With WWDC 2023 hours away, we're keeping track of what's happening with our live blog so far, but we wanted to highlight some updates that have a near-impossible chance of appearing at the keynote.
In the past, we've seen some misfires from the company - from Mac Pro wheels being offered at $699 during the keynote at WWDC 2019, to Steve Jobs heralding web apps as the future of apps for iPhone back at WWDC 2007.
But it seems like we're in for a show later today, with rumors that its VR headset will finally be unveiled, alongside the traditional updates of iOS 17, macOS 14, iPadOS 17, and watchOS 10.
With this in mind, we're highlighting three key announcements that have less of a chance of being real than the Nintendo Switch gaining the ability to play the entire Metal Gear Solid series in 8K.
The trashcan Mac Pro returns
It's fair to say that, while Phil Schiller announced this upgrade in 2013 with the line 'Can't innovate anymore my ass!', a phrase that would be the focus of ridicule soon after.
The new Mac Pro was meant to be the most significant redesign of the product in years - instead of a traditional desktop design, there was a model that looked more like a bin, and it was because of this look, that it made it challenging for Apple to improve upon it with better chips.
Combined with the fact that the Mac felt abandoned during this time, it eventually got replaced by a new Mac Pro in 2019.
But what if - we saw Apple realize later that this was all done in haste, and instead, the trashcan returns as a lower-priced Mac Pro, with an M2 Ultra to boot?
Not a chance. You get the feeling that this is one design that Apple would rather forget.
Cleaning Cloth 2
This cloth was introduced toward the end of 2021 when the M1 Pro MacBook Pro launched, and priced at $19, it was ridiculed. It's something that you usually get packaged when you buy new glasses for instance, so to go to the Apple Store for this seemed comical.
So while there's an increasingly good chance that a VR headset is going to be announced later, you can probably expect to see the same cloth be included with it this time, instead of an 'all-new, redesigned from the ground up, cleaning cloth' that gets its own section in the keynote.
AirPower returns
Almost five years since Apple announced it would be scrapping the charging peripheral due to 'challenges', it's somewhat become a mythical product that some still hold out hope for that it will return someday.
AirPower was to be Apple's way of charging its own devices, where you could lay down your iPhone, AirPods, Apple Watch, or all three on this mat, and they would all charge at once.
The convenience of just placing them on AirPower was a great appeal to many, but rumored issues with it overheating from its rumored 22 wireless charging coils proved to be something Apple wasn't able to solve.
So if you're expecting it to arrive alongside the VR headset later, prepare to be disappointed. With MagSafe already Apple's new way of charging its devices, and plenty of accessory makers taking it up in great ways, we're not expecting to charge our headsets on a huge AirPower mat anytime soon.
The best way is to not expect anything
You could be hoping to see something at any event - from Sony's PlayStation showcase to which series of restaurants gain a Michelin Star at the beginning of the year.
But when it comes to Apple, the best way for events like WWDC is to go in blind - to read up on what may be announced, but not to hope big for something that's most likely never to arrive.
Some of us are hoping to see Apple take a bigger focus on gaming, so the above image will be much easier to do through the App Store and Apple Arcade - but we don't have great hopes for this. There's no problem in dreaming of features like this, just not to have full confidence that it will be announced.
Watch the keynote later for what it is - a celebration of how far Apple's products have come since they first debuted, and how these new features will benefit everyone, from accessibility to education.
