If you own any computer for any length of time, inevitably there’s going to be some mess to clean up. The CleanMyMac X utility will clear out the junk from your Mac to help it run smoothly.

 

This data cleanliness utility is a one-click solution to Mac maintenance. Once you start it, the smart assistant built into the program walks you through what it’s doing. Using its constantly updated database, it finds junk apps, broken downloads, hidden files for programs you’ve long since deleted, and other crud and cruft you can live without.

The assistant will even highlight apps you need to update and find and isolate malware and other problems that may be slowing down your Mac. Its ease of use and powerful tools have won it praise from across the Apple press, including MacStories, iMore, Cult of Mac, TechCrunch, and VentureBeat.

Give your Mac a nice scrub with CleanMyMac X for $62.99, 29% off the $89 MSRP.

 

CleanMyMac X: One-Time Purchase – $62.99

See Deal

Prices subject to change.

Laptop Accessories

There’s a lot of hype around AI, but not many ways to put it to use in our daily lives. Taskio changes all that with a simple, accessible AI-powered assistant to handle all the chores and problems of daily life.

Taskio can do the expected tasks of writing first drafts of content and creating custom images, yet it can also go above and beyond. Use it to rewrite and summarize content you’ve already written, or to optimize your copy for SEO or sales impact. Use it as a chatbot to brainstorm and bounce ideas off of and to help you research new markets and approaches. Deploy its native translation feature to smoothly communicate across language barriers, or have it transcribe your thoughts and audio. Or have it perform tasks so you’re freed up to focus on deeper work.

Start using AI to take rote work off your plate with Taskio for $49.99, 90% off the $540 MSRP.

 

Taskio: The Ultimate AI Productivity Tool: Lifetime Subscription – $49.99

See Deal

Prices subject to change.

Accessories

Apple had plenty of great things to show off when it unveiled iOS 17 at WWDC. We’re psyched about vastly improved autocorrect, StandBy, Live Voicemail transcriptions, custom contact posters, and all that other good stuff.

But sometimes it’s the little things that have the biggest impact. A small interface change or tiny unsung feature might change the way you use your iPhone day-to-day more than all the fancy AI-powered gimmicks ever will. Here are some of the little things in iOS 17 that you didn’t hear about in the keynote, but are sure to have an impact on your iPhone.

Ping your Apple Watch

One of our favorite features of the Apple Watch is that you can open Control Center and ping your iPhone, causing it to make a brief loud sound so you can find it quickly.

With iOS 17, it goes the other way as well! There’s now a “ping Apple Watch” button in Control Center on your iPhone.

Linking Notes

You’ve got one note with your itinerary for your trip to Tokyo, and another with a list of restaurants you want to go to. Wouldn’t it be nice to quickly jump between them?

With iOS 17 links aren’t just for websites, you can link directly from one note to another. Just long-press somewhere in your note, choose Add Link, then you can type either a URL or, now, the title of another note.

News+ daily crossword

A mainstay of many newspapers, Apple News+ subscribers will get daily crossword puzzles in the News app. This doesn’t appear to be live in the first beta so we don’t know what it will look like or how hard it will be, but it’s one more reason to subscribe to Apple News+ or the Apple One bundle.

Better Spotlight search

An underused feature for many, Spotlight search (just drag down from anywhere on your iPhone home screen) lets you very quickly find apps, search the web, do simple calculations and conversions, and even find content in Mail or Messages.

In iOS 17 it gets smarter and more capable. Search for a setting like “Wi-Fi” and the top Siri Suggestion will have a toggle to turn it on or off right there, without diving into the Settings app. When you don’t type in anything in Spotlight, Siri Suggestions will contain some new more intelligent items like starting a timer or going right to a particular album in Photos.

For many, swiping down to enter Spotlight / Siri Suggestions is already the first thing they do when picking up their iPhone. These changes in iOS 17 make it even more useful for more people.

