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Apples annual Worldwide Developers Conference begins this Monday, June 9. Although the five-day event has historically been aimed at developers, Apples consumer fans generally cant wait to tune in to the keynote address that kicks off the event. Thats when Apple offers the world the first preview of its upcoming software launchesthe operating systems that will power its devices when they are released to the public as free downloads in the fall. This year, Apples software changes are likely to be more transformative than theyve been in over a decade, radically reshaping the look of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac OSes. But just what will Apple reveal at WWDC25? Heres whatand what notto expect. Rebranded operating systems In late May, Bloomberg revealed that Apple will be rebranding its numbering scheme for all of its operating systems. They will no longer be numbered sequentially (for example, iOS 16, iOS 17, iOS 18). Instead, they will be numbered by year. For example, the new iOS Apple will introduce on Monday at WWDC25 will no longer be called iOS 19, and instead will be known as iOS 26. The 26 stands for the year 2026. Though Apple is debuting the new OS in 2025, it will remain the latest OS through fall 2026, and the 26 moniker signifies that. That means instead seeing iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16, tvOS 19, watchOS 12, and visionOS 3, expect Apple to debut iOS 16, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26. Unified visual design Apple is also creating a unified visual look for all its operating systems. Currently, iOS and iPadOS are the only two Apple operating systems that look somewhat similarmacOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS have distinct designs for their UI elements, such as windows and pop-up menus. However, the 26 version of the operating systems will establish a universal design across all of them. Fast Company has previously detailed what the design might look like: transparent UI elements that let the forms and colors of background content bleed through like light through a glass window, floating toolbars, reflective and shimmering lighting effects, rounder icons, glassy keyboards, and more. The new OSes are said to take heavy inspiration from the current visionOS, which powers the Apple Vision Pro. iOS 26 Apple will likely use iOS 26 in its WWDC25 keynote to showcase the radical design changes coming to all its operating systems before going into detail on other changes coming to its OS’es. But theres not much known about what we can expect other than a few improvements, which include a dedicated gaming app, new accessibility features, and the addition of Stage Manager for iPhone, which will allow users to display iPhone apps on a monitor connected to the iPhone via its USB port. There will also likely be some Apple Intelligence improvements, but more on that below. iPadOS 26 The iPads new operating system will receive the same new visual redesign iOS 26 and Apples other OSes are getting. It will also receive the same accessibility upgrades and new gaming app that iOS 26 is getting. But Bloomberg reports that iPadOS could actually get more Mac-like this year. While the iPads hardware is nearly universally praised, users frequently criticize its software, which is little different than iOS, an operating system designed for a smartphone. However, users tend to think of their tablets as being closer to computers than phonesand this year, Apple is reportedly making iPadOS more like desktop software, rather than mobile. Bloomberg says that the iPadOS 26 upgrade will focus on productivity, multitasking, and app window managementwith an eye on the device operating more like a Mac. macOS 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26, and watchOS 26 It not clear what new features Apple will reveal in the new operating systems for Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro, and Apple Watch. But all of them are likely to adopt the new solarium-like visual design of iOS 26. And there’s a possibility that tvOS 26, visionOS 26, and watchOS 26 may also bring Apple IntelligenceApples artificial intelligence platformto the Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, and Apple Watch for the first time. Yet, for the Apple Watch, Bloomberg reports the device may rely on offloading the actual processing of Apple Intelligence requests to a connected iPhone since the Apple Watchs hardware lacks the processing power to run Apple Intelligence on-device. Apple Intelligence Last years event, WWDC24, focused heavily on Apple Intelligence. Yet, since the AI platforms rollout in October, Apples foray into artificial intelligence has been met with indifference from most consumers. Apple also faced criticism for delaying previously announced Apple Intelligence changes to Siri until later this yearor even into 2026. For that reason, Apple isnt expected to announce many new Apple Intelligence features. It won’t want to disappoint people if they again need to be delayed. However, there are reports that Apple will give users a few new Apple intelligence upgrades, including AI battery management on the iPhone and the option to select Googles Gemini as the chatbot of choice in Apple Intelligence. Currently, the only third-party option Apple Intelligence offers is OpenAIs ChatGPT. New Macs and iPhones? WWDC is historically a heavily software-focused event. So if youre hoping to see new iPhones announced at WWDC25, expect to be let down. Apple will unveil its new iPhone range in the fall, as usual. But whether the new iPhone family will be called iPhone 17 or instead will be rebranded as iPhone 26 is yet to be seen. As for other hardware, there is an outside chance that Apple could unveil a new Mac Proits highest-end, professional desktop computr at WWDC25, since the event is still, ostensibly, one focused on professionals. The current