Apple is likely to enter the head-worn wearable industry in 2023 with the release of its AR/VR or “mixed” reality headset. It’s going to be an amazing year full of firsts and all the hype that comes with a new product category, with a new product on the way.
Much of the Mac portfolio is ready for a refresh, with new MacBook Pro, Mac mini, iMac, and Mac Pro models expected, with the Mac Pro in particular standing out because it hasn’t been updated since 2019. All of the usual items, such as the Apple Watch and the iPhone, will be refreshed, with iPhone 15 variants on the way.
The primary difference with the iPhone 15 will be the switch to USB-C, with Apple removing the Lightning port. Periscope zoom capability for the iPhone 15 Pro (or Ultra) is also included, as as an A17 chip. Based on current reports, we’ve covered everything we know about all of Apple’s new devices due in 2023.
Apple AR/VR Headset
Apple has been working on an AR/VR headset for more than five years, and we anticipate that the first version will be available in 2023. This will be Apple’s second wearable and the company’s first new product category since the launch of the Apple Watch in 2015.
Apple’s AR/VR headset is believed to have a curved front display that covers the eyes, similar to current VR headsets on the market. The display will be made of mesh material and will have swappable and adjustable Apple Watch band-like straps. The headset is lightweight, and it is projected to be lighter than most headsets on the market, making it more comfortable to use.
The mixed reality headgear will reportedly feature two high-resolution 4K micro OLED panels with up to 3,000 pixels per inch, as well as an external display that will provide exterior indicator information.
Apple is likely to equip the headset with more than a dozen optical cameras for mapping the area, monitoring the user, and displaying visual experiences. The headset will be able to capture realistic face movements in virtual reality apps and games, relaying them in video chats and other activities.
According to reports, eight of the cameras would be utilised for see-through augmented reality experiences. There will be cameras, for example, that can recognise people in the room and map surfaces and room dimensions, allowing virtual objects to be placed in front of and behind real-world objects for a seamless encounter between the real and the virtual.
The AR/VR headgear will use an operating system called xrOS, which stands for extended reality and reflects the device’s augmented and virtual reality functions. Apple is anticipated to develop an App Store for the headgear, with a focus on gaming, video streaming, and communication. Apple might collaborate with media partners to generate VR content, and there could be a VR FaceTime experience with Animojis that mimic face expressions.
The AR/VR headgear is projected to cost roughly $3,000, and the first iteration will be geared at developers, content makers, and experts rather than average customers. Apple could unveil the headset during the Worldwide Developers Conference, giving developers time to create apps for the device before its fall release. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, it might be introduced as early as January 2023, but that appears to be a little optimistic.
iPhone refreshes occur every September and are among Apple’s most consistent product releases. We can always count on a new iPhone, and the iPhone 15 lineup is expected in 2023.
According to rumours, Apple will introduce the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max, however the last device may be renamed the iPhone 15 Ultra to reflect its position as the highest-end iPhone available. The 6.7-inch iPhone 15 “Pro” variant may get features that the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro and the two ordinary iPhone 15 models may not have.
The iPhone 15 models are believed to be the same general sizes as the previous versions (Apple isn’t bringing back the 5.4-inch iPhone small), so we may expect two 6.1-inch iPhones and two 6.7-inch iPhones. We haven’t heard anything regarding major design changes as of yet, but there have been speculations of a new, rounded-off design similar to the case on the 2021 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
There has been speculation about a titanium chassis for the Pro models, as well as solid state volume and power buttons comparable to the Home button on Touch ID iPhones. Currently, iPhones employ mechanical buttons that physically depress, but a solid state button would use haptic feedback to simulate the experience of a button push.
Such feature would have Apple installing two more Taptic Engines on the edges of the iPhone 15 Pro models, but it might provide benefits such as increased water resistance. Apple is said to be abandoning Lightning in favour of USB-C, the same connector that is already used on Macs and iPads. USB-C will enable universal charging across much of Apple’s device lineup, as well as higher charging speeds on some models.
The iPhone 15 Pro variants are expected to offer data transfer speeds of up to 40Gb/s through USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt. However, this will be confined to the iPhone 15 Pro, with normal iPhone 15 devices continuing to retain USB 2.0 speeds limited to 480Mb/s.
The periscope camera technology is believed to be a big enhancement for the iPhone 15 models, but it may be limited to the high-end 6.7-inch iPhone 15 “Pro” or “Ultra” depending on the naming scheme.
According to rumours, only the high-end bigger iPhone will have space for periscope lens technology, which is zoom lens technology. The periscope lens will replace the telephoto lens, allowing for greater optical zoom. Apple is anticipated to add 6x optical zoom to the iPhone 14 Pro models, up from 3x in the existing ones.
Apple will employ A16 chips in normal iPhone 15 models, but iPhone 15 Pro models may feature Apple’s next-generation A17 chip, the first made on TSMC’s next-generation 3-nanometer node. 3nm chip technology will boost processing performance by 10 to 15% while lowering power consumption by up to 30%.
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