5 Exciting Things to Expect at WWDC 2023
Credit: Apple
Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is only weeks away, and if even half the rumors are true, it looks like it could be a big one in terms of new product announcements.
WWDC is traditionally a software-focused event since it’s geared mainly toward developers. For over 20 years, it’s been the event where Apple has previewed new major operating system releases, starting with System 7 in 1989 and OS X in 2000, joined by iOS 4.0 in 2010, and since expanded to include the entire family of iOS spinoffs.
However, on numerous occasions, Apple has also taken the opportunity to use its WWDC keynote to unveil significant new hardware products, including the iPhone 4 in 2010, the original HomePod in 2017, and various Macs from the Mac Pro to the MacBook Air, and more.
While not every WWDC includes hardware announcements, there are good reasons to believe this will be a more action-packed event than most.
Apple’s ‘Reality Pro’ Headset
Despite some conflicting opinions over the past several weeks, there’s good reason to believe Apple is finally ready to show off its highly anticipated mixed-reality headset.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently doubled-down on his belief that Apple’s headset will be the “star of the show” and that Apple will have a “clear story for developers” in presenting the headset. This will include multiple sessions during the conference to showcase the headset’s capabilities and its accompanying “xrOS” operating system and development tools.
Gurman agrees with other analysts like Ming-Chi Kuo that the headset won’t likely go on sale for at least several months. Some have said it could even be delayed into early 2024, but Gurman thinks Apple wants to get it out in time for the holidays — even if a $3,000+ price tag makes it unlikely to end up on too many gift lists. Nevertheless, Apple intends to get the information out there so that developers can at least get to work on having an app ecosystem ready for it when it finally does arrive.
A New Apple Silicon Mac Pro
The Mac Pro remains the lone holdout in the journey to Apple Silicon. While there are some valid reasons for Apple to take a more conservative approach with a system that’s used primarily by high-end professional studios, there’s no doubt that it has to get an M-series chip eventually.
Apple has apparently had this new Mac Pro in the works for nearly a year. Last year’s M1 Ultra Mac Studio was a bit of a stopgap along that road, but even though it’s exceedingly powerful, it’s not a replacement for the much more versatile and expandable Mac Pro.
Every Mac Pro that Apple has released has been unveiled at WWDC; the original in 2006, the cylindrical “trashcan” style unit in 2013, and the current 2019 model. The latter two of these weren’t released until later — the 2013 and 2019 Macs Pro didn’t start shipping until December of those same years — but they were announced at WWDC in both cases. With a new Mac Pro expected to arrive sometime this year, it’s logical to assume that Apple would follow that same trend and show it off at WWDC to whet people’s appetites.
New MacBooks
Rumors have been piling up for a while that we’re going to see a new 15-inch MacBook Air appear at WWDC, likely accompanied by updates to the 13-inch models. Although some folks believe these will herald the debut of Apple’s latest M3 chips, much like the 2022 releases delivered on the new M2, Gurman isn’t so convinced of that.
In his Power On newsletter, Gurman concurs with the other reports that these will be unveiled at WWDC but adds that “the models coming in June probably won’t boast major new M3 chips. Instead, they’ll run something in line with the current M2 processors.”
This aligns with a report we saw late last week showing hints of a 15-inch MacBook Air with an M2-class chip inside. There are also reports that an update to the 13-inch MacBook Pro will arrive at WWDC alongside the new MacBooks Air, which would be consistent with Apple’s past M1 and M2 MacBook launches.
iOS 17 and iPadOS 17
It’s a given that Apple will show off iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 at WWDC. In fact, Apple’s iPhone and iPad operating systems are usually the highlights of the keynote. However, this year they may be overshadowed by hardware announcements, especially if the Reality Pro makes it onto the virtual stage.
That’s not necessarily a problem this year, though. By all reports, while iOS 17 will pack in a few interesting enhancements, it will still be mostly focused on housecleaning and performance improvements.
In other words, don’t expect the kind of big “tentpole” features that we’ve seen in the past few major iOS releases. Perhaps the most significant change will be one we may not even see right away; according to Gurman, Apple is rearchitecting iOS 17 to bow to the inevitable — allowing for the side loading of apps from outside the App Store.
Nobody is quite sure whether Apple will talk about that during the keynote. Still, it wouldn’t be surprising to see its executives try and get ahead of things by putting a positive spin on it to make it seem like it was Apple’s idea to embrace a more open app ecosystem.
watchOS 10
Over the past few weeks, reports have gathered that Apple may be putting most of its effort into its wearable operating system this year, with watchOS 10 expected to get a significant redesign with a whole new interface.
None of the usual sources seem to know much in the way of specifics other than to say that it’s likely the biggest change to ever come to watchOS. That’s not saying much, as the Apple Watch software design has been pretty static for the past few years; the last significant change was in 2016 when watchOS 3 introduced the Dock and Control Center to replace the original “Glances” and Friends sections.