Mac Pro was introduced at WWDC23 in June 2023, making it two years old this month. New Apple TV hardware is also a possibility, or that launch may wait until the fall. However, we wont need to wait much longer to know for certain exactly what Apple will unveil at WWDC25. The conference kicks off on Monday, June 9, with the WWDC keynote scheduled for 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. Can a visual redesign lead to an AAPL stock boost? The visual redesign may be the most significant announcement at WWDC from an investor perspective. Visual redesigns are eye-catching to even non-techie consumers, and they may spur buyers to spend on a shiny new iPhonesomething investors are no doubt hoping for, as an increase in iPhone sales may help boost the company’s struggling stock. As of close on trading on June 6, Apple stock (Nasdaq: AAPL) has fallen over 18% since the beginning of the year. However, much of that stock price decline has little to do with Apple’s sales or financial fundamentals and is instead due to President Trump’s tariff threats against China and Apple itself. Apple sources a majority of its products from China, and any tariff that Trump implements on goods from the country could significantly impact Apple’s bottom line, despite Apple CEO Tim Cook’s best efforts. However, if you look at the entirety of the past 12 months, AAPL stock is still up nearly 5%, with the stock price just under $204. If the visual redesign of its operating systems indeed helps sell more iPhones and other devices, it could help the company’s shares move back in the direction of their all-time high of just over $260 apiece, reached in December 2024.
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Moth Winn was diagnosed with a terminal illness at the age of 53 and in the same week he and his wife, Raynor, lost their home. As the bailiffs arrived, the couple made a remarkable decision: to take a 630-mile year-long coastal walk from Somerset to Dorset, through Devon and Cornwall. Their journey was first told in Raynor Winns bestselling memoir The Salt Path, which has now been made into a film. In The Salt Path, Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs portray the hardship and hope the couple experienced as they walked through sunshine and storms with little more than a tent and a handful of cash. But their walk is part of a much older story. Without realizing it, Raynor and Moth joined a centuries-old tradition of seeking healing and transformation along the southwest coast. In the 19th century, people traveled to the coast because doctors believed sea air and seawater could treat illness. This idea became known as change of air treatment and was widely prescribed to urban patients suffering from nervous disorders, such as stomach pains and chest issues. These seaside visits were understood as a form of medicine. Jason Isaacs (L to R), Raynor Winn, Moth Winn, and Gillian Anderson on the south coast during the filming of The Salt Path. [Photo: Steve Tanner/Black Bear] Englands westerly edge The South West Coast Path is the U.K.s longest national trail. The route has over 115,000 feet of ascent and descentthe equivalent of scaling Mount Everest four times. It was officially protected in 1973 to preserve and improve access to the path and now attracts nearly 9 million visitors each year. But its origins lie in the working lives of local people, especially coastguards watching for smugglers and fishermen following pilchard shoals. In the 19th century, the region also became a destination for domestic tourists. It was made more accessible as passenger rail lines were extended to places including Plymouth and Penzance. Some visitors walked to explore unfamiliar landscapes, while others did so on medical advice. The seaside towns of Penzance and Torquay emerged as health resorts and by the first world war they were known as havens for invalids. Between 1800 and 1854, Torquays population grew from 800 to 14,000, mostly made up of medical residents on temporary stays. Healing in the elements Before the walk, Moth was diagnosed with corticobasal degeneration (CBD) after seeing a doctor about shoulder pain and tremors. CBD is a rare degenerative condition that affects the brain and gradually leads to difficulties with movement, speech, memory, and swallowing. When he began the walk, Moths mobility had deteriorated and he was experiencing severe pain and numbness in his left leg. For the first half of the film, Jason Isaacs drags his foot along the ground to show this physical strain. The challenge of walking was made harder by the rugged terrainsteep hills, jagged rocks, and harsh winds. As Moth and Raynor walked, something unexpected happened. Moths symptoms began to ease, his condition improved, and he eventually stopped taking pain relief. He believed the change was linked to the regular movement and the sense of purpose the walk gave them during a bleak period. He described walking as having a restorative power that offered him a new, unlicensed freedom. The idea that walking by the coast could have healing properties has deep roots. In the 19th century, walking was considered beneficial, but the emphasis was on gentle movement in clean air rather than endurance through rough landscapes. The air of Devon and Cornwall was praised for its soothing qualities and the climate for its warmth in the winter. Town planners even built flat promenades in seaside towns to make walking more accessible for people with chronic illnesses and low mobility. Spending time outside was considered particularly valuable for people suffering from tuberculosis. Before tuberculosis was known to be caused by bacteria, medical experts blamed it on bad-smelling air. Doctors suggested that city dwellers suffering with chest pains remove themselves from these dirty atmospheres and immerse themselves in the clean, salt air at the seaside. Nature plays a central role in The Salt Path. Its effect on the