Fitness+ Custom Plans

Want to build your own custom workout plan for your Fitness+ workouts? Open the Fitness app, tap the Fitness+ tab, and select Custom Plans. You can choose days of the week, how long your plan is for (2-8 weeks), workout length, and which type of activities you want to use–and even include which equipment you have like dumbbells or yoga mats.

Note that this isn’t a freeform fitness plan creation tool–it’s for Fitness+ and is limited to the types of activities and equipment you’ll find in the Fitness+ workouts.

Quickly listen to web pages

The Speak Screen feature has been able to read web pages in Safari for a long time now, but Apple seems to have realized that it can be really useful for everyone. So, in iOS 17, there’s a “Listen to Page” feature right in the aA menu on your address bar. Tap it again to pause or resume reading.

Lock white balance when recording video

In Settings > Camera > Record Video you’ll find a new option to lock the white balance when recording video. Helpful for those shots where the ambient light changes and you want to capture that effect.

Weather Averages

The Weather app has a new Averages tile that shows temperature deviation from the historical average for that day. Tapping the tile for more detail shows normal temperature ranges and precipitation amounts for your location, both throughout the day and monthly averages.

There’s a new Moon tile too!

Apple Music Crossfade

We heard a lot about new Music SharePlay features, but there’s another feature Apple didn’t mention: Crossfade, which smoothly fades out one song and fades in the next so there’s no gap between music. Ever since Apple Music replaced iTunes users have been begging for this, and it’s been available on the Mac for a long time but not iPhone.

Open Settings > Music and look for the Crossfade setting.

Follow Up medication reminders

The Health app can optionally send a second notification 30 minutes after the first notification about taking your medication.

In the Health app, tap the Browse tab, then Medications. Scroll down to the Options at the bottom and tap that. You’ll find the toggle for Follow Up Reminders there.

Multiple timers

This was mentioned in the iPadOS section of the keynote, but it bears elaboration: multiple timers will be a feature across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. No, we don’t know why it took this long, either.

Insert Contacts or Passwords into almost any field

In almost any text field in iOS 17, including Messages, Mail, Notes, and so on, you can long-press, select Insert, and in addition to the existing Scan Text option you’ll see options to add Contacts or Passwords. Choosing one will open up your contacts or passwords (you’ll have to authenticate before your passwords open) where you can quickly select the one you want to add.

Recover deleted passwords

Deleted passwords are kept in a “Deleted Passwords” section of Settings > Passwords for up to 30 days and can be recovered if you deleted something by mistake.

Interactive Widgets

Apple promoted this as an iPadOS feature, but it’s present on iOS 17 as well as macOS Sierra. You can now check off Reminders items, toggle smart home switches, and so much more from your widgets without opening the app.

Auto-sort Groceries list

The Reminders app will automatically sort any list set as a “Groceries” list type into sections: Produce; Beverages; Dairy, Eggs & Cheese; Breads & Cereals; and so on. You can add and reorder the categories as you wish.

You can create custom categories for any other Reminders list, too, though they won’t be automatically sorted. Other Reminders improvements include a Column View, early reminders notifications, and live widgets so you can check off items right from the widget.

Hiding sensitive images

The Communication Safety safety feature that can hide sensitive images sent to a child account through Messages has been expanded. It now works for AirDrop, the systemwide photo picker, FaceTime messages, Contact Posters in the Phone app, and third‑party apps. You’ll find that in Screen Time when settings up a Child account.

For everyone, not just children, you’ll have the option to blur sensitive photos and videos before you view them. You’ll see a grey box with the words “This may be sensitive.” in it, which you can tap to show the image.

Dark AirPods cards

It sure is distracting to have that bright white card pop up when you open your AirPods case near your iPhone when using dark mode. We’re not sure why it took so long, but iOS 17 now respects your dark mode preferences when showing these popup cards.

New quick Crop interface in Photos

When you’re viewing a photo in iOS 17 and you pinch-to-zoom into it, you’ll see a new “Crop” button in the upper right.

