I was in a movie theater last December watching Avatar: The Way of Water in 3D, and I said to myself: “Wow, this is an immersive film I’d love to watch in next-gen VR.” That’s exactly what I just experienced in Apple’s Vision Pro headset, and yeah, it’s amazing.
I just tried out the Vision Pro in a series of carefully picked demos during WWDC at Apple’s Cupertino, California, headquarters. I’ve been using cutting-edge VR devices for years, and I found all sorts of augmented reality memories bubbling up in my brain. Apple’s compact — but still not small —headset reminds me of an Apple-designed Meta Quest Pro. The fit of the back strap was comfy yet stretchy, with a dial to adjust the rear fit and a top strap for stability. The headset’s sleek design, and even its glowing front faceplate, also gave me an instant Ready Player One vibe.
Watch this: Apple Vision Pro: I Tried Apple’s AR/VR Headset
05:35
I couldn’t wear my glasses during the demo, though, and neither will you. Apple’s headset does not support glasses, instead relying on Zeiss custom inserts to correct wearers’ vision. Apple did manage, through a setup process, to easily find lenses that fit my vision well enough so that everything seemed crystal clear, which is not an easy task. Also, we adjusted the fit and tuned spatial audio for my head using an iPhone, a system that will be finessed when the headset is released in 2024.
From there, I did my demos seated, mostly, and found myself surprised from the start. The passthrough video camera quality of this headset is good —really, really good. Not as good as my own vision, but good enough that I could see the room well, see people in it with me, see my watch notifications easily on my wrist. The only headset that’s done this previously was the extremely impressive but PC-connected Varjo XR-3, and Apple’s display and cameras feel even better.
Apple’s floating grid of apps appears when I press the top digital crown, which autocenters the home screen to wherever I’m looking. I set up eye tracking, which worked like on many other VR headsets I’ve used: I looked at glowing dots as musical notes played, and got a chime when it all worked.
A list of apps as they would appear inside of the Apple Vision Pro headset.
Apple
From there, the interface was surprisingly fluid. Looking at icons or interface options slightly enlarges them, or changes how bold they appear. Tapping with my fingers while looking at something opens an app.
I’ve used tons of hand-tracking technology on headsets like the HoloLens 2 and the Meta Quest 2 and Pro, and usually there’s a lot of hand motion required. Here, I could be really lazy. I pinched to open icons even while my hand was resting in my lap, and it worked.
Scrolling involves pinching and pulling with my fingers; again, pretty easy to do. I resized windows by moving my hand to throw a window across the room or pin it closer to me. I opened multiple apps at once, including Safari, Messages and Photos. It was easy enough to scroll around, although sometimes my eye tracking needed a bit of extra concentration to pull off.
Apple’s headset uses eye tracking constantly in its interface, something Meta’s Quest Pro and even the PlayStation VR 2 don’t do. That might be part of the reason for the external battery pack. The emphasis on eye tracking as a major part of the interface felt transformative, in a way I expected might be the case for VR and AR years ago. What I don’t know is how it will feel in longer sessions.
I don’t know how the Vision Pro will work with keyboards and trackpads, since I didn’t get to demo the headset that way. It works with Apple’s Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, and Macs, but not with iPhone and iPad or Watch touchscreens —not now, at least.
Dialing in reality
I scrolled through some photos in Apple’s preset photo album, plus a few 3D photos and video clips shot with the Vision Pro’s 3D camera. All the images looked really crisp, and a panoramic photo that spread around me looked almost like it was a window on a landscape that extended just beyond the room I was in.
Apple has volumetric 3D landscapes on the Vision Pro that are immersive backgrounds like 3D wallpaper, but looking at one really shows off how nice that Micro OLED display looks. A lake looked like it was rolling up to a rocky shore that ended right where the real coffee table was in front of me.
