Apple WWDC 2022: M2 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, macOS Ventura, and everything announced

And we're kicking off! Welcome (or welcome back) to another Apple event live blog. We'll be covering the latest news and rumors on all things WWDC 2022, and there's plenty to talk about.

Like in previous WWDC events, Apple's all-important keynote is expected to give us the low-down on the upcoming macOS 13, iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16 software updates. Sessions throughout the week will give us additional insight into each one, but the keynote offers a glimpse at all of the software highlights.

With iOS 15, Apple brought a number of quality-of-life updates such as FaceTime including spatial audio, SharePlay bringing music, videos, or your screen into your calls, drag and drop between apps, and many more.

With iOS 16, we're expecting to see further enhancements, although don't expect to see a major redesign of iOS. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, there will be "fairly significant enhancements across the board." iOS 16 is tipped to bring new health-tracking features and an update to notifications, but what these new features will be are still in question.  

By the way, Apple's WWDC 2022 image looks mighty familiar...

There's no doubt iOS 16 will be one of the more interesting updates, as many are most excited about all the new iPhone features arriving — especially as they go hand-in-hand with other Apple products. 

Codenamed "Sydney," changes are coming to Apple's Focus mode, which was introduced in iOS 15. It acts as a customizable Do Not Disturb mode, allowing users to set different profiles for various activities, such as work, play, gym, and more. In iOS 16, there will apparently be more customizations coming to Focus mode, and they may not be compatible with iOS 15. A message spotted in iOS 15.5 beta suggests "A device with newer software has updated this Focus to use a new configuration this device doesn’t support."

Speaking of unsupported devices, tipster LeaksApplePro on iDropNews predicts that the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus and first-generation iPhone SE won't be able to receive the iOS 16 update. This is expected, as older Apple devices struggle to keep up with new software updates. This may be the case with another expected feature offering interactive widgets or "big widgets."

The report also mentions more notification updates including a feature called "Quick Actions." This is already available, but the updated feature will allow users to perform these actions via the lock screen as well. Files, Reminder and Mail app notifications are also rumored to be getting minor updates.

Own an iPad? Well you may be getting more of a "laptop experience," according to Mark Gurman. iPadOS 16, according to Gurman's unnamed source, will enhance the tablet's multitasking capabilities.

The alleged revamped multitasking UI will make it easier for users to see which apps are running in the background. Switching between apps and tasks will reportedly be more effortless and streamlined. "[iPadOS 16] will also let users resize app windows and offer new ways for users to handle multiple apps at once," Gurman said.

Although the latest iPad Air and iPad Pro models are packed with the ultra-powerful M1 chip, the same processor that runs the 13-inch MacBook Pro, there are some aspects of the Apple tablet experience that remind you, "Yeah, this is still just a tablet." As such, Gurman insinuates that iPadOS 16 will bring the tablet experience one step closer to laptop territory.

Out of all the announcements set to be declared at WWDC, Gurman says that iPadOS will have one of the greatest upgrades. That certainly piques our interests. 

So, the upcoming iPhone software update is expected to go hand-in-hand with the Apple Watch too, as Gurman also states that watchOS 9 will offer "major upgrades to activity and health tracking." But, excitingly, we may see a bump in battery life.

Apple is reportedly planning to bring a new low power mode that will allow users to save battery life while using other features and a number of apps. This is an important upgrade from the Power Reserve mode.

While the power reserve feature can prolong your Apple Watch's battery life when it's on its last legs, it turns off all features except for the most basic function of a watch — showing the time. The new low power mode is expected to offer more functionality without consuming much battery.

That's not the only feature apparently planned to arrive. The Apple Watch is tipped to get new workout types, along with new metrics to track during workouts. Gurman also hinted at this, along with an expansion to the smartwatch's sleep tracking features. Apparently, Apple is also planning to offer new women's health features, possibly an expansion of the postpartum fitness program added to Apple Fitness+ earlier this year.

For those looking for more Apple Watch faces, Gurman also states that the Cupertino tech giant will be refreshing many of its built-in faces. This suggests that a number of the watch faces will take advantage of the larger display found on the Apple Watch Series 7, but we may see new variations of them for other products such as the