() — Apple would be close to unveiling its most ambitious new hardware product in years.
At its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which kicks off Monday at its Cupertino, California, campus, Apple is expected to unveil a “mixed reality” headset that offers both virtual reality and augmented reality, a technology that superimposes virtual images on top of live video from the real world.
The long-awaited launch of an augmented reality and virtual reality headset would be Apple’s biggest hardware product launch since the debut of the Apple Watch in 2015. It could mark a new era for the company and potentially revolutionize the way millions of people interact. with computers and the world around them.
But the viewer is just one of many announcements expected at the developer event. Apple will also introduce a long list of software updates that will shape the way users use its most popular devices, like the iPhone and Apple Watch.
Apple may also show how it plans to incorporate AI into more products and services, and keep pace with the renewed AI arms race in Silicon Valley.
The event will be broadcast live via Apple’s website and YouTube. It is scheduled to start at (1:00 pm Miami time).
Here’s what you can expect:
A “mixed reality” viewer
For years, Apple CEO Tim Cook has expressed interest in augmented reality. Now, Apple seems finally ready to show what it’s been working on.
According to Bloomberg, the new viewer, which could be called Reality One or Reality Pro, will have an iOS-like interface, display immersive video and will include cameras and sensors so users can control it with their hands, eye movements and Siri. It is also rumored that the device will have an outward-facing display that will display eye movements and facial expressions, allowing viewers to interact with the person wearing the headset without feeling like they are talking to a robot.
Apple’s new headsets are expected to include apps for gaming, fitness and meditation, and offer access to iOS apps like Messages, FaceTime and Safari, according to Bloomberg. With the FaceTime option, for example, the headsets “will show the user’s face and full body in virtual reality,” to create the feeling that they are both “in the same room.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook has been expressing interest in augmented reality for years. (Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/FILE)
The decision to introduce it at WWDC suggests that Apple wants to encourage developers to create apps and experiences for the product in order to make it more attractive to customers and worth the high price tag.
According to reports, the company sees a price of $3,000 for the device, much more than most of its products and tests potential buyers at a time of persistent uncertainty in the global economy. Other tech companies have a hard time imposing their viewers. And in the years when Apple was rumored to be working on the product, the tech community shifted its attention from VR to another hot technology: artificial intelligence.
But if there’s a company capable of proving the skeptics wrong, it’s Apple. The company’s entry into the market, combined with its vast customer base, has the potential to breathe new life into the world of scopes.
New MacBooks
Mixed reality headsets may not be the only piece of hardware coming onto the scene this year.
Apple is expected to launch a new 15-inch MacBook Air powered by the company’s M2 processor. The current size of the MacBook Air is 13 inches.
Previously, users who wanted a larger Apple laptop had to buy a higher-end MacBook Pro.
New features for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch
Considering that WWDC is traditionally a software event, Apple executives are likely to spend a lot of time highlighting the changes and updates coming to their next-generation mobile operating systems, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17.
While last year’s updates included a major overhaul to the lock screen and iMessage layout, only minor changes are expected this year.
With iOS 17, Apple is expected to redouble its efforts about health monitoring, by adding the ability to monitor everything from a user’s mood to tracking how their vision may change over time. According to him Wall Street JournalApple will also launch a diary app as not only a way for users to record their thoughts, but also activity levels, which can then be analyzed to reveal the amount of time someone spends at home or away.
It is also said that the new iOS 17 will receive a lock screen update: When placed in landscape mode, the screen will display widgets related to the calendar, weather and other applications, as a digital center. (iPadOS 17 is also expected to receive some of the same health and lock screen features.)
Other planned improvements are an update to the Apple Watch’s operating system, which would focus on quick peeks at widgets, and more details about its next-generation CarPlay platform, which it initially announced last year.
Apple tries to muscle up with AI
While much of the event will focus on virtual reality, Apple could also try to show how it’s keeping up with Silicon Valley’s current obsession: artificial intelligence.
Apple plans to introduce an AI-based digital fitness service that will encourage people to exercise and improve their sleeping and eating habits. How it might work is unknown, but it comes at a time when big tech companies are rushing to introduce AI-based technologies following the viral success of ChatGPT.
Apple may also demonstrate and extend some of its accessibility tools for the iPhone and iPad, including a feature that promises to play a user’s voice in phone calls after just 15 minutes of training.
Most of the other big tech companies have recently outlined their AI strategies. This event may be Apple’s opportunity to do the same.