Raising my hands to my face, I saw how the headset separates my hands from VR, a trick that’s already in Apple’s ARKit. It’s a little rough around the edges but good enough. Similarly, there’s a wild new trick where anyone else in the room can ghost into view if you look at them, a fuzzy halo with their real passthrough video image slowly materializing. It’s meant to help create meaningful contact with people while wearing the headset. I wondered how you could turn that off or tune it to be less present, but it’s a very new idea in mixed reality.
Apple’s digital crown, a small dial borrowed from the Apple Watch, handles reality blend. I could turn the dial to slowly extend the 3D panorama until it surrounded me everywhere, or dial it back so it just emerged a little bit like a 3D window.
Mixed reality in Apple’s headset looks so casually impressive that I almost didn’t appreciate how great it was. Again, I’ve seen mixed reality in VR headsets before (Varjo XR-3, Quest Pro), and I’ve understood its capabilities. Apple’s execution of mixed reality felt much more immersive, rich and effortless on most fronts, with a field of view that felt expansive and rich. I can’t to see more experiences in it.
Cinematic fidelity that wowed me
The cinema demo was what really shocked me, though. I played a 3D clip of Avatar: The Way of Water in-headset, on a screen in various viewing modes including a cinema. Apple’s mixed reality passthrough can also dim the rest of the world down a bit, in a way similar to how the Magic Leap 2 does with its AR. But the scenes of Way of Water sent little chills through me. It was vivid. This felt like a movie experience. I don’t feel that way in other VR headsets.
Avatar: The Way of Water looked great in Vision Pro.
20th Century Studios
Apple also demonstrated its Immersive Video format that’s coming as an extension to Apple TV Plus. It’s a 180-degree video format, similar to what I’ve seen before in concept, but with really strong resolution and video quality. A splash demo reel of Alicia Keys singing, Apple Sports events, documentary footage and more reeled off in front of me, a teaser of what’s to come. One-eighty-degree video never appears quite as crisp to me as big-screen film content, but the sports clips I saw made me wonder how good virtual Jets games could be in the future. Things have come a long way.
Would I pay $3,499 for a head-worn cinema? No, but it’s clearly one of this device’s greatest unique strengths. The resolution and brightness of the display were surprising.
Convincing avatars (I mean, Personas)
Apple’s Personas are 3D-scanned avatars generated by using the Vision Pro to scan your face, making a version of yourself that shows up in FaceTime chats if you want, or also on the outside of the Vision Pro’s curved OLED display to show whether you’re “present” or in an app. I didn’t see how that outer display worked, but I had a FaceTime with someone in their Persona form, and it was good. Again, it looked surprisingly good.
I’ve chatted with Meta’s ultra-realistic Codec Avatars, which aim for realistic representations of people in VR. Those are stunning, and I’ve also seen Meta’s phone-scanned step-down version in an early form last year, where a talking head spoke to me in VR. Apple’s Persona looked better than Meta’s phone-scanned avatar, although a bit fuzzy around the edges, like a dream. The woman whose Persona was scanned appeared in her own window, not in a full-screen form.
And I wondered how expressive the emotions are with the Vision Pro’s scanning cameras. The Pro has an ability to scan jaw movement similar to the Quest Pro, and the Persona I chatted with was friendly and smiling. How would it look for someone I know, like my mom? Here, it was good enough that I forgot it was a scan.
We demoed a bit of Apple’s Freeform app, where a collaboration window opened up while my Persona friend chatted in another window. 3D objects popped up in the Freeform app, a full home scan. It looked realistic enough.
Dinosaurs in my world
The final demo was an app experience called Encounter Dinosaurs, which reminded me of early VR app demos I had years ago: An experience emphasizing just the immersive “wow” factor of dinosaurs appearing in a 3D window that seemed to open up in the back wall of my demo room. Creatures that looked like carnotauruses slowly walked through the window and into my space.
