Apple has just formalized the dates for the next WWDC, its annual conference for developers. The 2023 edition will be an opportunity to discover new products, including, perhaps, the highly anticipated mixed reality headset.
Appointment is made. The 2023 edition of Apple’s famous WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference) will take place from June 5 to 9. And the opening keynote, presented by boss Tim Cook, should be a milestone. As has become a habit since the Covid period, everything will be recorded and broadcast online. Nevertheless, a few lucky students and developers, drawn after developer website registration, as well as certain privileged journalists, will have the opportunity to go on site and attend a few demonstrations. A program that should be rather busy if we are to believe all the latest rumors concerning not only the evolutions of the brand’s already installed products such as the MacBook Air, the different operating systems – macOS, iOS, iPadOS, WatchOS and tvOS but also the arrival of Apple on a new market, that of mixed reality headsets.
Mixed reality: Apple’s new playground?
At WWDC 2022, rumors were already swirling about the possible launch of a mixed reality headset from Apple. A device resembling a virtual reality (VR) headset but equipped with cameras to superimpose virtual elements on the real world as are already able to do the Quest models of Meta for example – what is called augmented reality (AR ). Alas, no device of this type came out of Tim Cook’s magic hat. Apple was obviously not ready yet. The latest rumors relayed by major American media such as Bloomberg or The New York Times or specialized sites seem more founded this time. They rely on a helmet called Reality Pro with a refined design as Apple knows how to do and equipped with two 4K screens. Devoid of joysticks or controllers, the elements displayed in front of the eyes should be able to be manipulated with just the fingers.
It remains to find the possible uses – Apple of course relies a lot on the developers for that – and especially the public. The prices circulating on the Web do not bode well with an entry ticket estimated at 3000 dollars. Enough to give a smile to Meta, who had been robbed when he announced his Quest Pro helmet, which was billed at $1,500 when it was released in October 2022 (read our article). A price that seems quite excessive when virtual or mixed reality is struggling to take off and virtual universes like the Metaverse do not arouse the enthusiasm of the crowds. Above all, various generally well-informed sources report doubts and dissension within Apple itself, some claiming that many employees do not believe in the concept, which is still poorly defined and unrelated to current user needs. It is even said that Tim Cook, against the advice of certain teams, would have taken the decision to present this famous helmet this year, instead of waiting any longer. Hypotheses to be checked in a few weeks!
New MacBook Air on the horizon?
If this mixed reality headset from Apple has been the subject of the wildest rumors for months, the firm should not be satisfied with it. WWDC 2023 would also be an opportunity to update its range of ultra-portable MacBook Air computers with a model that could be powered by an Apple Silicon M3 in-house chip engraved in 3 nanometers combining performance and energy saving. Above all, the MacBook Air could be available in a new 15-inch version. On the other hand, a revisit of the 13-inch MacBook Pro does not seem to be on the agenda according to analyst forecasts.
All-round system updates?
Apart from hardware announcements, WWDC is invariably an opportunity for Apple to unveil advances in the various operating systems that power its devices. Until recently, rumors about these updates were not very enthusiastic. The bulk of the troops having to focus on the new xrOS system nestled at the heart of the mixed reality headset, the new features for iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 14, WatchOS 10 and tvOS 17 would have been somewhat neglected. However, according to Mark Gurman, Bloomberg journalist and very knowledgeable about the Apple universe, new functions are to be expected for iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. The most important would concern the possibility of installing applications without going through the App Store . A forced opening to the world for Apple, which will have to submit to future European rules (read our article). And if nothing has yet filtered on macOS 14, WatchOS 10, maneuvering on the brand’s connected watches, should be the poor relation of updates. A lot of work has already been done last year to accompany the release of the Apple Watch Ultra (read our test).
However, Apple may still have other novelties in its boxes. The firm, whose culture of secrecy is no longer to be demonstrated, generally takes advantage of this world conference to reveal part of its plans for the current year. See you on June 5 to be fixed.