mean on iOS 17
iPadOS 17
iPadOS 17 brings more controls to widgets, which don’t just show more info at a glance — they have more interactive buttons to let you control your smart home or play music.
iPadOS 17 is bringing more interactive personal data to the Health app, including richer sleep and activity visualization.
The next iPadOS update brings quality-of-life upgrades like more lock screen customization and multiple timers (helpful when cooking), as well as improvements to the follow-you-during-video-calls Stage Manager feature for iPad selfie cameras.
With all the screen space on an iPad, Apple expanded what you can do with PDFs, which can be autofilled and signed from within iPadOS. iPad owners can collaborate in real time while tweaking PDFs, and the files can now be stored in the Notes app.
MacOS Sonoma
MacOS Sonoma, named after one of California’s most famous wine-producing areas, continues the WWDC theme of adding more widget functionality.
Sonoma also has some gaming upgrades like a new gaming mode that prioritizes CPU and GPU to improve frame rate. Apple is paying attention to immersion with lower latency for wireless controllers and speakers or headsets. The company is also courting developers with game dev kits and Metal 3. But the biggest gaming announcement is that legendary game creator Hideo Kojima’s opus Death Stranding is coming to Macs later this year. «We are actively working to bring our future titles to Apple platforms,» Kojima said during the WWDC presentation.
On the business side, Mac has improved videoconferencing with an overlay that shows slide controls while you’re presenting. Apple also introduced new reactions — like ticker-tape falling for a congratulations — that can be triggered with gestures.
PassKey, the end-to-end encrypted password chain tech Apple introduced last year, can now be shared with other contacts, and everyone included can edit and update passwords to be shared with the group.
Safari has security updates including locking the browser window when in private browsing mode, and profiles to separate accounts, logins and cookies between work and personal use.
AirPods and audio upgrades
Apple has a handful of improvements to its audio products. AirPods will get Adaptive Audio, which combines noise-canceling with intelligent audio to drown out annoying background noise while letting through important sounds — like car horns or bike bells. It’ll also pass through voices in case someone starts a conversation in person.
And it’s far easier to digitally take control of the music with SharePlay while somebody with CarPlay is driving — a prompt will go out to others in the car asking if they want to take control.
Apps in WatchOS 10 are getting a new look.
WatchOS 10
Yet again, widgets make an appearance with WatchOS 10, the next operating system upgrade for Apple Watches. Widgets are now accessible in a stack from your home screen — just use the digital crown to scroll between them.
Apple has focused on cycling this year, improving workouts by showing functional threshold data, an important metric for cyclists. It also connects over Bluetooth to sensors on bikes, and there’s a new full-screen mode for iPhones that allows you to use it as a full screen while cycling.
Hikers, rejoice! WatchOS 10 has upgraded its compass with cellular connection waypoints, telling you which direction to walk and how far you have to go before you can get carrier reception. It also shows SOS waypoint spots, and shows elevation view in the 3D compass view. There’s also a neat topographical view.
Apple is also expanding its Mindfulness app to log how you’re feeling in State of Mind, choosing between color-coded emotional states. You can even access this from your iPhone in case you’re away from your Apple Watch.
Health focuses for 2023
On top of the WatchOS Mindfulness updates, Apple introduced a neutral survey to self-report mood and mental health, which acts as a sort of non-medical way to indicate whether you may want to get professional help.
Apple also has a new cross-device Vision Health focus in the Health app, and a new feature on the Apple Watch measures daylight time spent outside to watch for myopia in younger wearers. Screen Distance uses the TrueDepth camera on iPads to warn people if they’re too close to the screen.
Technologies
TikTok’s Sexy Affair With National Parks Isn’t Clickbait. It’s a Wake-Up Call
Social media thirst traps are spotlighting a funding crisis for public lands. And millions of people are paying attention.
National parks, gay country music and thirst traps have a lot in common, at least on the internet.
Hundreds of TikTok posts combining sexually explicit audio, comical memes and stunning views of nature have flooded social media feeds. The viral trend coincides with President Donald Trump’s unprecedented funding cuts targeting federal parks, forests, monuments, seashores and trails.
The message of #ParkTok and #MountainTok is G-rated: to conserve and protect public lands. The raunchy content is merely a wrapper to lure followers and get that message in front of as many people as possible.
At first glance, the TikTok fan accounts for Yellowstone and Joshua Tree — among dozens of other national parks, forests and recreation sites — appear to be competing in an unhinged brawl. Some commenters speculate that federal park rangers or marketing strategists have gone rogue to garner outside financial support.
But the unofficial accounts, which are growing in number daily, are run by independent content creators with no affiliation to the government. According to the National Park Service’s Office of Public Affairs, the NPS has no official presence on TikTok, as there are no terms of service between federal agencies and the platform.
«Viral trends focused on national parks can certainly boost park visibility and drive increased interest and awareness,» the National Park Service told CNET in an email. «We appreciate the enthusiasm for our nation’s parks and the creative ways individuals share their experiences online.»