All my demos were seated except for this one, where I stood up and walked around a bit. This sounds like it wouldn’t be an impressive demo, but again, the quality of the visuals and how they looked in relation to the room’s passthrough video capture was what made it feel so great. As the dinosaur snapped at my hand, it felt pretty real. And so did a butterfly that danced through the room and tried to land on my extended finger.
I smiled. But even more so, I was impressed when I took off the headset. My own everyday vision wasn’t that much sharper than what Apple’s passthrough cameras provided. The gap between the two was closer than I would have expected, and it’s what makes Apple’s take on mixed reality in VR work so well.
Then there’s the battery pack. There’s a corded battery that’s needed to power the headset, instead of a built-in battery like most others have. That meant I had to make sure to grab the battery pack as I started to move around, which is probably a reason why so many of Apple’s demos were seated.
What about fitness and everything else?
Apple didn’t emphasize fitness much at all, a surprise to me. VR is already a great platform for fitness, although no one’s finessed headset design for fitness comfort. Maybe having that battery pack right now will limit movement in active games and experiences. Maybe Apple will announce more plans here later. The only taste I got of health and wellness was a one-minute micro meditation, which was similar to the one on the Apple Watch. It was pretty, and again a great showcase of the display quality, but I want more.
2024 is still a while away, and Apple’s headset is priced way out of range for most people. And I have no idea how functional this current headset would feel if I were doing everyday work. But Apple did show off a display, and an interface, that are far better than I was ready for. If Apple can build on that, and the Vision Pro finds ways of expanding its mixed reality capabilities, then who knows what else is possible?
This was just my fast-take reaction to a quick set of demos on one day in Cupertino. There are a lot more questions to come, but this first set of demos resonated with me. Apple showed what it can do, and we’re not even at the headset’s launch yet.
After years of leaks, speculation and wishful thinking on behalf of those who aren’t thrilled about giving Facebook their money, Apple’s first step into the VR/AR world has finally been taken. The Vision Pro headset took center stage at Apple’s WWDC keynote Monday, promising deep integration with the Apple ecosystem and a serious charge into the world of gaming. In an effort to draw focus from this announcement, Meta’s own Mark Zuckerberg took to Instagram a few days ago to tease a new generation of the most popular VR headset currently available, dubbed the Meta Quest 3. The announcement was light on details, but promised two things Meta has become well known for: The Meta Quest 3 will be relatively inexpensive and will be supported by a massive and growing ecosystem.
If both of these headsets were sitting side-by-side on a shelf and you could only choose one, which should you buy? Here’s what we know so far, and how to make the best decision for your needs.
Hardware
When it comes to face computers, there are three things that matter more than anything. The headset needs to be comfortable to wear for as many different kinds of people as possible; the battery needs to last long enough to actually enjoy your time in the headset; and it needs to have a processor capable of delivering a smooth overall experience.
Comfort is by far the most important, and in that regard Meta has a lot more experience and has received a lot more feedback than Apple. Renders of the Quest 3 reveal a three-strap design, where the side straps are responsible for holding the headset on your face while the top strap helps distribute the weight. The top strap is split in the back, which means the headset is able to cradle the back of your head or hold a ponytail for those who need it. The pancake lenses allow for a thinner design than the Quest 2, which Meta debuted in the Quest Pro headset late last year, so we have some idea of how this will fit even without having used it. The same can be said for its controllers. Meta’s controllers are well known for being lightweight and extremely ergonomic, with an array of third-party accessories to increase the illusion of holding a sword or tennis racket when gaming.
Apple says its expertise in creating displays, speakers and wearables come together in the Vision Pro.
Scott Stein/CNET
Apple may not have years of public hardware feedback under its belt for this particular product, but there are few who would argue Apple’s design team is not up to the job. Apple’s AirPod Max headphones, for example, are heavier than most but manage to be comfortable enough to wear all day. So when Apple revealed its design, which includes an Apple Watch-style crown to control occlusion, Zeiss lens inserts for those with a prescription and a two-sided strap with a wide angled pad in the back to hold your head, it was immediately clear the team has done its homework. A third top strap is available, but as Scott Stein points out in his hands-on, is not included in any of Apple’s demonstrations so far.