Tapping that will open the usual edit interface in crop mode, with the crop edges set to exactly what was showing on your screen when zoomed in. You can still drag the borders to adjust the crop, but this is a fast and easy way to get a crop that fits exactly right for making an iPhone wallpaper or new Profile Poster, for example.

Clean up verification codes automatically

We love the feature that automatically fills in verification codes sent to you via text message, and iOS 17 extends that to codes you receive in email.

But even better is the way it can keep those old codes from piling up. Open Settings > Passwords > Password Options and you’ll see a new toggle Clean Up Automatically that will delete these texts or emails after inserting them with AutoFill.

Find My Item sharing

In iOS 16, once you assign an AirTag or other trackers to an Apple ID, it’s tied to that ID only. That’s a great security feature that alerts you when someone has surreptitiously planted an AirTag on you, but it’s also a pain for shared items like luggage and keys. In iOS 17, you’ll be able to share AirTags in Find My with other people so you’ll know when somethings’s actually lost—and not just being used by someone else.

iOS

Apple had plenty of great things to show off when it unveiled iOS 17 at WWDC. We’re psyched about vastly improved autocorrect, StandBy, Live Voicemail transcriptions, custom contact posters, and all that other good stuff.

But sometimes it’s the little things that have the biggest impact. A small interface change or tiny unsung feature might change the way you use your iPhone day-to-day more than all the fancy AI-powered gimmicks ever will. Here are some of the little things in iOS 17 that you didn’t hear about in the keynote, but are sure to have an impact on your iPhone.

Ping your Apple Watch

One of our favorite features of the Apple Watch is that you can open Control Center and ping your iPhone, causing it to make a brief loud sound so you can find it quickly.

With iOS 17, it goes the other way as well! There’s now a “ping Apple Watch” button in Control Center on your iPhone.

Linking Notes

You’ve got one note with your itinerary for your trip to Tokyo, and another with a list of restaurants you want to go to. Wouldn’t it be nice to quickly jump between them?

With iOS 17 links aren’t just for websites, you can link directly from one note to another. Just long-press somewhere in your note, choose Add Link, then you can type either a URL or, now, the title of another note.

News+ daily crossword

A mainstay of many newspapers, Apple News+ subscribers will get daily crossword puzzles in the News app. This doesn’t appear to be live in the first beta so we don’t know what it will look like or how hard it will be, but it’s one more reason to subscribe to Apple News+ or the Apple One bundle.

Better Spotlight search

An underused feature for many, Spotlight search (just drag down from anywhere on your iPhone home screen) lets you very quickly find apps, search the web, do simple calculations and conversions, and even find content in Mail or Messages.

In iOS 17 it gets smarter and more capable. Search for a setting like “Wi-Fi” and the top Siri Suggestion will have a toggle to turn it on or off right there, without diving into the Settings app. When you don’t type in anything in Spotlight, Siri Suggestions will contain some new more intelligent items like starting a timer or going right to a particular album in Photos.

For many, swiping down to enter Spotlight / Siri Suggestions is already the first thing they do when picking up their iPhone. These changes in iOS 17 make it even more useful for more people.

Fitness+ Custom Plans

Want to build your own custom workout plan for your Fitness+ workouts? Open the Fitness app, tap the Fitness+ tab, and select Custom Plans. You can choose days of the week, how long your plan is for (2-8 weeks), workout length, and which type of activities you want to use–and even include which equipment you have like dumbbells or yoga mats.

Note that this isn’t a freeform fitness plan creation tool–it’s for Fitness+ and is limited to the types of activities and equipment you’ll find in the Fitness+ workouts.

Quickly listen to web pages

The Speak Screen feature has been able to read web pages in Safari for a long time now, but Apple seems to have realized that it can be really useful for everyone. So, in iOS 17, there’s a “Listen to Page” feature right in the aA menu on your address bar. Tap it again to pause or resume reading.