And millions of social media followers say they’re here for it. Promoting the country’s vast landscape and its preservation for future generations could serve as a kind of spiritual uplift in dark times.
Nature is sexy; budget cuts aren’t
Far beyond the racy adult content, there’s a unifying purpose to posting videos of cascading waterfalls, colossal trees, seductive deserts and enchanting wildlife.
Researchers have noted that national parks are key to conserving biodiversity and supporting people’s well-being. And it seems everyone, not just nature nerds, can get behind these public lands: US national parks saw a record number of recreation visits last year, nearly 332 million.
«If you actually love all this stuff, you get attached to that beauty,» said Kim Tanner, the creator of the Joshua Tree fan account. «And then you realize you don’t want that beauty damaged.»
The Trump administration’s 2026 budget plan includes slashing more than $1 billion from the National Park Service. It also threatens to axe a whopping $33 billion from national recreation management programs and conservation and preservation grants. The grants are critical to maintaining 433 individual areas of public lands covering more than 85 million acres, which are managed by the NPS.
The National Parks Conservation Association says the White House’s budget reductions are the largest proposed cuts to the National Park Service in its 109-year history and could «decimate at least 350 National Park sites.» Many have said Trump is laying the groundwork to sell off public lands and turn recreational areas over to state-level management.
According to Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association, the NPS has already lost nearly 2,500 employees, or nearly 13% of its staff, in what she calls a «brain trust exodus» of environmental experts.
«What’s happening right now, in trying to dismantle the National Park Service from the inside out, is more horrific than anything we’ve seen before,» Brengel told me.
Getting wild for the wild
TikTok is controversial, and so is sex. That’s precisely why trends like these have political capital, capable of attracting admirers and haters, and bringing everyone else into the conversation.
«The polarization on social media is reflective of our real-life political polarization,» said CNET social media reporter Katelyn Chedraoui.
The #ParkTok and #MountainTok creators, some of whom are former park employees, are all nature lovers who span the political spectrum. Many of the accounts openly denounce the administration’s threats against the parks and direct viewers to demonstrations or fundraisers, but the trend isn’t overtly partisan or activist-driven.
«Most of their posts work on a subconscious level, prompting viewers to think about the national parks and their own experiences with them,» said Chedraoui. «It’s simple but effective.»
In fact, the TikTok engagement around public lands originated before the budget cuts to the parks. The first three fan accounts — Mount Hood, Mount Rainier and Yellowstone — appeared right after the elections last November. Managed by three friends who are avid outdoor enthusiasts, the accounts put up posts early on that were a mix of comic relief and wilderness awe.
There wasn’t much thirst trap content then. «It was just waterfalls and vistas and sunsets,» said Jaime Wash, the creator behind the Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens fan accounts. Then, two of the creators started trolling each other, and folks loved it.
It was fake beef, but the diss-track template became a winning strategy. By January, the trend started picking up speed, with more fan accounts joining the fray. Over the last several months, the popularity of the posts has seen ebbs and flows — until fairly recently, when all of #MountainTok and #ParkTok blew up for their risqué content.
Private parts in public lands became a magic formula, a kind of viral virility, that the creators knew how to play up.
«Social media users are very used to brands acting unhinged on TikTok,» said Chedraoui.
A bridge over troubled water
Some critics have slammed the parody accounts, accusing creators of trying to monetize a legitimate cause, or claiming that the sexually charged content damages the parks’ reputations.
But according to the creators, who collaborate regularly in a group chat, making money wasn’t, and never will be, their intention. Wash told me that if at any point they do collect a payout for the content, they plan to donate the funds to the parks.
After gaining such a huge following, Wash said, she felt it was her responsibility to get people involved. In April, the Mount Hood fan account brought out followers to Portland’s Hands Off protest.
«We’re building a community to show that things aren’t helpless, that change can happen and we’re there for each other,» Wash said. And besides raising the alarm, the posts add comic relief and entertainment to a daily cycle of doomscrolling and anxiety.
Tanner told me that #ParkTok and #MountainTok can open people’s eyes, showing how fragile nature really is. By highlighting endangered animals and the environmental damage from logging, drilling and mining, the posts can help millions of followers understand what’s really at stake.
The stunning power of social media
Social media acts as a cultural barometer, unveiling public sentiment in real time and broadcasting issues that most resonate. Platforms like TikTok also give grassroots movements a megaphone, allowing everyday people to bypass traditional media filters and speak directly to broad audiences.
«We’ve seen digital action lead to tangible action,» said Sheila Nguyen, associate director of communications and engagement for the National Parks Conservation Association. «The more people who see that social media content, the bigger the pool of people who may speak up and the more collective impact we can have,» Nguyen told CNET in an email.
In fact, social media publicity has been shown to boost national park visitation. A 2024 research study found that positive social media posts that include photos or videos drive the biggest increases in visitation.
«The more people we can get into these parks, the better. That way, they can experience it firsthand, see it, fall in love with it, and then want to protect it,» said Tanner.