The glass front and aluminum frame of Apple’s Vision Pro headset make it possible for the design to be plenty thin, which helps the overall weight. Combine those two, and you’ve got a headset that will likely be pretty comfortable for many. There are no controllers for the Vision Pro. It relies entirely on eye tracking and hand gestures for its interface, but Apple showed it being used with a wireless PS5 controller for gaming.
Watch this: Apple Vision Pro: I Tried Apple’s AR/VR Headset
05:35
Battery life for both headsets is something of an open question. Meta has a history of releasing battery accessories to help the headset last for a few more hours, but the expected life for both the Quest 2 and Quest Pro is two hours, so it’s likely the Quest 3 will hover around the same.
Apple’s Vision Pro headset currently claims two hours of battery life when connected to the tethered battery, and it’s likely there will be battery extenders available either through Apple or third parties. Currently the average VR user spends about an hour in their headsets, but with Meta’s new full-color cameras for AR functionality and Apple’s focus on FaceTime and other nongaming features, it’s likely that number will go up with this generation of headsets.
We already know quite a bit about the processors that drive these two headsets. Qualcomm has been working with Meta to deliver increased performance without sacrificing battery life for a couple of years now, and the XR2 Gen2 promises double the performance of the Quest 2.
Apple has a history of outperforming Qualcomm on phones and tablets with chipsets it manufactures only for Apple products, and the Vision Pro will be powered by both a new Apple M2 processor and a new specialized chip Apple calls the R1, with an enormous amount of computing power for all the cameras in the headset. It’s clear the headset will have no trouble competing with the Quest 3 on raw performance. And while having raw power is obviously important in situations like this, the proof will be in the actual use and what developers can get the headset to do.
Ecosystem
The Quest 2 has a raft of excellent games, like Moss 2.
Polyarc
There have been a lot of face computers released in the last 10 years, and most of the companies making them have long abandoned those projects. Having the most capable headset isn’t enough. You need to be able to do interesting things with it. It’s important to remember just how small this market is compared to the mobile app stores maintained by Apple and Google. Each of those boast well over a million apps serving an entire planet of connected humans. Meta’s App Store description claims “thousands” of apps are available for its headsets, but the Quest section of Meta’s app store is gearing up to celebrate 500 apps for the Quest 2 later this year. There’s a lot of room for competition here.
Meta has been working for years to ensure a healthy assortment of apps and games on its platform, as well as a substantial if potentially ill-advised investment in the metaverse platform Horizon Worlds. A $10 million Creator Fund was announced back in 2021 to help encourage development, and as of this writing a third of the apps in Meta’s app store had made over $1 million. The biggest category of app for the Meta Quest 3 will be games, ranging from action titles like Beat Saber and interactive stories like Moss 2 to horror experiences like The Room VR. Education and exploration have a decent foothold here too, allowing users to explore museums and experience parts of the world they may never be able to see for themselves. When someone picks up a Quest 3, there will be no shortage of answers to the question, “What should I do next?”
A list of apps as they would appear inside of the Apple Vision Pro headset.
Apple
Apple showed off some interesting concepts during its WWDC keynote, where it made the case for developers to make their own cool things for the headset. But that doesn’t mean Apple didn’t have plenty to show off out of the box. The big focus for Apple is extending all of the apps you know and love from your phone into the world around you. If you want a large display to watch a show or meditation exercise on, you can.
Apple wants this headset to be able to be used for work with access to Apple apps like Notes, Keynote or Safari so it can replace or complement your monitor. For gamers, you can play around 100 Apple Arcade games with a standard gaming controller like you would on a television with an Apple TV, but Apple doesn’t seem to have much in the way of immersive gaming like you’d see on other headsets.
