Apple's iPhone updates include text editing and pay later option

Apple Inc. unveiled a flurry of new software features and services at its Worldwide Developer Conference, including an updated iPhone lock screen and a pay-later option that pushes the tech giant deeper into finance. The company also unveiled the most significant overhaul to its popular MacBook Air laptop in more than a decade, bringing a fresh design, new colors and a speedier M2 processor from its homegrown chip line. Read: What Apple Pay Later means for buy now, pay later marketers The new payment feature, called Apple Pay Later, is a highly anticipated addition to the Wallet app. Bloomberg previously reported that the service was coming, part of an expansion into the finance world that also includes bringing more of its infrastructure in-house. Monday’s announcement hurt shares of Affirm Holdings Inc., which offers a similar pay-later service. The presentation, part of a weeklong event, previews key features for Apple’s developers, which now number 34 million, according to CEO Tim Cook. Apple’s latest iPhone software, iOS 16, will include the new lock screen, letting users personalize the feature and view widgets—bits of software that handle simple tasks. A feature called Live Activities will make it easier to keep track of events or activities, such as an NBA game or an Uber ride, Senior VP Craig Federighi said at the event. Don’t miss the latest news. Sign up for Ad Age newsletters here. The announcements also included an update that will let users edit messages they’ve already sent and unsend messages. And Apple’s CarPlay is getting an overhaul that will integrate more tightly with a vehicle’s instruments, such as the speedometer and other gauges. The Apple Watch also is getting improvements, such as atrial fibrillation detection to help with heart health. And the device’s latest software—watchOS 9—will better track sleep to indicate what stage users are experiencing at different times at night. In addition, the watch will get more so-called complications—the pieces of information on the device’s face. The updated laptop showcased on Monday adds yet another machine to the company’s lucrative lineup of computers, which has seen revenue jump since a switch away from Intel Corp. chips in 2020. The new MacBook Air loses the tapered shape of the previous version and instead uses a design that looks similar to the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros launched at the end of 2021. The machine has a 13.6-inch screen, up from 13.3 inches on the previous model, and—like the MacBook Pro—a 1080p camera with twice the resolution of the previous model. Subscribe to Ad Age now for award-winning news and insight. The updated computer includes an M2 processor, the biggest generational leap for Apple’s Mac chips since its in-house components for computers debuted in November 2020. The MacBook Air update is the first since then, when it was one of the earliest Macs to get the M1 chip. The latest version will be 40% faster, Apple said. The new M2 chip also is coming to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the company said Monday. The new Air model will start at $1,199, while the Pro price begins at $1,299. The Mac lineup generates a fraction of the sales that Apple’s iPhone does, but it’s been a solid performer in recent years. It accounted for nearly 11% of revenue in the last quarter, more than the iPad and Apple’s wearables and home products. Today's announcements come a few months ahead of the launch of a new iPhone—Apple’s flagship product—which typically gets unveiled in the fall. That device accounted for more than half of the company’s revenue in the last fiscal year, generating almost $192 billion. —Bloomberg News

Apple's iPhone updates include text editing and pay later option

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