The National Parks Conservation Association urges people to sign up for alerts on its advocacy page so they can raise concerns with congressional representatives.
«We feel that Congress is the best option right now to get the administration to back off of these bad proposals,» said the NPCA’s Brengel. «Congress needs to be pushed to stop some of these terrible actions.»
Many TikTok creators I spoke with also said they’re advocating ways to hold elected officials accountable.
«It’s heartbreaking to think the places that I absolutely love may never be the same again,» said Wash, «and I want to do anything to stop that.»
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for May 20, #239
Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 239, for May 20.
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Connections: Sports Edition has one of those oddball purple categories today, and I think I could’ve stared at the puzzle for a week and not solved it. It’s one of those «play with the letters» categories, and they’re always fun after I see the answer, but I seldom get it right. Read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Your group.
Green group hint: Where the Pope is from.
Blue group hint: All-Star player.
Purple group hint: Change a letter.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Team
Green group: Chicago teams
Blue group: Teams Juan Soto has played for
Purple group: NBA teams with the first letter changed
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is team. The four answers are club, side, squad and unit.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is Chicago teams. The four answers are Bears, Fire, Sky and White Sox.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is teams Juan Soto has played for. The four answers are Mets, Nationals, Padres and Yankees.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is NBA teams with the first letter changed. The four answers are Buns, Gulls, Meat and Slippers.
Technologies
Trump to Sign Bill Banning Deepfakes, Nonconsensual Images: What to Know
The bipartisan ‘Take It Down’ Act passed swiftly in both the Senate and the House, and has been championed by First Lady Melania Trump.
President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bipartisan Take It Down Act into law on Monday, a significant step in regulating the nonconsensual sharing of intimate images, including AI-generated deepfakes. The legislation aims to protect individuals from the harmful effects of such content, which has been increasingly prevalent in the digital age with the expansion of artificial intelligence.
Read more: Jamie Lee Curtis Celebrates Meta’s Removal of Fake AI Ad
What are deepfakes?
Deepfakes are realistic but fake images, videos or audio created using artificial intelligence to mimic someone’s appearance, voice or actions.
One widely reported example was a 2022 viral video of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the altered clip, Zelenskyy appeared to urge Ukrainian soldiers to surrender to Russian forces, a message he never actually delivered. The video was quickly debunked, but it raised serious concerns about the use of deepfakes in disinformation campaigns, especially during wartime.
Deepfakes have also been used to spread sexually explicit content or revenge porn.
Read more: Election Deepfakes Are Here and Better Than Ever
What are the key aspects of the Take It Down Act?
The Take It Down Act prohibits knowingly sharing or threatening to share intimate images of someone without their permission, including digitally altered or AI-generated deepfakes. Here is a breakdown of the bill and what it targets:
- Criminalization of nonconsensual sharing: The act makes it a federal offense to distribute intimate images without the subject’s consent. The bill applies to both real and AI-generated content.
- Mandatory removal: Online platforms, such as tech and social media sites, are required to remove flagged content, including any copies of the material, within 48 hours of notification by the victim.
- Mandatory restitution: Violators will face mandatory restitution and criminal penalties such as prison time, fines or both.
- Protection of minors: The legislation imposes stricter penalties for offenses involving minors, aiming to provide enhanced safeguards for vulnerable individuals.
- Enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission: The FTC is designated as the primary agency responsible for enforcing the provisions of the act.
Who supports the Take It Down Act?
First Lady Melania Trump has been a vocal advocate for the legislation over the last several months, emphasizing the need to protect children and teenagers from the damaging effects of online exploitation. Her efforts included public appearances and discussions with lawmakers to garner support for the bill.
The bill, introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), gained bipartisan backing, with cosponsors including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.). It passed the Senate unanimously in February, followed by House approval in April with a 409-2 vote.
What are the criticisms and concerns about the bill?
While the act has been praised for addressing a growing issue, it has also faced criticism from various groups. Some digital rights organizations express concerns that the law could infringe on privacy and free speech, particularly regarding the potential for false reports and the impact on encrypted communications. There are also apprehensions about the enforcement of the law and its potential misuse for political purposes.
For instance, representatives of The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, a nonprofit that supports victims of online abuse, voiced strong concerns about the bill, according to PBS News. The group criticized the takedown provision as overly broad, vaguely written and lacking clear protections to prevent misuse.
What are the next steps?
Trump is expected to sign the bill Monday at 3 p.m. ET. This act will mark Trump’s sixth bill signed into law so far in his second term. By his 100th day back in office, he had enacted only five, marking the lowest number of new laws signed by a president in the first 100 days of a term since the Eisenhower administration in the 1950s, based on an analysis of congressional records by NBC News.
The signing of the Take It Down Act represents a significant move towards regulating nonconsensual intimate imagery in the digital realm. While it aims to provide greater protection for individuals, ongoing discussions will be essential to address the concerns and ensure the law’s effective and fair implementation.