Which should you buy?
It’s impossible to have this conversation without talking about price. Meta’s Quest 3 comes in at $500, which will likely balloon to $600 if you want increased storage and more if you want accessories for improved battery life. And when this headset is available in the fall, it will be filled with tons of things to do and friends to play with, if that’s your thing. And between Zuck’s teaser last week and its release, you can be sure Meta will have a lot to say about what you can do with the passthrough cameras in AR and hand-tracking modes. It’s an impressive upgrade on a headset Stein dubbed the best VR headset for now in his Quest 2 review, and will be available months before the competition.
Apple’s Vision Pro is undoubtedly a unique way to experience the Apple ecosystem as it exists today, and it’s clear there are a lot of different ways to make the experience personal. It has an elegant look and a ton of features to keep you aware of the world around you when it’s needed. There’s no denying this is the most advanced headset to exist so far. But as an AR headset delivering something unique, it’s clear Apple is hoping developers will help pave the way. And with a $3,499 price tag, Apple needs to do a lot between now and when the Vision Pro launches in 2024 to show what makes it special.
Apple’s sleek and pricey iPads aren’t the only tablets on the market these days. Amazon also has its own lineup of versatile Fire tablets that are designed for a variety of needs and budgets, and right now, you can pick one up at a discount. The online retailer is currently offering up to 47% off a wide range of tablets for both kids and adults, with prices starting at just $60. There’s no set expiration for these deals, so there’s no guaranteeing how long they’ll be available. We’d recommend getting your order in sooner rather than later if you don’t want to miss out on these savings.
Though it was released back in 2021, the Fire HD 10 is still one of the most advanced tablets in Amazon’s lineup, and earned a spot on our list of the best tablets overall for 2023. It features a 10.1-inch full HD display, an octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM and boasts an impressive 12-hour battery life on a single charge. Right now you can snag the 32GB model for $120, which is $30 off, or upgrade to the 64GB model for just $10 more and save $60.
Amazon also makes a variety of durable kid-friendly tablets that have a built-in case and are designed for fun and educational content. The most affordable model is the Fire 7 Kids, which is designed for ages three to seven, has 16GB of storage and is currently on sale for just $60, saving you $50 compared to the usual price. There’s also the Fire HD 8 Kids, which has a larger HD display and is on sale for $90, which is $60 off the usual price. And for older kids, there’s the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro which is currently $50 off, dropping the price down to $150. It has a 10.1-inch HD display, 32GB of storage and supports limited web browsing. All Fire Kids tablets come with a free one-year subscription to Amazon Kids Plus, which gives you access to tons of kid-friendly shows, books, educational games and more. And all models support easy-to-use parental controls so you can easily restrict access to inappropriate sites or content.
Apple’s software update changes the game for Messages. With iOS 17, you’ll be able to turn pictures into stickers, transcribe voice memos, keep your friends and family notified on your way home and more.
News about the Messages update came Monday at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, held at its Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino, California. Apple traditionally uses the annual event to unveil new devices, such as its mixed reality headset Apple Vision Pro, and give developers a preview of upcoming additions to its desktop and mobile software.
The update to Messages will be part of iOS 17 and include new sticker experiences, where people can take their photos and turn them into stickers they use in text conversations, alongside standard emojis, which can also be used as stickers. People can customize their stickers with effects, like shiny, puffy, comic and outline, and keep them in a new drawer in the keyboard for streamlined access, Apple said in a press release. Stickers will be available systemwide, including in third-party apps. Apple said iOS 17 will be shipped later this fall. Here’s which iPhones will be able to run the update.
To make a photo into a sticker, touch and hold an object in a photo. Then you can style your object with various effects, outline it or create animated Live Stickers with Live Photos. To use the sticker in Messages, add them in the bubble from the Tapback menu.
