The year 2022 was not only challenging but also a strange one for Apple. The Cupertino-based company faced numerous challenges throughout the year—from regulatory hurdles and Covid-19 restrictions in China hitting hard on shipments of the iPhone 14 series to the lukewarm response to some of its products. Hopefully, 2023 will be a better year that will keep both investors and consumers happy, keeping the long-term goal of the company.
As we head into a new year, here’s what we can expect from Apple in 2023.
It’s been an open secret that Apple has been working on a mixed-reality headset that could eventually replace the smartphone. With the lack of innovation in the smartphone market and Meta investing billions in making the metaverse a reality, Apple could finally acknowledge its plans for an alternative reality. Although it’s unclear if Apple will be ready to ship the device in 2023, we can expect some tease into the long-rumoured mixed AR and VR headset at WWDC.
Multiple reports suggest Apple’s plans to introduce a headset or smart goggles in the coming months. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who has extensively reported on Apple’s vision for a 3D virtual space, believes the headset will be either called “Reality Pro” or “Reality One” and that it will cost between $2000 to $3000—much more expensive than headsets from the likes of Meta and HTC.
Under the leadership of CEO Tim Cook, Apple may have become the tech giant it is today but the lack of innovation bothers investors and those who closely follow the industry. Going by Apple’s playbook, which remains the same since the time of Steve Jobs, the company has never rushed to launch a product in a brand-new category. It always seeks the right time to bring a device when the market is mature enough. Even if Apple brings a headset to the market this year, it won’t be an immediate hit. The tech itself is unproven, and as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg has said it will take at least a decade to build the ecosystem around the metaverse.
2022 wasn’t a totally bad year for Mac, but it did end up being a fairly average year in terms of releases. The Mac Studio and Studio Display were weird products, the M2 13-inch MacBook Pro disappointed, and the launch of the Mac Pro and next-generation MacBook Pros didn’t happen. Sure, one can blame the supply chain for delaying some of the new Macs hitting the market but the lack of new Mac launches did disappoint many professional users.
Hopefully, things will change in 2023 and we can witness the launch of 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips in the first half of the year. The iMac with M3 could also appear sometime this year along with the updated version of the Mac mini. But one product that desperately needs an update is the Mac Pro, which was last updated in 2019 and still runs an Intel processor. Apple last year did acknowledge its plans to launch a new Mac Pro. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has speculated that the M2 Extreme-equipped Mac Pro is no longer happening. If true, the professional-grade desktop may end up being less powerful which could further divide consumers on the vision Apple has for the professional-focused Macs.
AirPods Pro 2, the latest AirPods, are fun and vastly improved from the first-generation model. But they were the only audio product Apple launched in 2022, which disappointed many consumers waiting to get their hands on HomePod 2. There are enough rumours that support claims of Apple getting ready a new version of HomePod for this year. Don’t expect a redesign of sorts but it might get better sound quality and improved Siri integration.
Another Apple device that is waiting to get upgraded is a pair of AirPods Max. They were Apple’s first attempt at making high-end headphones and although commercially less successful, AirPods Max did make an impact on certain users despite costing $549. If Apple launches the AirPods Max 2 this year, expect them to have a lighter design, a rebranded case, improvements in noise cancellation, and sound and support for Apple Hi-res lossless. The company is also working on the Apple Classical app, which was supposed to appear in 2022 but got delayed—building it into the existing Apple Music catalogue rather than launching it as a dedicated app makes more sense for musicians as well as consumers.
With the recent uproar at Foxconn’s factory in China, Apple’s tech supply chain has become more complex. Because of that, Apple had to pay the price of delayed iPhone 14 Pro shipments for months. Building a functional supply chain and less dependency on China in the future might take time.
While Apple figures its supply chain, its plans to launch the iPhone 15 towards the end aren’t going to change. The iPhone 15 is a done deal but what is more exciting is the mysterious iPhone 15 Ultra, a super premium iPhone model with a titanium build and a “periscope” lens for long zoom photography. The handset could be expensive, maybe costing more than you have paid for the latest iPhone 14 Pro Max. It’s unsurprising; Apple over the past few years has avoided jacking up the price of premium iPhone models. The iPhone 15 Ultra or whatever it ends up being called, the device could be targeted at enthusiasts with deep pockets or content creators.
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Anuj BhatiaAnuj Bhatia is a writer at The Indian Express, where he works on stori… read more