Apple Music Crossfade

We heard a lot about new Music SharePlay features, but there’s another feature Apple didn’t mention: Crossfade, which smoothly fades out one song and fades in the next so there’s no gap between music. Ever since Apple Music replaced iTunes users have been begging for this, and it’s been available on the Mac for a long time but not iPhone.

Open Settings > Music and look for the Crossfade setting.

Follow Up medication reminders

The Health app can optionally send a second notification 30 minutes after the first notification about taking your medication.

In the Health app, tap the Browse tab, then Medications. Scroll down to the Options at the bottom and tap that. You’ll find the toggle for Follow Up Reminders there.

Multiple timers

This was mentioned in the iPadOS section of the keynote, but it bears elaboration: multiple timers will be a feature across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. No, we don’t know why it took this long, either.

Insert Contacts or Passwords into almost any field

In almost any text field in iOS 17, including Messages, Mail, Notes, and so on, you can long-press, select Insert, and in addition to the existing Scan Text option you’ll see options to add Contacts or Passwords. Choosing one will open up your contacts or passwords (you’ll have to authenticate before your passwords open) where you can quickly select the one you want to add.

Interactive Widgets

Apple promoted this as an iPadOS feature, but it’s present on iOS 17 as well as macOS Sierra. You can now check off Reminders items, toggle smart home switches, and so much more from your widgets without opening the app.

Dark AirPods cards

It sure is distracting to have that bright white card pop up when you open your AirPods case near your iPhone when using dark mode. We’re not sure why it took so long, but iOS 17 now respects your dark mode preferences when showing these popup cards.

New quick Crop interface in Photos

When you’re viewing a photo in iOS 17 and you pinch-to-zoom into it, you’ll see a new “Crop” button in the upper right.

Tapping that will open the usual edit interface in crop mode, with the crop edges set to exactly what was showing on your screen when zoomed in. You can still drag the borders to adjust the crop, but this is a fast and easy way to get a crop that fits exactly right for making an iPhone wallpaper or new Profile Poster, for example.

Clean up verification codes automatically

We love the feature that automatically fills in verification codes sent to you via text message, and iOS 17 extends that to codes you receive in email.

But even better is the way it can keep those old codes from piling up. Open Settings > Passwords > Password Options and you’ll see a new toggle Clean Up Automatically that will delete these texts or emails after inserting them with AutoFill.

Find My Item sharing

In iOS 16, once you assign an AirTag or other trackers to an Apple ID, it’s tied to that ID only. That’s a great security feature that alerts you when someone has surreptitiously planted an AirTag on you, but it’s also a pain for shared items like luggage and keys. In iOS 17, you’ll be able to share AirTags in Find My with other people so you’ll know when somethings’s actually lost—and not just being used by someone else.

iOS

Apple had plenty of great things to show off when it unveiled iOS 17 at WWDC. We’re psyched about vastly improved autocorrect, StandBy, Live Voicemail transcriptions, custom contact posters, and all that other good stuff.

But sometimes it’s the little things that have the biggest impact. A small interface change or tiny unsung feature might change the way you use your iPhone day-to-day more than all the fancy AI-powered gimmicks ever will.

Here are some of the little things in iOS 17 that you didn’t hear about in the keynote, but are sure to have an impact on your iPhone.

Ping your Apple Watch

One of our favorite features of the Apple Watch is that you can open Control Center and ping your iPhone, causing it to make a brief loud sound so you can find it quickly.

With iOS 17, it goes the other way as well! There’s now a “ping Apple Watch” button in Control Center on your iPhone.

Linking Notes

You’ve got one note with your itinerary for your trip to Tokyo, and another with a list of restaurants you want to go to. Wouldn’t it be nice to quickly jump between them?

With iOS 17 links aren’t just for websites, you can link directly from one note to another. Just long-press somewhere in your note, choose Add Link, then you can type either a URL or, now, the title of another note.

News+ daily crossword

A mainstay of many newspapers, Apple News+ subscribers will get daily crossword puzzles in the News app. This doesn’t appear to be live in the first beta so we don’t know what it will look like or how hard it will be, but it’s one more reason to subscribe to Apple News+ or the Apple One bundle.

