With the onset of 2023, Apple is gearing up for a slew of product launches. Apple hasn’t officially confirmed the launch roadmap yet, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman just got the spiciest pieces of information regarding the various products.
Apple’s AR-based headset inches closer to launch
According to Gurman, Apple’s AR/VR mixed-reality headset is slated to launch this year. Dubbed the Apple Reality Pro, the AR-based headset has been in the works since 2017 when it was originally scheduled to launch in 2019. Cut to now, we have learned from Gurman that the Reality Pro is expected to launch at the Worldwide Developers Conference this year in June.
Reportedly, some of the units are out for testing with high-profile software developers who are tasked with trying out third-party apps. The headset uses the operating software “Borealis” which is known as xrOS publicly. As per the timeline, the product was expected to launch in January 2023 although it has been postponed to June 2023. It will be available for shipping sometime in the fall of 2023 probably around iPhone 15 series.
The Cupertino-based giant is still working on the headset be it its software, hardware, or the services aspect. It still has to figure out how it will produce, market, and sell the units. It also asked certain software and hardware team members to work on Reality Pro, possibly affecting other products on Apple’s docket for quite a while.
MacBook Pros & Mac Pro in the Mix
According to Gurman, the upcoming MacBook Pros are expected to arrive in the first half of this year. These will borrow the designs and features from current-gen 14” and 16” models and will have M2 Pro and M2 Max chips onboard that will give them an edge over current-gen processors.
A high-octane Mac Pro with 48 CPU cores and 152 GPU cores was teased to arrive, however, it has been canceled. Instead, there will be a Mac Pro with an M2 Ultra processor onboard. It will borrow the same design as the 2019 Mac Pro. Another feature that we won’t get with the upcoming Mac Pro, is the user-expandable RAM option. Instead, M2 Ultra has unified RAM, and thus, upgrading it is not possible.
The iMac Pro might make it to the public this year although without much of a spec-bump that should only arrive with M3 silicon released later this year or early 2024. There’s a 15” MacBook Air in the mix too that could see the light too while a 12” MacBook is off the charts as per Apple’s purported roadmap this year.
iOS 17 Would Attract Less Of Major Upgrades
Apple’s upcoming iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 will reportedly see less number of major updates compared to what we have already known. It is because Apple is focusing on xrOS that will be used on Reality Pro. Apparently, macOS 14 Sunburst will likely witness the same fate.
Gurman shared quite a few more details about what’s happening and what’s not. Large iPads have been anticipated but aren’t likely to arrive this year. He added that upgraded 11” and 13” iPad Pros are likely to make their presence in the first half of 2024 and not early. It will bring newer designs and OLED displays among others. Apple is likely to debut with just the spec-bump entry-level iPad, iPad Air, or iPad mini this year in case it comes up.
Apple Watch, AirPods & Accessories in 2023
Talking about Apple Watch, the upcoming Series 9 Apple Watch won’t attract any major changes in hardware. As usual, you can expect a marginal boost in performance but that’s probably it. Gurman added that the AirPods won’t see any changes in 2023 as well and the same goes for Apple TV.
Apple iPhone 15 Series: In the Limelight
The iPhone 15 series will make a bang as they launch later this year. We can expect the Pro variants to pick up USB-C ports thanks to EU regulations that will trickle to other markets too. The Pro will pick a sophisticated image sensor to improve its low-light performance with almost twice the light of the current sensors. It will automatically translate into the amazing photography chops we can expect with the iPhone 15 series.
The best features are usually reserved for the Pro series. Likewise, iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will get a titanium frame onboard while others will resort to stainless steel as usual.
