After months of rumor and speculation , Apple ’s one-year Worldwide Developers Conference is imminent . In just a few short days , all that rumor and speculation will in the end be answer , and we can make way for … raw rumors and meditation . ( At least then it will be base on matter we ’ve actuallyseen . )
But as we enjoy our last hooray before the hurricane of news show and updates hits , it ’s meter to compile a look at what incisively we might be expecting when Apple executives appear ( in a no doubt slickly compose video ) at Apple Park next calendar week , and what is n’t likely to make the cut .
Heads up
They say that where there ’s smoke there ’s fervour , and if that ’s true then the Apple mixed - world headset must be liquefied lava . ( And not just because its processors are belike couch off a circle of high temperature . ) This will be the first major new platform introduce by the company since the Apple Watch in 2014 , and arguments about what it will reckon like , how much it will be , whether it will be able to succeed where others fail , and even what Apple will call it have all run rampant .
But ready that aside for a mo , I think it ’s deserving noting that a new platform from Apple is actually a pretty uncommon matter . Yes , the troupe has introduced them at a rapid cartridge holder over the preceding 15 or so years – the iPhone , the iPad , the Apple TV , the Apple Watch — but it does n’t find every year or even every span of twelvemonth . Apple only pose this much weight behind something that it believe has a luck in the market place . This is n’t a company that ’s drive where it is by plunge merchandise willy - nilly .
Apple ’s mixed reality headset wo n’t exchange the iPhone immediately , but that ’s the goal .
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Also important is that Apple can afford , perhaps more than any other tech company , to dally the longsighted game . In fact , in some ways , it ca n’t afford tonotplay the longsighted game : the iPhone is a blockbuster product , and there may very well be nothing else like it in my lifetime , but in case thereis , Apple needs to be there . earlier or later something will bring home the bacon the iPhone , and if Apple is n’t the one to uprise it , then a immense chunk of its gross will disappear .
It will be very interesting , get next week , to see how Apple pitches its headset ; keep a close oculus on whether , in a rare dance step , it talks about where the puck is headed with this product rather than just where it is now .
Watch and learn
Rumor has it that Apple’slastbig new platform is due for a refresh after almost a decade on the fit . There ’s an expectation that watchOS will get a important inspection and repair at this year ’s WWDC , and it does seem like it ’s prison term ( no pun intended ) for the company to take another crack at this most personal of wearables .
After nine year of information encounter how people employ the smartwatch , it ’s a reasonable opportunity to explore how to meliorate the experience . One rumor suggests that watchOS 10 will take a widget - focused glide slope , using some of the same technology that back up be widgets on iOS and iPadOS .
Apple Watch could get a new look , thanks to watchOS 10 .
That theme is n’t exactlynewto the Apple Watch : early on in the Cartesian product ’s aliveness , the companionship had a conception called Glances that was envisioned to be for very simple one - sieve “ apps ” . While the feature finally fell by the wayside , the recent adoption of thingamabob on Apple ’s other weapons platform might make that a more attractive option on the watch as well , tolerate developers to easily porthole work they ’ve done on iOS and iPadOS to the smartwatch . As someone who only uses a few apps ( few of which require anything more than a undivided filmdom ) , this could really help streamline using the Apple Watch .
The best of the rest
With a big chunk of the keynote in all likelihood devote to the headset and watchOS , it ’s anybody ’s shot as to how much time the rest of Apple ’s platform will get . Do n’t expect them to be ignored all , though : WWDC is Apple ’s chance to talk about the year onward for all of its products .
What seems most probable , given the trajectory of the last few age of WWDC presentation , is that we ’ll see more about new features that are coming simultaneously across Apple devices – say , for example , an Apple journaling app – as well as a few capabilities specific to each equipment .
That might include features like lock CRT screen contraption coming to iPadOS 17 or a new rumored “ status plank ” iOS 17 whorl screen capability . There ’s been little out there for either macOS or tvOS , though , suggesting that it might be a quiet class for some of Apple ’s smaller chopine .
Finally , there ’s always the motion of ironware . Setting aside the headset for the moment – even if exhibit at WWDC is unlikely to go on sale for the next several months – there are two Mac models that might make an coming into court at the effect : a 15 - inch MacBook Air , which is likely to be just a larger version of the subsist 13 - inch version , and the Apple atomic number 14 - based Mac Pro , which Apple teased back in March 2022 but has yet to unveil .
The latter would seem a particularly appropriate proclamation for a developer - centrical audience , but founder the paucity of rumors in the supply chain , it seems unlikely to ship in the good future . The 15 - inch Air , by compare , is purportedly ready to go but seems a less exciting product on which to spend a significant chunk of the tonic .
And , of course , Apple always leave room for surprises . Personally , I ’ve get my fingers crossed for small annunciation that improve the quality of life story across Apple ’s devices : using any emoji for tapbacks in Messages , or ameliorate autocorrect , or even just making Mail more reactive . If it ’s a smaller year for Apple ’s other platforms , the company could do worse than making slight tweak that can make a cock-a-hoop difference .
