New laptops, the M2 chip, and the other big announcements from Apple's WWDC

Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) launched yesterday, and the four-day event began with a series of software and hardware updates that Apple customers have been looking forward to.

The M2 chip and new MacBook Pros

Apple announced the new M2 chip that everyone has been looking forward to for months. It is said to have an 18 percent improvement on the older M1 chip, though the M1 Ultra launched at their spring event in March is still the most powerful chip put out by Apple Silicon.

In addition, Apple also announced a new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip installed. The new laptops will come in four colours; silver, space grey, starlight, and midnight.

iOS 16

Apple announced updates to messages, notifications and Focus feature, but the biggest change was to the lockscreen that will now become far more customisable in line with Android competitors.

Not only will Apple now let iPhone users put widgets for weather, activity rings, calendar events and more on the lock screen, but also will let you pin live activities such as live sports scores.

Apple Pay Later

Apple has entered the 'Buy Now, Pay Later' trend, putting them in direct competition with American companies such as PayPal. Its new feature, Apple Pay Later, will be built with Mastercard infrastructure, and will provide customers with an interest-free method to repay EMIs.

CarPlay updates

Apple has had car features in certain models since 2014, but the add-on has been cumbersome to use. However, with the new updates, it looks like Apple is planning to integrate CarPlay directly into the software of multiple cars, with expected releases late in 2023.

MacOS and WatchOS

The new MacOS, codenamed Ventura, has incremental updates for now, with scheduled updates for Spotlight and the Mail app. Additionally, Apple also announced a new multitasking tool called Stage Manager. If you have an iPhone, you can now use its camera as a webcam with your Apple computer.

WatchOS is also doubling down on its health features, with new tracking features such as running metrics, atrial fibrillation, and medication reminders. They also announced four new watch faces for the Apple Watch.