The day of Apple WWDC has arrived. Here’s our last-minute whip-round of all the rumours leading into WWDC 2023.
The rumours have been rife and many may feel like we already know the full makeup of WWDC 2023, with the Apple AR/VR headset, new M2 Max and M2 Ultra-flavoured Mac Studio, the debut of iOS 17 as well as WatchOS 10 all heavily expected. But, you never know, there could be one more thing.
To prepare you for Apple’s worldwide developer conference, we’ve taken the liberty of scouring all the latest rumours and whispers, making sure no stone has been left unturned when it comes to pointing you the way of some of the most interesting (and reliable predictions). Read on for four last-minute rumours.
Turning your iPhone into a smart display
Google recently announced the Pixel Tablet, a hybrid tablet/smart display combination, and one of its notable features was reverting from a tablet interface to a smart home mode when placed on its stand. According to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, a similar feature is headed to the iPhone through the new iOS 17.
The feature is also reminiscent of the clock mode you’ll see an Apple Watch revert to when charging. This new mode of the iPhone is set to activate when your phone is locked and in a landscape position. You can expect to see typical prominent smart display details like the weather, your upcoming appointments, what audio you’ve got playing and, of course, notifications.
The AR/VR headset will have extremely high-spec displays
Apple’s new headset, potentially named Reality Pro, is expected to have an extremely high price point of around $3000. So, it surely has to have some fancy displays on board to justify this beefy cost, right?
Well, that does indeed seem to be the case. Ross Young, an analyst at DSCC, has claimed the headset will use cutting-edge Micro OLED technology. There are set to be two displays, each coming in at 1.41 inches. Each screen should hit 4000 ppi and up to 5000 nits of brightness, the former spec equates to 4K resolution per eye.
Say “Bye” to ‘Hey, Siri’
Gurman has also claimed that how you activate Siri is set to come in for quite a big change. If you have ever felt a tad awkward saying “Hey, Siri”, it might be about to get a tad better, with Apple rumoured to be dropping the “Hey”.
Instead, you’ll simply be able to say “Siri” followed by your command of choice. This may seem like a small and, for some, inconsequential change but a lot of work has apparently had to go into making this work.
The Reality Pro headset could be a rich kids’ Christmas wish
MacRumors has gotten its hands on a research note from an Apple analyst at Morgan Stanley, Erik Woodring, that has given us some indication on when we can expect the arrival of the Apple Reality Pro headset.
According to the note, Apple’s first AR/VR headset isn’t set to enter mass production until October 2023. This date late in the year should open the door for a release date before 2023 is over. A pricey Christmas present, with the price expected to be $3000.
