On September 7th, Apple held their first Fall event for 2022, unveiling solid updates to Apple Watch, AirPods, and the iPhone.
Apple opened the event by showing off the refreshed Apple Watch Series 8, lower-priced Apple Watch SE and the all-new 49mm Apple Watch Ultra. Sandwiched in the middle of the event, we saw the new third-generation AirPods Pro with a refreshed charging case. Apple finished up by giving us our first look at the much anticipated iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max.
Without a doubt, this was an impressive Apple event. However, there are still many exciting products in Apple’s pipeline. Several of which we expect to see sometime this year or in 2023. Here’s an overview of everything we’re still waiting on Apple to release sometime soon.
iPhone SE (4th generation)
Apple released the iPhone SE (3rd generation) in March of this year. The current version of the iPhone SE is nearly identical to the 2020 model with the addition of 5G connectivity and the A15 Bionic chip. We’re expecting to see a fourth-generation iPhone SE come out sometime in 2023 or 2024.
This new iPhone SE is expected to feature an iPhone XR/11 style body with a 5.7-inch to 6.1-inch display and possibly even Face ID. This would be a nice modern fresher for the budget-friendly iPhone as it’s the only other product in Apple’s lineup (besides the entry-level iPad) that hasn’t adopted Apple’s modern design language.
Redesigned Entry-level iPad
Last September, Apple unveiled a minor refresh to their 10.2-inch entry-level iPad. It’s now expected that we’ll see a complete redesign of the $429 iPad sometime later this year or early next year. It’s believed that this new entry-level iPad will adopt a design language similar to the iPad Air and iPad Pro featuring a squared-off body and reduced bezels.
It’s also expected the iPad will keep Touch ID, but contrary to the iPad Air and iPad mini, Touch ID may remain on the front of the iPad with a home button. There’s also a toss-up of whether the iPad will finally adopt USB-C or stick with lightning for its power connector. The new entry-level iPad will also likely ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack like most of Apple’s other products.
Since we didn’t see this refreshed iPad during Apple’s September event, many think that the iPad will be unveiled during an October event next month. Although, I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple withheld showcasing this product until a March education-focused event. With all these changes, it’s hard to say if the iPad will continue to keep its friendly $429 price point.
USB-C Accessories
Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported earlier this year that he expects many of Apple’s accessories to switch from lightning to USB-C. Anticipated accessories to make the switch include Apple’s infamous Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, MagSafe battery pack for iPhone 12 and above, and AirPods charging cases. No other changes are expected to occur for these products besides swapping lightning to USB-C for charging.
AR/VR Headset
Augmented reality, also known as AR, has been an area that Apple has been investing a lot of time and effort into making better year after year. Unsurprisingly, we’ve been waiting on an AR headset from the company for a few years now.
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, has previously mentioned that he doesn’t love the idea of virtual reality (VR) because it takes a person out of the real world. Instead, he’s been a big proponent of how AR can improve our lives. It’s now expected that while we may not be able to buy Apple’s AR headset in 2023, we do expect some sort of preview next year.
Apple’s AR headset is rumoured to have two 4K or 8K micro-LED or OLED panels and have a $2,000 USD (about $2,625 CAD) price tag or more. Last month we started hearing reports that Apple filed for AR/VR-related trademarks, including ‘Reality One’.
Apple Car
Apple’s car project, frequently referred to as Project Titan, has been through a whirlwind of rumours. It’s widely expected that Apple has been working on an all-electric, fully self-driving car for years. Some of the earliest rumours go back to 2015. Now, it’s expected that Apple will showcase their vehicle sometime in 2025 if all goes according to plan.
That said, Project Titan has apparently dealt with several changes in leadership and abnormally high staff turnover for Apple. As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising if an Apple Car gets delayed further or scrapped altogether. Earlier this year, we heard reports that Apple was in talks with Hyundai/Kai and later Toyota about manufacturing the vehicle. It’s unclear whether those talks ever went anywhere.
Pro Display XDR (2nd generation)
The 2019 Pro Display XDR marked Apple’s re-entry into the consumer display market. However, its exorbitant $6,299 starting price was unobtainable for most. In March of this year, Apple unveiled the Apple Studio Display providing a still-premium but more affordable display. It’s now widely expected that Apple will release a new display later this year or in 2023.
The new screen will likely be either a second-generation Pro Display XDR or some sort of middle-of-the-road display. It’s expected that this new display will feature a 27-inch micro-LED display with Pro Motion. That means we can expect this new display to feature better colour contrast and up to a 120Hz refresh rate.
Apple Music Classical
Last year Apple acquired the popular classical music streaming platform, Primephonic. Primephonic has since shut down, and its library has been rolled into Apple Music. However, it’s expected that Apple will eventually roll out a dedicated app specifically for classical music under the Apple Music brand. We’ll likely see a preview of the app in a future Apple keynote.
14-inch iPad Pro
It’s expected that sometime in 2023, we’ll see refreshed iPad Pros. So far, there haven’t been too many rumours about what the refreshed iPad Pros will likely feature. Last year, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro gained a micro-LED display, while the 11-inch kept an LCD display.
It’s expected that in 2023, the 11-inch iPad Pro will be replaced by a 14-inch model with a micro-LED display. Other reports have stated that we may see our first ever OLED iPad with these new iPads Pros and potentially some new smart connector.
Cheaper Apple TV
The Apple TV has long been respected as one of the best streaming devices on the market. While it may be one of the best, it’s also one of the most expensive. Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo tweeted that we can expect a new Apple TV that “improves cost structure” in the second half of this year. We don’t know much about this Apple TV except that it’s likely to get a new processor.
M2 Pro/Max/Ultra Chips
Earlier this year, Apple showed off their new M2 chip with a new 13-inch MacBook Pro and redesigned MacBook Air. The M2 chip brought slightly improved performance compared to its M1 predecessor. Therefore, it’s not surprising that we’ll likely see M2 Pro and M2 Max chipsets in 2023 to replace the current M1 Pro/Max chips in the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. We’ll likely also see a new M2 Ultra chip for the Mac Studio and perhaps a future Mac Pro.
Apple Silicon Mac Pro
During Apple’s Peek Performance event last March, Apple unveiled their most powerful Apple Silicon to date, the M1 Ultra. Notably, at the end of the event, Apple’s SVP of Hardware engineering John Ternus mentioned that only the Mac Pro was left to jump to Apple Silicon.
It’s not surprising that the Mac Pro is the last computer to transition, given the unique and specific workflows the Mac Pro is expected to accommodate. It’s unclear how modular the new Mac Pro will be; many of the current Intel Mac Pro users enjoy the computer’s modularity, yet thus far, Apple Silicon hasn’t been known for it.
It’s expected that the new Mac Pro will be configurable with either a new M2 Ultra chip or an even more powerful M2 Extreme chip granting access to up to 256GB of RAM. We’ll likely see up to a 40-core CPU and 128-core GPU.
There’s no exact release date for this new Mac Pro, but I like to believe that WWDC 2023 would be an excellent stage for its unveiling.
