This is Apple’s WWDC week. Apple announced the usual OS upgrades and new features, plus some new things. Most of the new stuff premiered at the keynote I wasn’t interested in. Things such as new stickers, FaceTime improvements, and even though are cool from a developer standpoint, it’s stuff I don’t want or need.

I was looking forward to the new journal app. Honestly, I was expecting more, and was disappointed. I was hoping to see more integration and automation—something similar to the Day One app. Unless there is more than what was revealed in the keynote, it’s very manual and rudimentary. It’s more of a “highlights” and some basic prompting style of journal, rather than a life stream. I’ll stick with my app, unless developer details change my mind.

Of more interest are the new Health capabilities. Cycling is now more full-featured. Including mental health is a big plus. Both are interesting from a user and developer standpoint.

The Apple Watch got some love, as I hoped. But again, it looks more like a minor facelift. I’m still hoping the developer tools have been upped-a-notch.

iOS and iPadOS got some features I’ll make use of, I’m sure. Live widgets are an improvement.

MacOS…it got a new name—Sonoma. I really remember nothing from that part of the keynote apart from widgets. So, I’m assuming there isn’t much new chrome. Apple usually makes a big deal about the new look each year. There wasn’t really much in this part of the presentation. Again, I’m hoping there is more under-the-hood.

New hardware. A new M2 MacBook Air. That’s something I want. I’ll stick with the 13” version. I can trade my existing Air for a nice reduced price.

Other new M2 Macs are cool, and the Pro is a beast, but it’s not something I need, or really want.

The big news was Apple VisionPro, the new AVR set. I found it interesting that Apple is marketing this as a new type of computer, rather than a gaming/lifestyle headset. I think the price has something to do with that, but more on that later. The thought and technology that went into the design are astounding. I won’t go into it all, but a couple of things jumped out at me. First, unlike Sony’s new PSVR2, you wear nothing on your hands. VisionPro senses your hand gestures with nothing, which makes using it more intuitive. Second, you can use it with a physical keyboard and trackpad. I hadn’t considered this as an option, but it makes perfect sense and Apple made the right decision. Third, the headset has a 3D camera (with video) built-in. That’s impressive. Finally, the faceplate is actually a 3D screen that displays your eyes and other things to observers. All this requires a new 3D OS. I am also surprised the battery pack isn’t very large. I was expecting it to be much bulkier. Unfortunately, the almost $4K price tag is out of my range, and I think most one-man developer shops. Oh well. It is, however, cool tech. One other thing I found interesting. The product is called Apple VisionPro, which to me, implies there must be an Apple Vision, or even an Apple VisionLite for us unwealthy mortals.

It was a mixed keynote for me. There were a few interesting things I’ll make use of. I’m looking forward to seeing some sessions and pulling down the latest software.