As Benjamin Franklin once said, three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and Apple holding its annual Worldwide Developers' Conference in June. As expected, the company has just announced that this year's WWDC will take place from 5-9 June – and if persistent rumours are to be believed, 2023's edition could be one of the most interesting in years.
While the conference is normally software focussed and we'll almost certainly get our first glimpse of iOS 17, the company is known to occasionally drop a hardware announcement or two at WWDC. And this year, it might just unveil an entirely new category of products. Read on for our prediction of what could be in store in June, and if you don't fancy waiting, check out today's best iPhone 14 deals.
iOS 17
This one's pretty much a given. Apple has announced the latest version iOS and iPadOS at every WWDC for the last few years, and we don't expect this year to be any different.
Details about iOS 17 are scant right now, but we've recently heard from seasoned Apple leaker Mark Gurman that, rather than a headline addition such as iOS 14's widgets or iOS 16's customisable lock screen, the next version of iOS will concentrate on many of the most requested quality-of-life features.
Apple Reality headset
Ah, the Apple VR headset. Rumoured to be called Apple Reality, the gadget has been one of the most on-again/off-again pieces of hardware for the last few years, plenty of reports are suggesting it will finally emerge this June.
So what do we know about the headset? Bloomberg says the device will be similar in size to the Quest 2, and will be able to track hand movements for features such as a virtual keyboard. The headset is reported to feature a fabric exterior (perhaps similar to the AirPods Max?), and, rather unusually for Apple, a built-in fan.
But perhaps the most impressive details are regarding the internals. Apple is allegedly testing “some of its most advanced and powerful chips," including some that eclipse even the incredible M1 chip. According to Pu's report (seen by 9to5Mac), it'll be 100 per cent AR and will include waveguide technology. While we're unsure exactly how Apple intends the device to be used, if it packs an even better chip than its high-end laptops, could the company be intending this new creation to become our primary device?
macOS 14
Along with iOS 17, Apple will most likely debut the latest iteration of its Mac software in June. This year, details about macOS are particularly scarce, which could suggest we're in for a pretty incremental upgrade this time around. Fans are hoping for improvements to the Stage Manager experience, while some are expecting iOS's homescreen widgets to make the jump to the Mac desktop.
M3 MacBook Air
Okay, this one's hardly a dead-cert, but rumours surrounding the next generation of MacBook Air have been hotting up for a while. Multiple sources have claimed that Apple is planning to launch a new MacBook Air as soon as this Spring – and along with the current 13-inch version, rumour has it we'll be getting a bigger 15-inch model too – and both could pack a brand new M3 chip.
This is a trend we've found a little confusing. It would mean once again that the MacBook Air would beat its supposedly more powerful sibling, the MacBook Pro, to the next generation of Apple silicon, making it hard to choose which model to go for. Still, if an M3 MacBook Air does drop this summer, we won't be complaining.
Time will tell what's in store in June, but we'll be on hand to share every announcement as it happens. In the meantime, take a look at today's best Apple deals.