Better Spotlight search

An underused feature for many, Spotlight search (just drag down from anywhere on your iPhone home screen) lets you very quickly find apps, search the web, do simple calculations and conversions, and even find content in Mail or Messages.

In iOS 17 it gets smarter and more capable. Search for a setting like “Wi-Fi” and the top Siri Suggestion will have a toggle to turn it on or off right there, without diving into the Settings app. When you don’t type in anything in Spotlight, Siri Suggestions will contain some new more intelligent items like starting a timer or going right to a particular album in Photos.

For many, swiping down to enter Spotlight / Siri Suggestions is already the first thing they do when picking up their iPhone. These changes in iOS 17 make it even more useful for more people.

Fitness+ Custom Plans

Want to build your own custom workout plan for your Fitness+ workouts? Open the Fitness app, tap the Fitness+ tab, and select Custom Plans. You can choose days of the week, how long your plan is for (2-8 weeks), workout length, and which type of activities you want to use–and even include which equipment you have like dumbbells or yoga mats.

Note that this isn’t a freeform fitness plan creation tool–it’s for Fitness+ and is limited to the types of activities and equipment you’ll find in the Fitness+ workouts.

Quickly listen to web pages

The Speak Screen feature has been able to read web pages in Safari for a long time now, but Apple seems to have realized that it can be really useful for everyone. So, in iOS 17, there’s a “Listen to Page” feature right in the aA menu on your address bar. Tap it again to pause or resume reading.

Apple Music Crossfade

We heard a lot about new Music SharePlay features, but there’s another feature Apple didn’t mention: Crossfade, which smoothly fades out one song and fades in the next so there’s no gap between music. Ever since Apple Music replaced iTunes users have been begging for this, and it’s been available on the Mac for a long time but not iPhone.

Open Settings > Music and look for the Crossfade setting.

Follow Up medication reminders

The Health app can optionally send a second notification 30 minutes after the first notification about taking your medication.

In the Health app, tap the Browse tab, then Medications. Scroll down to the Options at the bottom and tap that. You’ll find the toggle for Follow Up Reminders there.

Multiple timers

This was mentioned in the iPadOS section of the keynote, but it bears elaboration: multiple timers will be a feature across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. No, we don’t know why it took this long, either.

Insert Contacts or Passwords into almost any field

In almost any text filed in iOS 17, including Messages, Mail, Notes, and so on, you can long-press, select Insert, and in addition to the existing Scan Text option you’ll see options to add Contacts or Passwords. Choosing one will open up your contacts or passwords (you’ll have to authenticate before your passwords open) where you can quickly select the one you want to add.

Interactive Widgets

Apple promoted this as an iPadOS feature, but it’s present on iOS 17 as well as macOS Sierra. You can now check off Reminders items, toggle smart home switches, and so much more from your widgets without opening the app.

Dark Mode AirPods cards

It sure is distracting to have that bright white card pop up when you open your AirPods case near your iPhone if you’re using dark mode. We’re not sure why it took so long, but iOS 17 now respects your dark mode preferences when showing these popup cards.

New quick Crop interface in Photos

When you’re viewing a photo in iOS 17 and you pinch-to-zoom into it, you’ll see a new “Crop” button in the upper right.

Tapping that will open the usual edit interface in crop mode, with the crop edges set to exactly what was showing on your screen when zoomed in. You can still drag the borders to adjust the crop, but this is a fast and easy way to get a crop that fits exactly right for making an iPhone wallpaper or new Profile Poster, for example.

Clean up verification codes automatically

We love the feature that automatically fills in verification codes sent to you via text message, and iOS 17 extends that to codes you receive in email.

