Inside watchOS 26 and visionOS 26

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Hey everyone,
welcome back to Tech Between the Lines!

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I'm Between Two Pixels, and as always,

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I'm here with the one and only Finn
Circuit.

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This is our last special episode in the
WWDC 25 series,

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so if you missed our deep dives on iOS,

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iPadOS, or macOS 26, go check those
out-they're already live and,

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honestly, pretty epic.

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Yeah, "epic" is one word for it.

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I'd say "thorough," but sure,
let's go with epic.

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Anyway, today we're talking about Apple's
other big 2025 updates-watchOS

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26 and visionOS 26.

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So, if you're wondering what's new for
your wrist or your face computer,

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you're in the right place.

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Face computer!

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I love that.

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Seriously, though,
there's a lot to unpack.

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Apple's really pushing the boundaries
with these updates-design,

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AI, spatial computing,
all that good stuff.

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Ready to jump in, Finn?

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As ready as I'll ever be.

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Let's get this over with before my
ThinkPad battery dies.

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Alright,

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let's start with watchOS 26.

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The first thing you notice is the new
Liquid Glass design language.

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It's this super slick, translucent look
that's all over the interface-Smart

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Stack, Control Center,
even the Photos watch face.

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It's like, the watch finally looks as
futuristic as it feels.

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Yeah,

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it's shiny, I'll give you that.

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I remember when "design language" meant
beige plastic and a green LCD.

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But I gotta admit, the Liquid Glass thing
does make the UI pop.

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At least it's not just another round of
new icons.

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Totally!

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And it's not just a facelift.

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The Workout app got its biggest overhaul
since,

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like, ever.

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Now there are four corner buttons for
quick access-Workout Views,

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Custom Workout, Pacer, Race Route.

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It's way easier to tweak your workout on
the fly.

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Plus, you can set music or podcasts to
start automatically,

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and Apple Music will even pick playlists
based on your workout type and

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what you usually listen to.

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It's all about making the experience more
personal.

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I mean,

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I still remember running with a Walkman,

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but sure, let the watch DJ for you.

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I do like that you don't need to fumble
around to get your tunes going.

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And for folks who don't pay for Apple
Music,

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it'll suggest stuff based on your recent
activity,

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so you're not totally left out.

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And then there's Workout Buddy.

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This is where Apple Intelligence comes in.

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It's like having a virtual coach that
gives you spoken motivation-stuff

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like, "Hey, you're 18 minutes from
closing your Exercise ring," or "That

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was your fastest mile this month!" It's
all personalized,

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and it uses your workout data and history
to keep you pumped.

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I love it.

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It's like Star Trek's computer,

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but for your fitness.

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Yeah,
I'm sure it's great for people who need a

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pep talk from their wrist.

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I just hope it doesn't start nagging you
about skipping leg day.

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But, I'll admit, the privacy angle is
decent-Apple says all that data

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stays on-device, so your running stats
aren't getting shipped off to some

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server farm in who-knows-where.

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Exactly!

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And the Smart Stack is smarter now,

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too.

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It uses more context-like your location,

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time of day, even your routine-to surface
the right widgets at the right

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time.

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So if you always do Pilates at 6pm,

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it'll show you a Pilates widget when you
get to the studio.

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It's like predictive widgets,
but actually useful.

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I'll believe it when

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it stops showing me weather widgets when
I'm already outside.

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But, yeah, the idea's solid.

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And the new wrist flick gesture-just a
quick turn of your wrist to dismiss

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notifications or silence alarms.

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That's actually handy,
especially if you're,

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I dunno,
holding a coffee or walking the dog.

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It's the little things!

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And don't forget,
the Notes app is finally on the watch.

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You can jot down ideas, check off lists,

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even use Siri or dictation.

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I've wanted that forever.

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Now I can capture my next big app idea
before I forget it on my walk.

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Or

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your next terrible pun.

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But yeah, it's about time.

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Anything that makes the watch more than
just a notification machine is

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a win in my book.

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Let's talk about the AI and translation
stuff.

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Live Translation in Messages is huge.

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You get a text in, say, Japanese,

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and it's instantly translated to
English-or whatever your preferred

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language

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is-right on your wrist.

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And when you reply,
your message gets translated back.

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It supports a bunch of languages,

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like French, German, Italian, Korean,

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Spanish, Chinese, and more.

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Super useful for travelers or if you work
in a multilingual team.

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Yeah,

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I can see that being handy if you're,

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I dunno, lost in Paris and your high
school French fails you.

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Or if your boss suddenly decides to text
you in German for some reason.

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I'm still not sure I trust a watch to get
the nuance right,

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but it's better than nothing.

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And it's not just translation.

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The Smart Stack is now context-aware,

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so it adapts based on your routine.