body is seen in Gillian Andersons sun-scorched cheeks and wind-tousled hair. The sounds of birds and the sea accompany panoramic drone shots of the cliffs. The sea is a key character. Arriving at Minehead, the Winns take a photo to begin their journey: of the three of us, the couple and the sea. Victorian travel writers also insisted that in the southwest, The pedestrian must never wander more than a stones throw from the sea. When Moth swims in the sea, he is empowered in his own body and able to move without constraint. The seaside has carried health connotations since the 1700s. In the 18th century, doctors claimed that sudden immersion in cold, salty, and turbulent waters had therapeutic value for chronic illness. Today, open swimming remains a popular practice in the southwest and is praised for its mental and physical health benefits. As the film ends, we learn that 12 years after their walk Moth is still living with CBD and the couple still use long-distance walks to treat his symptoms. This experience of illness finds resonance in older practices, reminding us that healing can sometimes be found outside of clinical spaces. While the reasons for walking often change, the connection between place, body and wellbeing spans centuries. The Salt Path tells a deeply personal story but also continues a long cultural history of looking to the coastline for recovery and renewal. Lena Ferriday is a lecturer in the history of science and the environment at King’s College London. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Maggie Smith is a poet and a New York Times bestselling author of eight books of poetry and prose. Her poems and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Best American Poetry, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, and many other journals and anthologies. Whats the big idea? We are all creative beings because making your life is the ultimate creative act. For those who choose to tune their senses as artists, there are 10 key principles to improving your craft. The societal value of dedicating oneself to a life creating art rests in our essential human need for hope, healing, and a search for answers about our world and ourselves amid a sea of ambiguity. Below, Maggie shares five key insights from her new book, Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life. Listen to the audio versionread by Maggie herselfin the Next Big Idea App. 1. Creativity is our birthright as human beings. I think everyone is born a poet. Years ago, I agreed to visit my childrens elementary school for a few days to talk to second graders about poetry and preparation. I got a sneak peek at the language arts textbook they were using in the poetry unit. The authors described poets as having a special ability to see the world in a poetic way. Poets eyes, they wrote, even suggesting that teachers wear an oversized pair of silly glasses during poetry lessons. On my first day, I told the kids that theres no such thing as poets eyes. Every child is born with poets eyes. We all have them. Poetry comes naturally to children because they havent been estranged from their imaginations and their sense of newness in the world. As we age, we can become distracted and desensitized. We have to pay better attention, but more than that, we have to find ways to make the familiar strange again; to see the extraordinary tucked inside the ordinary. Poets eyes are for all of us. After all, everyone is creative. Even if you dont make art, even if youre not a writer, photographer, or musician, you are creative every day in your work and in your life. Problem solving is a creative act. Conversations are creative. Parenting is creative. Falling in love, leaving your job, and changing your mind are all creative acts. Creativity isnt just about making art. Making your life is the ultimate creative act. 2. Attention is a form of love. What we turn our gaze to feels that warmth and light. What we dedicate ourselves to feels cherished. And conversely, what we ignore feels slighted, neglected, and devalued. This essential part of creativity requires no pen, no paper, no paints, no canvas, no nothing, only your awareness. Your hands can be empty, but your mind should be open. As I was thinking my way into how to write Dear Writer and talk about creativity in a way that makes it accessible for everyone, I sat down and made a long list on a legal pad. That list included words like curiosity, courage, trust, patience, gumption, improvisation, love, and so on. Looking at this unwieldy list, I started winnowing it down, prioritizing the terms that appealed most to me and seemed the most expansive. I eventually narrowed the list to 10 principles of creativity. 10 Principles of Creativity Attention Wonder Vision Surprise Play Vulnerability Restlessness Connection Tenacity Hope All 10 are essential, but attention comes first for a reason. I cant think of anything more important for a writer or artist than to be a sensitive, finely tuned instrument in the world. Keep your antenna raised. We need you to be all in. Lifes everyday activities create statica constant hum of responsibility, news, reminders, and encounters. Our work is to dial past that static to hear the quiet voice inside us. Some artists call this voice the muse. You can call it whatever you like. For writers, the quiet voice inside might whisper a line of a poem or a bit of description or dialogue, but that voice has things to tell us about our lives too if we tune in and listen carefully. The world is a complicated place full of both beauty and horror. But even when the world lets me down, even when it isnt what I want it to be, I find things to love and to be grateful for. I pay attention. My kids and I do our best to focus on beauty. In our house, its not unusual to hear one of us shout, beauty emergency! A beauty emergency is what we call something that stops you in your tracks, something you have to look at right away before its