WWDC 2022 was a lot of fun last week, with lots of software announcements and frankly, more Mac news that we dared to expect. But it’s hard to please us here at McWorld, and we can’t help but think of things that haven’t been revealed.
Let’s start with the device that many pundits had hoped would be the tent announcement surrounding the whole event: Apple’s long and eagerly awaited AR (or mixed AR / VR) headset. The hardware itself is still a long way off, on most accounts এটি it probably won’t be until 2023 কিন্তু but it seems reasonable to expect some sort of preview of the interface and AR environment that Apple is working on. There is no such fate.
The headset is one of Apple’s wild cards, rumored product that will create real excitement at any event. That list will be another Apple car, But this was also evident by his absence. Apple’s apparent development work in this area was limited to some great carplay updates that won’t be here until next year and may take longer to get right. To be clear, no one expected the Apple Car to appear on stage in the middle of the keynote, but its continued absence is a sign of a widespread lack of excitement.
The M2 MacBook Air is great, but it’s still a derivative of most of Apple’s other laptops.
Apples
In the place of innovation we find repetition জনক satisfactory and original repetition, but still repetition. It was a pleasant surprise, for example, that both the new MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro got the M2 chip, which was not expected by the end of this year, but these are still newer versions of the existing product line. Only Apple can create such hype from a product refresh.
The Air, admittedly, got a smart new look with its new chip, but we’d love to see the new vibrant colors that the Liqueurs predicted before the event. And the Pro hasn’t even been redesigned. It was literally just a speck bump.
When it comes to repetitive refreshments, how long do we have to wait? Second generation AirPods Pro? Among other things, these are expected to bring support for Apple’s Lossless (ALAC) format, and based on that will only be suitable for an event that focuses on software and services. There was also nothing new IPad-Which was probably a long shot, but the iPad Pro was unveiled at WWDC 2017-and waiting for the next version Mac MiniWhich has not been updated since 2020.
Perhaps the most frustrating miss, however, was no word about the next version of the Mac Pro. WWDC is the traditional stumping ground of the Mac Pro, where both 2013 and 2019 models have been launched, and the new model was expected to make some sort of appearance this year, even if only as a hint of work in progress. What a grand prosperity that could do.
IDG
Turn on the barrier
I’m making an enjoyable wail here, but of course I admit that WWDC is primarily a software event. There are five operating systems to talk to, and once you see those MacBook updates, there’s no room for much more.
WWDC 2022 was, in fact, full of new features with iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura that created buzz with important and interesting new features. It was always unrealistic to expect Apple to find time to talk about the new iPad or AirPod. Even if there was time, it would have reduced the impact of each announcement if it had been combined with a few dozen more.
What I’m aware of, though, is that Apple events don’t come often. Sometimes you only get three in a given year: a spring event in March or April, WWDC in June, and an iPhone launch in the fall. Other years we get four, including a Mac event in October, and some years, more than that. However, there will be no more programs for two months this year. All this we have been getting for some time.
Apple can spread the word, especially since it currently doesn’t have to fly and feed large teams of developers and reporters whenever it does an event. Every month can be a virtual event without creating any great logical headaches that I can see. But this is not Apple’s way. And as long as it’s true, annoying journalists like me are going to complain about all the things that aren’t announced on rare occasions when the company talks to us.