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Apple Inc’s most significant product launch event in nearly a decade kicks off on Monday, when the company will introduce its first major new product category since the Apple Watch alongside multiple new Macs and software upgrades across its platforms. The event starts from the company’s Cupertino, California, campus on Monday, June 5 at 10 am PT/1 pm ET.
The highlight of the event will be a mixed-reality headset, likely to be dubbed either the Reality Pro or XR Pro, along with a new xrOS operating system for the device. Also likely to be present are new Mac laptops and desktops and software updates including watchOS 10, iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and macOS 14. The company will also highlight updates to services on its platforms related to fitness, health and finance and further meld its devices to work better together and keep people within the Apple ecosystem.
Over the past several months, Bloomberg News has reported on Apple’s plans for the new products coming at the Worldwide Developers Conference. Here is what to expect from each, based on those reports as well as people familiar with Apple’s plans:
Mixed-Reality Headset and xrOS:
• Apple’s first headset will be an ultra-premium device made of glass, carbon fiber and aluminum. It looks like a high-tech pair of ski goggles, features a new magnetic charger for power, has a curved front with an external screen to show a wearer’s facial expressions and eyes, and several external cameras to enable video pass-through, depth sensing and hand control.
• The main use cases will be communication, video consumption, wellness, gaming and productivity. One person who worked on the device called it part “status symbol†and part “future of the computer.â€
• The product blends augmented and virtual reality. The VR features will be powered by a pair of bright, 4K screens inside the headset, while the AR functionality will be enabled by the video pass-through mode. The headset has a Digital Crown like the Apple Watch for users to toggle between AR and VR. When in VR, the user is fully immersed. When AR is toggled, content and applications fade back slightly and mix with the real environment surrounding the wearer.
• The headset will be powered by an M2 chip with 16GB of memory, or RAM, and use an external battery pack that looks like a larger version of the MagSafe Battery Pack for the iPhone. The pack will connect over a wire to the headset. The circular power adapter will attach via magnet and with a clockwise twist to lock it in so it doesn’t fall out during use. The power requirements of the headset mean it will likely only last about two hours per charge.
• Users will operate the headset using eye and hand control so they can look at an item to highlight it and then pinch their fingers to select it. It will also have Siri onboard. The headset has an array of microphones as well as speakers mounted near the user’s temples, but it will rely on AirPods for enhanced spatial audio.
• The device will cost around $3,000 and Apple isn’t planning to make much money from it. It could be one of the few Apple products to not provide a big margin as Apple doesn’t want to completely price itself out of the market. Apple has also discussed initially selling the device in the US and expects it will sell about 900,000 units in the first year. The company believes sales will begin slow but that the device provides an Apple Watch-sized opportunity. It’s also a reputation-risking endeavor given the high price and lack of market.
• While the headset will debut on Monday, it won’t go on sale for several more months. Internally, the company has discussed release dates ranging from after the iPhone 15 launch to December to early 2024. It has trademarked names suggesting brands ranging from Reality Pro or Reality One to XR Pro, while the operating system itself will be dubbed xrOS.
• Apple has built a large structure on the Apple Park campus to provide controlled hands-on demos of the device to some attendees and media at the conference. The company has set up an area at the basketball courts near its employee fitness center. Apple is also planning future demos through the summer. When it shows off the device, it’s planning to focus on immersive FaceTime in VR, Apple TV+ content and gaming.
• A snap-in prescription lens system will play a significant role in the headset’s introduction, demos and sales process, as the device is too slim to support the wearing of normal glasses beneath it.
• Apple is also discussing notifying potential customers with certain conditions that they should not buy or use the device due to the impact AR and VR may have on their health. That includes people with Meniere’s Disease, past traumatic brain injuries, post-concussion syndrome, migraines and vertigo. It also includes people that are pregnant, have ADHD or ADD, anxiety disorders, a pacemaker and certain heart conditions, epilepsy and a history of blackouts or seizures.
• Some testers have also found the product, which is nearing a development stage called DVT — or Design Validation Testing — to overheat.
New Macs and macOS 14:
• Apple is planning to spend a notable amount of time on the Mac at WWDC 2023, following last year when it introduced the revamped 13-inch MacBook Air at the developer conference.
• Apple has been planning to introduce a new 15-inch MacBook Air as early as at the conference. The new model will look similar to the current MacBook Air, in a larger size. Apple had initially intended to launch this machine last year alongside the smaller version.
• Apple is also nearing the debut of an updated Mac Studio line in new M2 Max and M2 Ultra configurations — codenamed Mac 14,13 and Mac 14,14 or J475 — to replace last year’s M1 Max and M1 Ultra models.
WatchOS 10:
• Apple is bringing widgets back to the Apple Watch and will make them a key part of the new operating system. The widgets will look similar to those on the iOS and iPadOS home screen and allow users to scroll through weather, stock tickers, upcoming calendar appointments and more.
• Apple is changing some of the button behavior on the Apple Watch, including changing the Digital Crown to open the new widgets interface instead of the standard home screen app.