Watch this: Apple Reveals iOS 17
16:43
Search in Messages, Check In and more
Apple also debuted a refined search feature for what it called a more “powerful and precise” Messages search experience. People can apply additional filters to their Messages search to more quickly find the exact conversation they were looking for. Plus, when you’ve received lots of texts in a group chat, you can now use the catch-up arrow to locate where the conversation left off last.
iOS 17 Messages will also transcribe voice memos you receive, if you don’t have the time to listen to them. Apple additionally announced a new location sharing feature that lets you keep track of your friends by viewing their location in your text conversation.
Apple’s Check In feature through iOS 17.
Screenshot by CNET
Another location sharing feature Apple debuted is Check In. If you want to keep a friend or family member updated on your journey home, for example, you can use Check In, which notifies the person of your whereabouts and lets them know if you’re having trouble getting home. “If they are not making progress toward their destination, useful information will be temporarily shared with the selected contact, such as the device’s location, battery level, and cell service status,” Apple said in the press release. Check In will be end-to-end encrypted, so only you and the person you’re sharing this information with is privy to your location.
Developers can try out iOS 17 today, and everyone can try out the public beta in a month.
The app, simply called Journal, is coming to iOS 17, the next version of Apple’s mobile software. The app uses on-device machine learning to create personalized suggestions to inspire writing. Suggestions are curated from information on your phone, such as photos, location, music and workouts.
Apple
In a look at the app given by Apple during the event, it provides the option to select a moment, like “morning visit, Ocean Beach,” and get writing. You can schedule notifications to remind you to write and let you know about new suggestions.
Journal is designed to keep entries private, with on-device processing, end-to-end encryption and the ability to lock the journal, according to Apple.
iOS 17 is the latest software update coming to iPhones, Apple announced and previewed at its WWDC event Monday. The major revision will be available to download this fall, but not all iPhone owners will have access. As with all of the annual, major Apple software updates, some iPhones are getting left behind, including the iPhone X.
If you’re not sure which iPhone you’ve got, a quick check in your settings can show you. Open your Settings app and tap General > About. Next to Model Name, you’ll see which iPhone you have.
We’ll tell you how to find out whether your iPhone will be compatible with iOS 17. If you’d like to try out the iOS 17 beta, the public beta will be available in July. Want to know more about iOS 17? Apple will turn your photos into stickers with Messages.
What if your iPhone isn’t on the compatibility list?
If your iPhone isn’t listed above, it won’t support iOS 17 and you won’t get a notification to download the newest software. For instance, if you have an iPhone X or older, the latest software you’ll ever be able to use on that phone is iOS 16.
You’ll soon be able to dress up your iPhone calls by setting a customized image that shows up on the receiver’s screen when you place a call.
The feature, unveiled during Apple’s WWDC keynote address on Monday, is called personalized contact posters and it’s part of iOS 17, Apple’s next major update for the iPhone.
Personalized contact posters allow you to customize how you’re represented on someone else’s phone when you’re calling them. You can use photos or emoji, paired with typography.
You can choose your own image, font and color, customizing your contact poster much as you might your phone lock screen, Apple said. The images show up not only in calls, but also as part of the your contact card, creating a consistent look.
iOS 17 Messages will also transcribe voice memos you receive. A new location sharing feature will allow you to keep track of your friends by seeing their location in your text conversation. And the new Check In feature is aimed at keeping a friend or family member updated on your journey home, notifying them of where you are, and letting them know if you’re having trouble getting home.
iOS 17 is expected to be available as a public beta sometime next month, with the general release in September alongside the rumored iPhone 15 series.
Apple just introduced WatchOS 10, its next major operating system update for the Apple Watch. The announcement came during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday. As with previous updates, health, fitness and personalization are among the biggest themes in WatchOS 10.
