With 2022 firmly in the rear-view mirror, we're looking ahead to everything Apple may be planning to release in 2023.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has released a new report that points to much of what Apple has in store this year. Gurman is the household name when it comes to leaking information about Apple's plans, and is the most trusted insider in the industry. That means if there's anyone you can trust about leaks and rumors from inside Apple, it's him.
In his latest Power on Newsletter, Gurman reveals everything he believes Apple will release in 2023. With a few disappointing revelations and one major new product, let's take a look.
Apple Reality Pro
2023 will be exciting largely because Apple is expected to unveil a new Apple VR headset. The operating system will be called xrOS, according to Gurman, and the headset is going to be called Reality Pro.
The headset was initially tipped for January this year after multiple delays but is now expected sometime in the spring ahead of WWDC 2023.
Apple Reality Pro has reportedly seen engineers pulled from other hardware and software departments to get it over the line, possibly hampering other products. Gurman says this could mean "Apple has fewer major breakthroughs to show off this year" in other categories.
iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro
Gurman says the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro could be decent upgrades. The former is expected to get the A16 chip, Dynamic Island, and USB-C. USB-C is also expected on the iPhone 15 Pro along with a titanium frame and haptic volume buttons, as well as a quicker A17 chip.
New MacBook Pro
Gurman says we can expect new MacBook Pro models in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes in the next six months. However, the only new feature will be M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, with marginal performance upgrades. There won't be any other major changes.
Mac Pro
A high-end 2023 Mac Pro with a massive 48 CPU/152 GPU cores has been canceled. Apple is instead apparently going to release a new M2 Ultra version with the same design and chassis as the previous model. Because of Apple silicon, it won't have user-upgradeable RAM but will have two SSD slots for graphics, media, and networking cards.
15-inch MacBook Air
The 15-inch MacBook Air could be a bright spot in an otherwise quiet year for the Mac. Apple is expected to unveil a larger model of the very popular and exciting MacBook Air 2022, perhaps with a more powerful M2 Pro processor.
iPad
Gurman says, disappointingly, that there are no major upgrades coming to the iPad. The Pro's upgrades to OLED aren't coming until 2024, and he says any changes to the iPad mini, iPad Air, and entry-level iPad this year "won’t be anything more than a spec bump — if they arrive at all," suggesting that new devices might not even be coming.
HomePod
Gurman says Apple is planning to bring back the big HomePod in 2023, but that it might not be revolutionary. Instead, he says to look for "a lower price, an updated touch control panel on the top, and the S8 chip from the latest Apple Watches."
AirPods, Apple TV
Gurman says that there are no updates of note in the works for either AirPods or Apple TV coming in 2023.
Software and WWDC 2023
Apple will likely host its annual developer conference in June, however, Gurman says that the focus on Apple Reality Pro has cost "some new features in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17" as well as in macOS 14.