But even better is the way it can keep those old codes from piling up. Open Settings > Passwords > Password Options and you’ll see a new toggle Clean Up Automatically that will delete these texts or emails after inserting them with AutoFill.

iOS

Apple pulled the covers back on the latest iteration of its Mac operating system at WWDC on 5 June 2023. Named macOS Sonoma after the city in Northern California known for its winemaking region, the new software has customization at its heart, with Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering stating, “We think users are going to love macOS Sonoma and the new ways it enables them to personalize with widgets and stunning new screen savers, see new levels of gaming performance, and gain powerful productivity for video conferencing and browsing with Safari.” Here are the headline features to look forward to in macOS Sonoma when it arrives in the fall.

Screensavers

Ok, this might seem like a blast from the past, but screensavers are still a thing and Apple has taken them up a level in macOS Sonoma. Rather than static images, the new screensaver mode has high-resolution videos, gently sweeping across areas of outstanding beauty around the world. Also, when you log in, the video slows to a paused image that instantly becomes your wallpaper.

Widgets

Widgets made their debut on Apple’s mobile devices with iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, and now in macOS 14 they come to the larger screens. It’s true that you already had them available in the Notifications Center, but now you’re able to drag them from that area onto your desktop. They won’t snap automatically to locations either, as they do on mobile devices, so you can place them where you choose, another sign of the personalization that macOS Sonoma offers.

Opening up an app will cause the widgets to fade into the background, matching whatever wallpaper color scheme is selected, making them non-intrusive. But, perhaps the most useful feature is that in macOS Sonoma you’ll be able to use existing widgets from your iPhone on the Mac. There’s no need to install them either, as the two devices will use Continuity to display them on your desktop. They remain fully interactive too, so you can use them just as you do on your iPhone.

Gaming

For many years, gaming was the preserve of Windows PCs, with the Mac often left out in the cold. With the performance gains Apple made with its M1 and M2 processors, it seems that the company is keen to make up this ground with the introduction of a new Game Mode. This essentially optimizes the system to give the highest priority to CPU and GPU demands while also lowering latency in controllers and AirPods by doubling the Bluetooth sampling rates. The model is compatible with all existing games on the Mac, so you won’t need special editions or new purchases to take advantage of the improved performance.

To encourage publishers to use Game Mode, Apple also announced its new Game Porting Kit which it claims will drastically reduce the amount of work needed to bring titles across to the Mac from other platforms. And there’s a new title coming to macOS later this year to take advantage of it all: Death Stranding.

Video conferencing

macOS Sonoma aims to make video conferencing smarter, with tools for hosts and those watching. A new Presenter Overlay feature allows the host to remain in view at all times, either in a small circular window that can be moved around the screen to stop it from obscuring the information being shared. Alternatively, switching to the larger mode triggers some clever work from the Neural Engine, which places the presenter in a bigger space with the shared information behind them but still visible. The most impressive part is that the background in the room is then layered behind both, making it seem like the data being presented is floating in the room.

Other callers can also respond with reactions that display balloons, fireworks, and other celebratory animations over their video. For even more fun, these can be triggered by physical gestures, such as a double thumbs-up. Should make those long conference calls a little more interesting. As the effects are all done in macOS, Apple says that they will work across any video conferencing software.

Safari improvements

macOS Sonoma brings some extra security capabilities to the Safari browser. These include locking browsing windows when you’re not using them, blocking trackers from loading on pages, and removing trackers from URLs when in Private browsing mode.

Passkeys get some attention too, as you’ll now be able to securely share passkeys and passwords with family and friends, with the ability for anyone in the group to update them or add new ones. It’s all worked through iCloud Keychain, so the data remains encrypted at all points. Another useful addition is Profiles, which allows you to create multiple instances of Safari, with one maybe focussed on work, with all the favorites, bookmarks, and things related to that, but also another for home where you have a completely different collection of information.

Web apps

Yes, you read that right, web apps on Mac. If you use a website regularly, with macOS Sonoma you can create an icon in the dock that will take you straight to that site. But Safari recognizes that you’ve chosen it as a web app, and instead of simply opening up the main browser window it instead shows a simplified one that acts more like an app. It’s all handled by Safari, so doesn’t require the websites to have any additional coding or special modes themselves. It also supports notifications, so you can see when an order is on its way or when the latest stories are posted.