Apple is updating the Apple Watch’s software with new widgets and redesigned apps to show more information at a glance. Widgets will be able to surface contextual information throughout the day, such as medication reminders or calendar alerts, similar to how they function on the iPhone. This should make it easier to get bits of information without having to launch a full app.
The Apple Watch is also getting two new watch faces: one that’s color-palette themed, and another featuring the Peanuts characters Snoopy and Woodstock.
The new Palette watch face in WatchOS 10
Apple (screenshot)
There will also be more metrics and workout views for cycling, including the ability to show extra statistics when connecting to other Bluetooth-enabled bike sensors. Apple is adding new perks for hikers, too, such as the ability for the Compass app to show the last area where you had cell reception and more details about the topography of hiking trails.
Health is also a focus for WatchOS 10. Apple is adding new mood logging features to the Mindfulness app, which you can access on both the watch and the phone. Apple also says you’ll be able to take standardized assessments often used in clinics to understand more about how you’re feeling.
Apps in WatchOS 10 are getting a new look.
Apple (screenshot)
Apple is also using the Apple Watch to help users track eye health, signaling a new type of health measurement for the watch. The Apple Watch’s ambient light sensor can be used measure the amount of time spent in daylight in WatchOS 10, which the company is positioning as a way to maintain eye health and potentially prevent myopia, or nearsightedness caused by physical changes in the eye.
Software updates like these are critical because they bring significant new features to Apple’s smartwatch that expand its functionality without requiring new hardware. Last year in WatchOS 9, for example, Apple introduced new running metrics, the ability to track specific stages of sleep and low power mode. These additions helped the Apple Watch catch up to other sleep tracking wearables and dedicated running watches.
With WatchOS 10, Apple is also the latest smartwatch maker to focus more closely on mental wellness. Fitbit, for example, has added sensors to its Sense smartwatches that can look for signs of stress throughout the day. Watch maker Citizen launched a new smartwatch this year that it says can assess fatigue and alertness levels. The new Mindfulness features in WatchOS 10 suggest Apple is also thinking more deeply about the correlation between physical and mental wellness, too.
Apple typically previews new software for major products like the Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad and Mac at its annual conference before debuting them in the fall.
Watch this: Apple’s WWDC 2023: What We Expect
06:55
The Apple Watch is the most popular smartwatch in the world with 26% of the global market as of the first quarter of 2023, according to Counterpoint Research. Over the last several years, Apple has introduced new features and hardware meant to make its watch more competitive with dedicated running watches from companies like Garmin. Last year, for example, it debuted the Apple Watch Ultra, its first rugged watch designed with athletes and adventurers in mind. The updates to hiking and cycling seem to fit nicely with that theme.
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Not wanting to lose any time, Apple has just released the first developer beta for iOS 17, shortly after announcing the latest iPhone update at WWDC on Monday.
Before you go on and install iOS 17, you should know that developer beta versions like this aren’t intended for general use, especially because they may have unfinished features and issues that can make the iPhone difficult to use. These early beta releases are, instead, for developers, to help them keep their apps up to date and get early access to the upcoming features.
In short, you probably shouldn’t install the developer beta on your primary iPhone. If you really want to get iOS 17 right now, try to find a spare iPhone that is new enough (iPhone XS or later) to work with the latest software.
For those who still want to dive in, we’ll show you how to install the iOS 17 developer version on your iPhone, as well as what to do in case you want to revert to iOS 16.
If you want to learn more about what was announced at WWDC, here’s what you need to know about Vision Pro, Apple’s new augmented reality headset, the new 15-inch MacBook Air and MacOS Sonoma.
Watch this: Apple Reveals iOS 17
16:43
What to know before you download the iOS 17 developer beta
Because the iOS 17 developer beta is an early prerelease version, the software could have bugs and other issues.