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Like, if you always check your calendar
after your morning run,

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it'll start surfacing your schedule right
after your workout.

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It's all about reducing friction-less
tapping,

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more doing.

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I mean, if it actually learns my habits
and doesn't just guess,

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I'll be impressed.

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But I do like the wrist flick gesture for
notifications.

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Sometimes you just wanna clear the
clutter without fiddling with tiny

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buttons.

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It's a small thing, but it makes the
watch feel more responsive,

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you know?

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Totally.

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And for accessibility, there's stuff like
Live Listen controls and Live

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Captions, so people who are deaf or hard
of hearing can get real-time

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captions from their iPhone audio on the
watch.

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That's a big deal for inclusivity.

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Yeah,

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I'll give Apple credit there.

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Making tech more accessible is always a
good move.

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Even if I'll never use half these
features,

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I know a lot of folks will.

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Alright,

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let's shift gears to visionOS 26 and the
Vision Pro.

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This is where things get wild.

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Widgets are now spatial-they're not just
floating windows,

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they actually anchor into your physical
space.

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So you can have your calendar on your
left,

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weather on your right,
music controls wherever you want.

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And they stay put every time you put on
the headset.

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It's like Minority Report, but real.

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Yeah,

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I saw the demo.

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It's a little surreal.

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I mean, I remember when "widgets" meant a
sticky note on your desktop.

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Now they're floating in your living room.

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You can even customize the frame,

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color, and depth.

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I guess if you're gonna live in a headset,

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might as well decorate.

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And the new Widgets app helps you find
compatible

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widgets from iOS and iPadOS apps,

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so you can really personalize your space.

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But the real showstopper is Spatial
Scenes.

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Using generative AI, it takes your
regular 2D photos and turns them into

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these multi-perspective, lifelike scenes.

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You can lean in, look around,
and it feels like you're inside the photo.

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Zillow's already using it for immersive
real estate tours,

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which is wild.

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Imagine house hunting from your couch and
actually feeling like you're

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in the space.

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That's... actually pretty cool.

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I mean, I'm not moving anytime soon,

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but I can see the appeal.

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And for gaming, they added support for
PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers,

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so you get better motion tracking and
haptics.

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That's a big step up for anyone who wants
more than just casual games

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on the Vision Pro.

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And Safari gets spatial browsing!

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So, articles can reveal spatial scenes as
you scroll,

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and web devs can embed 3D models right
into pages.

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Shopping, learning,
or just browsing gets way more immersive.

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Plus, there's support for 180-degree and
360-degree content from cameras

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like Insta360 and GoPro, so you can
relive your adventures in full surround.

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It's like the web, but in 3D.

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I'll stick to my RSS feeds,

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but I get it.

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And Personas-those avatars-got a huge
upgrade.

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They're less uncanny valley now,

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with better hair, lashes,
and even side profiles.

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You can preview your Persona spatially
and pick from,

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what, over a thousand glasses?

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That's more options than my optometrist
ever gave me.

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And shared spatial

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experiences are a big deal.

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You can watch 3D movies, play games,

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or collaborate on projects with other
Vision Pro users in the same room-or

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bring in remote folks via FaceTime.

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Dassault Systèmes is already using this
for 3D design reviews.

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It's like the metaverse,
but with actual use cases.

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Just don't ask me

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to wear a headset for a three-hour
meeting.

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But yeah, for design teams or remote work,

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I can see the value.

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And with the new Protected Content API,

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companies can keep sensitive stuff-like
medical records or financials-locked

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down, so not just anyone can peek or take
screenshots.

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That's important if you're using this in
a business setting.

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And don't

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forget, you can now relay cellular calls
from your iPhone to the Vision

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Pro, as long as both are on the right
software and connected.

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So,
you can take calls in full spatial mode.

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It's all about making the headset more of
a daily driver,

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not just a novelty.

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Yeah, until someone tries to FaceTime you
while you're

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still in your pajamas.

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But, hey, progress marches on.

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Alright,

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that's a wrap on our WWDC 25 coverage!

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We've now covered iOS, iPadOS,

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macOS, watchOS, and visionOS 26.

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If you missed any of those, go back and
listen-they're packed with details.

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And honestly,
we're just scratching the surface.

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We'll be digging into each beta release
all summer,

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so stay tuned as we find out what Apple's
really got in store for the

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fall.

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Yeah, and don't forget, we've still got
that interview with our creator

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human coming up.

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Should be... interesting.

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Maybe they'll explain why Between is so
obsessed with spatial widgets.

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Hey,

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someone's gotta be excited!

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Thanks for tuning in, everyone.

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We'll catch you next time on Tech Between
the Lines.

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See you next time.

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And Between, try not to break the
space-time continuum before then,

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alright?