Cupertino The next generations of the Macbook Air and Macbook Pro laptops presented on Monday will be the first to get the new M2 processor. The chip system should offer more performance than Apple’s first M1 chip with the same power consumption. Among other things, the M2 has a quarter more transistors, said the responsible Apple manager Johny Srouji. With the M1, Apple turned its back on processors from the industry giant Intel and brought all its devices from the iPhone to the Mac on a technological basis. Access to car functions Apple is preparing a potential revolution with its CarPlay car software. Previously, it was there to bring content from an iPhone to the infotainment screen. However, the upcoming version should now also offer access to car functions such as the control of the air conditioning system – and also be able to operate the entire instrument cluster, for example with the speed display. The first vehicles that use it will be presented at the end of next year, as it was said. Among the manufacturers participating in the project, according to Apple, are Mercedes, Audi and Porsche, as well as Ford, Renault, Nissan and Volvo, among others. Google has been working for years to offer manufacturers an Android version for vehicle functions in addition to its CarPlay competitor Android Auto. With the Passkeys function, users of Apple devices should be able to do without passwords. Instead, a crypto key is created for biometric login using face recognition FaceID or fingerprint. These crypto keys can be shared across different Apple devices and, thanks to cooperation with other companies, also across platforms. The advantage of the method is that it does not create passwords that are repeated from service to service or can be captured by hackers with the help of phishing emails. Personalization with widgets On the iPhone, the new iOS 16 operating system brings, among other things, more possibilities for personalizing the lock screen with so-called widgets for functions such as the display of the weather forecast. Smartphones with the Google operating system Android have long been able to display widgets on the lock screen. Apple will also offer developers a live interface, through which, for example, the arrival time of a car service or the status at a game can be displayed on the lock screen in real time. In Apple’s SMS alternative Messages, you will be able to retrospectively correct and withdraw messages for a while. Routes with up to 15 stops can be planned in the map app in the future. In the future, apps will be able to integrate images from Apple’s “look around” street views – which will benefit real estate applications, for example. The Apple Watch will also be able to record sleep phases and remind users to take their medication. With the new app “Freeform”, Apple wants to offer a kind of digital whiteboard on which several users can share and edit not only text, but also drawings, photos and videos across devices. Initially in the USA, the group is expanding its foray into the financial business with the possibility of paying for purchases made via the Apple Pay payment service in four installments without interest. Data glasses not presented again this time A data glasses from Apple, which has been speculated about for years, was not presented again this time. Recently, expectations had been fueled by media information that the Group had demonstrated to its board members the prototype of a headset that could combine digital content and images from the environment for the user. At the same time, however, other software components that can help Apple with such a device were clearly visible on Monday. This includes, for example, improved voice control and text recognition not only in photos, but also in videos in the future.