Again, if you’re thinking about downloading iOS 17, do it on a backup or secondary phone, if available. The iOS 17 developer beta’s issues could cripple your iPhone and make it difficult to use, disabling phone calls or text messages or making it extremely laggy. However, if you only have your main phone or tablet available, make sure toback up your iPhone on iOS 16.5 (the latest version of iOS 16) before updating to iOS 17. That way you have the option to return to iOS 16 if there are too many issues on the new OS.
Also, you must have an iPhone XS or later to run iOS 17. iOS 17 is not supported on the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X, all of which supported the iOS 16 developer beta last year.
You can download iOS 17 on the iPhone XS and later.
To download the iOS 17 developer beta, you must be enrolled in the Apple Developer Program, which costs $99 a year. If you don’t want pay for the developer beta release, you can join the Apple Beta Software program and wait to download the public beta version for free when it’s available in July.
How to enroll in the Apple Developer Program
The first step to get the iOS 17 developer beta on your iPhone is to enroll in the Apple Developer Program, if you aren’t already a member. If you’re on your iPhone, here’s how you can enroll:
1. Download the Apple Developer app from the App Store, launch the app, go to Account and tap Enroll Now.
2. Sign in with your Apple ID credentials, read through the various benefits and instructions, enter your personal information and scan your ID to verify your identity.
3. Once this information is submitted, you must choose your entity (individual for most people) and agree to the program license agreement.
4. Finally, pay the Apple Developer membership fee (with Apple Pay), which is $99 (about 80 or AU$140) a year.
The Apple Developer app is free to download from the App Store.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
After you successfully make the payment, you’ll be redirected to your Account page in the Apple Developer app. Here you can verify that you’re now enrolled, and you can also check out the date of your membership’s expiration next year.
You can install iOS 17 with an over-the-air update on your iPhone
The easiest way to download the iOS 17 developer beta is with an over-the-air update — the way you would update to any other new software release on your device. Here’s how:
1. On your iPhone or iPad, go to the Settings > General > Software Update.
2. Next, go into Beta Updates and tap iOS 17 Developer Beta.
3. Go back and tap Download and Install under the new iOS 17 Developer Beta option that appears.
All subsequent iOS 17 developer beta updates will appear as over-the-air updates here on your iPhone.
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You’ll need to then enter your passcode, agree to the terms and conditions and wait for the update to be installed. The process can take over 20 minutes, depending on your internet connection. Once your phone reboots, you should have access to the iOS 17 developer beta.
Or download the iOS 17 developer beta using your Mac
Over-the-air updates require a certain amount of storage, and if you don’t have that available, your computer is really the only way to update to iOS 17 beta without manually clearing out space.
1. On your Mac, go to the Apple Developer Program download page, find iOS 17 beta, click Download Restore Images and download the iOS beta software restore image for your specific device.
2. Connect your device to your computer and enter your device passcode or hit Trust This Computer if prompted.
3. Next, open Finder, click your device in the sidebar under Locations.
4. Hold down the Option key, click Check forUpdate and choose the iOS 17 beta software restore image you just downloaded from the Apple Developer page.
If you don’t have space on your iPhone, download and install the iOS 17 developer beta from your Mac.
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The iOS 17 beta software will install on your device. Wait for a few minutes and when your phone reboots, you should have access.
With Apple announcing its new 15-inch MacBook Air with M2 Chip ($1,299) at WWDC 2023, there’s some good news for people looking for a deal on the smaller, 13-inch M2 MacBook Air: The company is officially dropping its price from $1,199 to $1,099 for its base configuration. That could mean we see its price dip further at Apple authorized retailers like B&H Photo, where it’s already down to $999, matching its lowest price to date. (The M1-powered 13-inch MacBook Air, with the previous chassis, remains in the lineup for a list price of $999, and has sold for as low as $800.)
Except for offering discounts to students, educators and people who serve, or have served, in the military, Apple generally doesn’t put its products on sale through its own online or brick and mortar stores. However, it allows authorized Apple resellers like Best Buy to offer discounts, with the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air regularly on sale for $100-$150 of its list price.
