However, Apple did confirm that new accessibility features are coming to the iPad “later this year” via a press release issued in May. These capabilities include the ability to control the iPad with eye tracking, voice shortcuts that assign custom utterances that Siri can understand, and a feature that uses on-screen cues to reduce motion sickness for people looking at their device in a moving vehicle. Hopefully we’ll see demos of these features at the conference.
MacOS15
Like every year, the official name for the latest version of macOS is always a guessing game. Last year, Parker Ortolani, product manager at Vox Media, gave a list tweeted of unused names that Apple has apparently trademarked, including Sonoma, which was used for the current version of macOS. So the company can go with one of the remaining names. (I’m personally partial to macOS Mammoth.)
Rumors suggest that a revamped Calculator app (exciting!) is coming to Mac. According to AppleInsider, it will resemble the iOS version, with rounded buttons and the ability to resize. The app will also come with a history tape for accessing past calculations and support for Math Notes, which the publication says will “essentially further integrate the Calculator and Notes applications, giving users the ability to create notes with mathematical elements or mathematical notation.” Let’s hope this means we’ll Finally and also purchase a calculator app for the iPad.
In late May, AppleInsider also reported that macOS 15 would come with a number of UI changes. Siri could get a new monochromatic menu bar icon, a redesigned System Settings app (where apps are reorganized based on importance), and a new unified menu for page controls in Safari.
Speaking of Safari, we might also see a new Intelligent Search feature that uses the Ajax LLM to identify topics and keywords on a web page and generate a summary.
WatchOS 11
Unlike iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, watchOS doesn’t seem to be getting as extensive updates. (The same goes for tvOS 18.) But that makes sense, considering watchOS 10 was packed with new features, like a specialized cycling function, topographic maps for hiking, mental health tools, and easier navigation between apps.
According to Mark Gurman, WatchOS 11 could include a more advanced version of Siri for “tasks on the go” (which would make sense, given that iOS 18 reportedly included a Siri overhaul) as well as Fitness app upgrades. Other than that, it’s likely a minor update overall. As for Apple Watch support, a report from iPhoneSoft via MacRumors claims that Apple will be dropping support for the Apple Watch Series 4 (which launched in 2018).
VisionOS 2.0
While the Vision Pro was unveiled at WWDC last year, visionOS was released in February of this year, at the same time the mixed-reality headset shipped. But the next major software update is reportedly already in the works.
In Gurman’s Enable newsletter, he says that Apple is expanding its catalog of native apps, rather than just running iPad versions of them (in compatibility mode) on the headset. As 9to5Mac reported, several Apple apps aren’t yet native to visionOS, including Calendar, Books, News, Podcasts, Reminders, Voice Memos, Stocks, Home, Shortcuts, and Maps. So perhaps those will come to the visionOS.
It’s possible we’ll also see a new breathing tracking feature, reports MacRumors . This was discovered by employee Aaron Perris, who found references to the feature in lines of code in the Vision Pro Mindfulness app. It will apparently “give users an immersive meditation experience using guided meditations or self-guided sessions” by measuring your breathing rate. It’s unclear, however, whether this will be rolled into a visionOS update or if Apple is saving it for a future version of the operating system.
As with iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, Apple confirmed that new accessibility features are coming to the Vision Pro later this year. Some of the features mentioned in the press release include Live Captions for following dialogue in both live calls and app audio (with the ability to move captions across the window bar during Apple Immersive Video), along with a few features to make the Vision Pro more accessible: a color transducer, a setting that changes the transparency of windows and objects in the field of view, and a feature that dims flashing light effects.