For Apple, 2023 is a year of not following the beaten track!
Firstly, it secretly held its first press conference in January and quietly launched a new product. Subsequently, the usual spring press conference in March also went silent, which probably caused a lot of friends who like to gather together to feel extremely uncomfortable (yes! It's me!!). Fortunately, WWDC 2023 is about to come.
WWDC 2023 will be held from June 6th to June 10th Beijing time, counting with fingers, which is next Tuesday. Although WWDC always focuses on software, the hardware products that come with it this year are heavyweight, and even Bloomberg reporter Gelman said that WWDC will become one of the most critical events in Apple's history this year.

Based on the current reliable online sources, there are also quite a few highlights of WWDC 2023, which are closely related to our ordinary users in three aspects:
One is the update of iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 14, tvOS 17, and watchOS 10, which revolve around Apple's five major systems; The second is Apple's hybrid reality head display device, which has been skipping tickets for N years; The third is the largest 15 inch screen size MacBo ok Air in Apple's history.

The five major operating systems iOS are the focus, while iOS 17 optimizes performance and stability, with a focus on improving the interactive experience

Not long ago, the matter of Apple fishing law enforcement catching whistleblowers was once a hot topic in the search. It is understood that the main reason for pushing Apple to rush is that the update related to iOS 17 was basically exposed before WWDC 2023

This also gave everyone an early understanding of the new changes regarding iOS 17. The three main changes include: the UI style of the control center will be adjusted, the Lingdong Island will add more interactive features, and the lock screen interface will add new features.
Specifically, the iOS 17 Control Center will have more shortcuts and support customizations such as editing position, size, and order. The UI design of the Control Center will also be more aesthetically pleasing and concise.

Loyal Apple fan users may be more aware that since the release of iOS 11, the appearance and overall layout of the control center have not undergone significant changes. Apple basically launches around new custom buttons every year. For example, in iOS 14, custom buttons such as sleep tracking and voice recognition have been added, while in iOS 15, options for undisturbed mode, sleep mode, personal mode, and work mode have been added.
"Is Apple's control center mature?" "Yes"
"Is Apple's control center easy to use?" "Sure"
What are you looking forward to when iOS 17 makes changes to the UI
I think, as a Apple fan, perhaps it really needs some visual novelty to be satisfied.

Left: iOS 11 control center; Right: iOS 16.4 Control Center

In terms of Lingdong Island, it is rumored that Apple may add more interactive features such as zooming and long pressing, which means users can more easily complete various tasks and operations. Siri will also appear directly in Lingdong Island after being called, rather than just below the screen. And it also supports dragging and dropping photos directly to Lingdong Island, and then directly dragging them to other apps, further enhancing the interactive experience.

The reliability of the information and image sources remains to be investigated, but the functionality of Lingdong Island is indeed urgently needed to be increased. Although the design of Lingdong Island was an important selling point of last year's iPhone 14 Pro series, there was indeed a suspicion that it was not working hard when it was first delivered to consumers for use. It may be a major innovation for Apple since the iPhone X, but it has not actually brought too much interactive experience to users. The actual hands-on experience is not as exciting as watching the press conference, and the Smart Island is not as agile. Therefore, as a user, I am also looking forward to the new features that iOS 17 will bring to Lingdong Island.
The third improvement is actually aimed at Live Activity's real-time activities, which enables real-time viewing of application information, such as taxi progress and delivery progress, on the lock screen interface. In iOS 17, Apple will redesign the Live Activity interface for Apple Maps. Users can view maps and other information without unlocking through more powerful Live Activities.

From the display images exposed online, it can be seen that when iOS 17 navigates with the Maps app, the lock screen interface adopts a half screen display mode, with the date and time displayed at the top of the screen, the navigation map displayed in the bottom half of the screen, and the number of notifications, flashlights, and camera shortcuts also displayed at the bottom.

Apple hybrid display head display device

What kind of hardware product can even gain more attention in WWDC than software? Apple's decade-long headphone display device is well deserved.
Although as early as 2015, there was news online about the approval of Apple's headphone display device, and rumors of its upcoming launch also surfaced sporadically, becoming the focus of discussion in the technology industry. But look, 8 years have passed in an instant, and other manufacturers have successively released AR/VR head display devices, but Apple has not made any progress. (8 years! Do you know how I've been living these 8 years?) However, from the density of topics and various sources of information this time, it is clear that this time is really coming.

Although the product has been bumpy along the way, it is clear that Apple has high hopes for it. At present, multiple sources have pointed out that Apple is likely to release the xROS system and this head display device through the WWDC 2023 special event, which will ultimately be named "Reality Pro" or "Reality One".
Apple's change of system name to "xROS" is likely due to its intention to develop VR and AR devices simultaneously, not limited to either party. But according to foreign media, the focus of Apple's head display devices is still on AR, after all, it is the next generation computing platform in the minds of practitioners.

In terms of hardware, according to rumors a few months ago, it will be paired with an 8K display screen According to recent news, it will have 2 4K displays, built-in about a dozen sensors and cameras, achieving precise gesture and eye tracking, and equipped with an M2 processor. The head display will include two interfaces: a USB-C interface for data transmission and a dedicated magnetic interface for connecting batteries, which can be connected to a Mac as an external display. In terms of selling price, the price may range from $3000 to $4000.
Anyway, it's okay. Don't be a pigeon again this year. I'm really looking forward to its debut, please.

The 15 inch MacBook Air is coming

After Apple launches the 16 inch MacBook, the size of the MacBook Air will also experience a wave of upgrades. Throughout the MacBook product line, the MacBook Pro comes in 13 inches, 14 inches, and 16 inches, basically meeting the diverse choices of users. The maximum size of MacBook Air is only 13.6 inches. Although the Air is portable, light and thin, many users also complain about the small screen and call on Apple to add larger members to the Air family.

According to expectations, this year's WWDC 2023, Apple will release a 15 inch version of the MacBook Air, which is the largest screen size in history. In terms of configuration, we will still use the M2 chip, which is the same as the M2 version of the MacBook Air. There are also reports of optional configurations equipped with the M2 Pro. For users, such performance is clearly more than sufficient for office use.
The new MacBook Air will also be equipped with MagSafe 3 charging port, Thunderbolt 3 port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and Force Touch touchpad. In addition, it is worth noting that the 15 inch body also means that the internal space of the body will increase. If Apple inserts larger batteries into it, it may have further performance in terms of battery life.

The seemingly larger size and stronger configuration like the Pro version are all adding selling points to the new MacBook Air. In fact, large-sized and lightweight laptops have been increasingly favored by consumers in recent years. In order to meet market demand, Apple's launch of large-sized MacBook Air is a necessary measure.
Although most of the existing news comes from foreign media leaks, overall, this year's WWDC 2023 is still worth looking forward to, both in terms of software and hardware. The highlight of previous years was taken on by Apple's self-developed chips, but this year's M3 chip was postponed and will be carried by AR/VR head display devices. Can Apple once again shock the world and usher in the next "iPhone moment" after a decade of layout? We will witness together with everyone.