WWDC 2023: The Dawn of Apple AR/VR Hardware?
Ever since Apple has announced WWDC 2023 late last month the usual annual guessing game about what will launch and what won't is going into overdrive. As always, we know nothing for sure, but three key pieces of hardware are quite probable to at least make an appearance as part of the WWDC keynote on June 5:
- A New Mac Pro. WWDC is the event for Apple developers, so it makes perfect sense to at least announce the new Apple Silicon-based Mac Pro. Additionally, the Mac Pro is the last piece missing from the Apple Silicon puzzle: it is the last current device still running on an Intel chipset. Analysts expect it to be slightly smaller than the Intel-based Mac Pro and to use a potentially supercharged version of the M2 Ultra chip.
- A 15-inch MacBook Air. The 15-inch MacBook Air has been rumored for some time now and it is also very likely to make an appearance at WWDC. According to some insiders it might even launch at the event and might be available in stores only days later.
- An AR/VR Headset. Finally, according to highly credible long-time Apple guru Mark Gurman, Apple will reveal its new mixed reality headset at this year's WWDC. Also other analysts see hard evidence that Apple is ramping up mass production of the device for a fall 2023 launch, making a WWDC announcement extremely likely.
Of course we will also get a sneak peak at the new major operating system releases such as iOS 17 and macOS 14, but this is not really worth discussing. More interesting will be the first version of Apple's new mixed reality operation system (rumored to be called "xrOS") which will most likely be based on iOS and whether we will see any groundbreaking new applications for a dedicated AR/VR device.
"The headset will be a risky, but potentially monumental launch for Apple. It will herald mixed reality as its next major product category, offering a glimpse of a future where people are interacting with the world via headsets and not pocketable touch screens." [Mark Gurman on his Bloomberg Newsletter]
The jury is still out whether there is a real mass market for dedicated AR/VR devices. As always it will come down to the "killer app(s)" -- or the lack thereof. The more this is an interesting time for Apple and developers alike: for developers to see for the first time what the device is capable of and if we will see anything unexpected and for Apple how developers will react to the new device and its operating system.
I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to WWDC and really hope that we will finally see Apple's mixed reality device in reality.