When can you get macOS Sonoma?

Apple uses WWDC to highlight the features that will appear in its software lineup, but you won’t be able to get your hands on it until the fall. In the meantime, if you can’t wait that long, you can sign up for the Apple Beta Software program and try it out early. Just be aware that the software is still in the development stage, so it won’t run as smoothly as it will if you hold back until the full version becomes available later this year.

Personal Software

After months—years, even—of rumors, Apple has finally unveiled its mixed-reality headset. Dubbed Apple Vision Pro, it supports both AR and VR applications and boasts features and specs that make other competing products look like toys. Apple calls it “the most advance personal electronics device ever” and has filed over 5,000 patents related to it. But it will cost you. Apple says it starts at $3,499 and will be available early in 2024. Apple claims it is a high-end TV, sound system, computer, and more–making the cost a bargain by comparison.

Apple calls it a new type of product that blends the digital and real world. It’s the first Apple product you look through, and not at. You control everything using your eyes, hands, and voice, rather than holding physical controllers. Apps and the interface can be moved around and resized, and even cast shadows on the real world to help you understand scale. Apple says that just as the Mac introduced us to personal computing, and the iPhone introduced us to portable computing, Apple Vision Pro will introduce us to “spatial computing.”

You’re able to place multiple apps in the real world space and can type with either voice or a virtual keyboard, but you can also use Bluetooth keyboards and trackpads, and with a glance at your Mac, you can use it on a large virtual display.

An external display shows people what your eyes look like at the moment with a feature called EyeSight, so others are not disconnected from you. But if you’re in a fully immersive experience, a cloudy view shows others that you’re not able to see them at the moment.

The apps we know are all completely redesigned for the virtual space. FaceTime shows each participant in a large video tile and uses spatial audio to help you place who is talking. Vision Pro also lets you capture photos and video in full 3D, so you can watch them using the headset and experience them with real depth. Watching a film dims the room or places you in a large virtual environment.

As part of the announcement, Apple brought out Disney CEO Bob Iger to show a sizzle reel of some of the ways the company plans to support the product, including new ways to consume Disney or ESPN content. The demo showed off movies with interactive elements, and live sports with stats and highlights, and courtside views.

The front is a single piece of glass. The aluminum frame has a button on the left side and a Digital Crown on the right. The cloth face cushion comes in various sizes, and the cloth headband is stretchy and even removable for different kinds of headbands. Speakers are integrated into the sides and provide personalized spatial audio. They use audio ray tracing to create a sound profile of your room and If you need glasses, there are Zeiss magnetically attached vision correction attachments.

The headset is meant to be used all day when plugged in, but a separate battery pack that tethers to the side is meant to last two hours.

The two displays provide over 23 million pixels combined–greater than 4K per eye. A high-speed eye tracking system on the inside monitors where you look, and foveated rendering helps keep rendering running smoothly. Inside, the system is powered by an M2 processor and a new R1 chip that can process input from all 12 cameras and numerous other sensors in just a few milliseconds.

The external OLED on the front is curved and uses a lenticular display so that when other people see you, they see your eyes from the correct perspective. You’ll scan your face to create an accurate 3D avatar of yourself.

All of this is run by VisionOS, Apple’s new operating system designed from the ground up for spatial computing. Hundreds of thousands of iPhone and iPad apps will work on Vision Pro from day one, in addition to new 3D apps you get from a new App Store. Apple says there will be over 100 Apple Arcade games available to play on day one, including NBA 2K24, and the hardware supports gamepads just like iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

The Vision Pro will scan your iris with Optic ID, which like Face ID is encrypted and stays on device and is only accessible to the secure enclave in the M1 processor. It is used to authenticate just like Touch ID and Face ID are. Where you look is processed by a secure background process so apps can’t track you.

Virtual Reality