Apple WWDC23 Wishlist

Peaking out from around the corner is Apple’s next annual developer conference — WWDC. I’m curious about what’s coming in software and hope for a few new things. It’ll also be nice to see if Apple reveals a bigger MacBook Air that would…make me suddenly discontent with the one I’m enjoying now (I mean, if I’m being honest).

Software

First, I hope Apple finally brings some basic implementation of the Apple Notes app to the Apple Watch. If all we get are read-only notes for the Watch, I’ll be glad.

Next, another “finally” would be if Apple makes iPhone widgets interactive. All I really would like is for the Music and Podcasts app widgets to feature the same basic controls found on the Apple Watch app. You know, like play/pause and next/previous. Easy, right?

Third, how about a stand-alone app for iCloud Keychain, like a dedicated password manager app? Moving the current passwords features out of the Settings app and extending them would promote how important and useful iCloud Keychain is. I’d go for that. It could be easier to access or manage as Apple advances passwords and now passkeys.

Speaking of Settings, besides the longstanding app, I’ve always wanted to see the gear icon added as a button to the pull-down shade of Control Center. That way, Settings is always just a swipe and a tap away no matter where you are on the phone, kind of like on Android.

Then there’s Stage Manager, which debuted last year. It was promising. But after trying it for a month, I turned it off and never looked back. I hope Apple improves it. I think Stage Manager still has potential to be a good way to handle apps. But if it were to disappear, that’d be fine I guess; Apple’s other multitasking features are already quite good.

I’d also like Apple to adopt some windows management features from…Windows 11! Cupertino, start your copiers. I really like how handy it is in Win11 to snap a window to a side or corner simply by dragging it there. And Win11’s new window pane quick selections, when you hover over the maximize button, are very nice. I think Apple could take these features and put its own polish on them.

UPDATE 5-26-23: How could I forget? For WatchOS, I’d love to see Apple create a watch complication for Step Count! To enjoy this now, I must rely on a third party app. But step count is already built into Apple Watch, so why not simply have a complication for it, or a discreet daily ring to close for it?

Hardware

Yes, there are rumors about a new AR/VR headset; I’m not really interested. I’d rather see rumors of a 15” MacBook Air become reality. I love the 13" M1 MacBook Air, but it’d be better with a bigger display and more resolution. I want to see more apps and windows at once, especially when they’re side-by-side. This means the laptop would be bigger and heavier, but it’d still be thin and light — a fair trade-off. So a 15" version would be a nice option to have.

As for the headset, maybe AR is the future of computing and we don’t realize it yet. But it seems Apple could make more money, at least in the short term, if it instead sold a foldable iPhone or iPad, if Macs finally got touch-screens, or if much simpler and more affordable accessories were made, like AirPods in a variety of colors.

Other than these few things, I’ve been happy with Apple’s current iPhone and Mac offerings. As long as they keep working, I should be content with that, and thankful.