Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference opened at Apple Park on Monday, 6 June 2022, and for once the hardware was as interesting as the software. Tim Cook introduced the M2, the second generation of the chip that replaced Intel in Macs, and the first MacBook Air that does not look like the wedge Steve Jobs pulled out of an envelope in 2008.
M2 and the new MacBook Air
The M2 has an 8-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU, supports 24 GB of memory and, Apple says, is about 18 per cent faster than the M1 on the CPU and 35 per cent on graphics. The new MacBook Air is flat rather than tapered, thinner and lighter, with a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, a 1080p webcam, MagSafe charging back in place, two Thunderbolt ports and, on the higher model, a 67 W charger that gets to 50 per cent in 30 minutes. Battery life is rated at 18 hours of video. It starts at $1,199 with 8 GB and 256 GB. The 13-inch MacBook Pro keeps its old design and Touch Bar but gets the M2 too, from $1,299, with 20 hours of video. Both ship in July.
iOS 16: the lock screen finally changes
- Lock screen. Widgets, multiple lock screens you can switch between, fonts and colour filters for the clock, and photos that sit behind the time like a magazine cover. Notifications move to the bottom.
- Messages. Edit a sent iMessage within 15 minutes, unsend one, and mark a thread unread. SharePlay works inside Messages.
- Live Text in video. Pause a video and copy the text in it, or translate it, including Bangla.
- Safety Check. A one-tap review that revokes location and account access you have shared, designed for people leaving an abusive relationship.
- Passkeys. Log in to websites with Face ID instead of a password, synced through iCloud.
Which iPhones get it
iOS 16 supports the iPhone 8 and everything newer, including both iPhone SE models. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, still common in Bangladesh's second-hand market, are dropped, as are the 6s and first SE. iPadOS 16 adds Stage Manager multitasking, but only on iPads with an M1 chip; macOS Ventura gets the same feature plus Continuity Camera, which turns an iPhone into a Mac webcam. watchOS 9 adds running metrics and a medication tracker. Public betas arrive in July and the final versions in September.
For buyers here, the M2 Air is the laptop to wait for if you can; the M1 Air, which stays on sale at $999, is the bargain if you cannot.