gone. It might be a fiery pink and orange sunrise or an albino squirrel in the sycamore tree or snowflakes that seem to be falling in slow motion. If you take your time getting to the window, the sunrise might be pale peach. The white squirrel might be gone. The snow turned to sleet. Wonder is the opposite of cynicism. The wonder is the key here. Theres no creativity without it. Wonder is the opposite of cynicism. Its warm and enthusiastic. While cynicism is chilly and bored, wonder is shushing everyone. Wonder says wow, and cynicism replies so what? Creativity requires us to pay attention and approach the world with wonder. Many of my poems were made possible only because I took the time to look at my surroundings: listen to the wind and the birds, touch leaves to know their textures, breathe deeply to describe what the autumn air smelled like. Being sensitive, attuned, and observant. These things dont just improve your writing. They improve your life. 3. Art changes us. Above all, I think we come to art to be changed. We come to books, films, music, and visual art to be expanded. Unzipped like a suitcase made larger on the inside, able to accommodate even more living. Creativity is the great expander. When you read a poem or listen to a song or watch a play, you are not the same person. Afterward, youre slightly rearranged. Your DNA is still the same. Your fingerprints are still the same. You look the same in the mirror, but you arent exactly who you were. “Be careful,” I might tell someone when handing them a book or a record, You will be different after this. Years spent with art are years spent in cocoon after cocoon, always emerging changed. Books are community gathering spaces where connection is inevitable. When I read a book, I enter a place another writer has made. I can leave, but not entirely. I take the place with me when I go. Once a piece of art is inside you, it will continue to do its work on you for the rest of your life. Think about the music you listen to, the films you return to, how they move you, help you see things in a new way, or just make your day better. Imagine if those musicians, actors, artists, and writers never shared that work. You would be different. Your life would be smaller, less vibrant. Without their art, your life would be diminished without the transformation that their art made possible. 4. Every no makes room for a yes. Once upon a time, when I first began submitting poems to journals, rejections arrived in the mail. These days, its usually animpersonal email that an editor selects from a dropdown menu in the journals online submission system. Working for a literary magazine has helped me see rejection in a new way. I know how much stunning, worthy work is in that submission queue, and I know how little room we have to publish it. The decisions are sometimes excruciating. A no is a subjective no to one specific batch of work at one specific moment in time by one particular reader for a variety of reasons. A no is not a blanket rejection of you. Its not even a rejection of your work as a whole or your worth as a writer. Its not a no to your talent. Every no makes room for a yes. I tell my students that almost all of my poems were rejected before they found a home at a magazine. Good Bones, my most famous poem, was rejected by the first few print magazines I sent it to before it was published by the online journal Waxwing. Those early rejections stung, but those early rejections were a gift. If Good Bones had been published in print, it wouldnt have gone viral. Meryl Streep wouldnt have read it at Lincoln Center. It wouldnt have been featured on the CBS show Madame Secretary. It would have had a much smaller life. A no is not a blanket rejection of you. We are all playing the long game, and the only way to fail at the long game is to give up. We keep going and remember that sometimes failures clear a path for something better. 5. Creating is inherently hopeful. I think of each poem, each essay, each book I write as a message in a bottle. I dont know when I toss it into the waves, what shore it might wash up on, or when, or who might be standing on the shore to receive it. I dont know if theyll pull the message out or if theyll overlook the bottle altogether. If they do read it, I dont know what theyll think. Will they understand? Will they receive the creation in the way I hoped anyone would? To make things that dont exist yet and dont need to exist is the very definition of art, and to send them out into the world is wildly and practically and gorgeously hopeful in harrowing times. And what times have not been harrowing? Sometimes I ask myself, what can a poem do? A poem isnt a tourniquet when youre bleeding. Its not water when youre thirsty or food when youre hungry. A poem cant protect you from violence or hate. It can be difficult to createto paint, to sculpt, to composewhen your work feels like its not doing enough, when it cant do the real, tangible work of saving lives or making people safer. But art can do real, transformative work inside us. Think about art that has become an important part of your life: the songs you love, the books you treasure, the films you quote line for line. Art isnt extra. Its necessary. Art can do real, transformative work inside us. Art isnt lifes decoration, but its framework. I know what some people would say: Wow, she really thinks being an artist is as important as being a doctor, a farmer, a firefighter. But I have been fed and healed and saved by art, by someone elses hope sent out into the world, when it washed up on my shore. This is not hyperbole. Art is essential. Our work as artists isnt to solve the worlds problems, but to articulate the problems. Not to answer every question, but to use wild hope to ask and keep asking. Only by engaging with ambiguity can we make art that feels true. This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
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