Couple of notable features announced during Keynote and Platform State of the Union

First day of WWDC23 was packed with announcements. Here is a list of announcements captured by media.

Optic ID

Apple Vision Pro will have its own biometric authentication based on iris. iOS and iPadOS apps running on headset which use Face ID or Touch ID for authentication will automatically switch to Optic ID for seamless experience.

Siri

Siri now drops "Hey" part of activation phrase. Moreover, you can now do follow-up requests to speed up interaction.

Vision Pro

Apple to provide developers with Development Kit later this year.

Headset will have support for prescription lenses, not all prescriptions will be supported though.

Safari

Safari gains extensive support for web apps in macOS 14 Sonoma. Safari also brings support for spatial computing with <model> tag providing easy way of displaying 3D content alongside with web page.

Health

Follow up notifications to take medications are added. Mental health and vision control features are also built in. Device will now notify users if they're holding device too close to their face.

Various enhancements

  • Autocorrect and predictive text were significantly improved in iOS/iPadOS 17.
  • iPadOS 17 adds support to external webcams, not just those which are embedded into display.
  • AirTags now could be shared between multiple users.
  • Used SMS verification codes could be automatically removed.
  • App Store Review Guidelines now target fake and "bad" apps.
  • Optimized charging comes to more Apple Watch models.
  • Developers without paid membership now could install developer betas.
  • Stickers in Messages now could be created from photos.
  • Video conferencing features with presenter overlay would be available to different applications.
  • iOS Photos will recognize pets.

Apple Newsroom: Apple previews new features coming to Apple services this fall

References:

Weekend good reads for Apple developers #2023/22

Okay, I get it, it's weekend before the show. But why would you drop your routine? Let's go through some great technical and one fun article.

And, as promised, fun one – refresh your Apple history knowledge with WWDC 2023: The Pregame Quiz by Jordan Morgan.

Get ready for WWDC23 – next week will be definitely packed with new stuff we'll be learning the whole summer!

Weekend good reads for Apple developers #2023/18

It is May already. In just a month WWDC23 will give us tons of things to watch, to read and to try. And today we'll go through something interesting too.

And that is it for today. Have a great weekend, have some time for self-education. And we'll be counting days til WWDC :) See you next week!

Setapp report provides insights on developers in 2023

Setapp conducted Mac Developer Survey recently and now shares the results.

Notable findings are reported by 9To5Mac:

  • 60% of the surveyed Mac developers are interested in distributing their iOS apps through third-party app stores, given the opportunity. Key motivations — growing the number of users and adding a revenue stream.
  • Almost 1⁄3 of the surveyed Mac developers distribute their apps solely outside the Mac App Store.
  • 39% of respondents have already implemented ChatGPT in their development flow, while another 41% are working on that.
  • 44% of respondents have already implemented AI/ML models in their apps, and 28% are working on it.
  • 87% of developers put effort into making their apps accessible, with visual impairments getting the most focus.
  • 75% of the surveyed Mac developers have felt the impact of the economic downturn on their businesses.

Setapp: Mac Developer Survey 2023

Reference: Setapp Dev Survey results: Third-party iOS app store interest measured, ChatGPT adoption, more

Weekend good reads for Apple developers #2023/11

It's middle of March, summer is closer and closer. We've got eleventh pack of great articles for this year.

And that is it for today. Have a great spring weekend!

Apple restricts generative AI app age rating to 17+

Apple requires BlueMail app developers to set its rating to 17+ due to use of generative AI models which potentially could provide responses not suitable for children.

This rule could be then extended to all apps working with generative models, especially GPT models which are getting traction recently.

References:

Weekend good reads for Apple developers #2023/7

Weekend is here, and so are good reads for Apple developers. Let's go!

And that is it for today. See you next week with another pack of great articles!

Apple holds in-person ‘AI Summit’ for employees

Apple to host in-person developer event for employees dedicated to machine learning and artificial intelligence.

While this event is targeted to Apple employees only, it might result in more announcements on AI future in Apple platforms, ChatGPT competition and possible future directions for Siri.

This event also gives some hints that in-person WWDC might be hosted in 2023.

References:

Weekend good reads for Apple developers, issue #48

Hey there! This week we have many great reads for the developers, so – buckle up!

This week we'd like to pay our respects to Ray Wenderlich and his portal. Now it has new name – Kodeco. It is still great source of useful content for developers and we'll even share couple of articles today.

That's a lot for this week. Have time for rest and some time to read something interesting!

Weekend good reads for Apple developers, issue #35

Last weekend before August. Hopefully, it would be sunny and still there will be some time to read great articles on development.

And that's it for today! Have a great weekend!