Everything people so far expect from Apple in 2023

Has Apple really run out of surprises? Image c/o: Jacinta Iluch Valero/Flickr

Apple’s processor development road map appears back on track with the first Macs and iPhones running 3-nanometer chips expected to appear this year, with the first TSMC-made but Apple-designed 5G modems set to appear in 2024. That’s not all – the news also means the Apple rumor web is beginning to piece together what to expect from the company this year, which may see no new iPads.

Spring surprise

Apple may plan a product announcement as soon as this week with a yellow iPhone 14 model predicted. [UPDATE: This happened]. It’s possible this will be tied in with service upgrades and the introduction of Apple Music Classical. New Apple Pay services are also anticipated – [Update: This didn’t really happen, though Apple Pay services will soon launch in S. Korea and Emergency SOS was announced as coming to new nations).

Spring-summer: The AR machines

Apple is expected to introduce its first generation mixed-reality headset to developers at WWDC, though this may not ship in quantity until fall. It is expected to offer both augmented and VR capabilities, use an external battery pack 4K LED displays and powerful chips. It will use the xrOS operating system with gesture based and AI controls. Lower cost models will follow perhaps in 2025. Apple hopes to promote app development by making development easy on the device.

Spring-summer: The new processor

Some speculation claims Apple will introduce the M3 processors to developers attending (virtually or otherwise) WWDC 2023. These will be capable of high performance at even lower power, which makes for what will be industry leading battery life, I imagine.

Spring-summer: MacBook Air now in 15-inches

Apple may now introduce both an updated 13-inch and a larger 15-inch MacBook Air between spring and summer. Mark Gurman isn’t certain but says it’s possible the 13-inch model may be equipped with the all-new 3nm chip, but that just doesn’t feel right to me, but we shall see. The M2 13” MBA was introduced in July 2022 while the M1 model appeared in November 2020. Think back and there was an 11-month gap before the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips appeared, so I’m not convinced the release cadence is quite right. At the same time, I can accept a model upgrade of some kind. Digitimes has claimed an M2 chip in these Macs.

Spring-summer: Mac Pro

Will they? Won’t they? Gurman seems to believe a new Mac Pro with an M2 Ultra chip will launch by the end of summer. This will feature the new chip and the same design as the 2019 model.

Summer-Fall: A new 24-inch iMac

Reporting claims a new 24-inch iMac is due to appear in the second half of the year. Gurman seems to think the new iMacs will boast a 3nm M3 chip and that development has reached an advanced stage. Expect it in blue, silver, pink and orange and some small design changes. iMacs gained M1 processors in 2021.

Fall: The new iPhone

The four new 3nm chip powered iPhones (iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max) are expected to deliver amazing battery life and a great deal of computational power. No other manufacturer can match this. Various speculations have emerged about the Pro model, which will have even thinner bezels around the display, USB-C, solid state buttons and a new periscope camera for even better images. All the models will have a Dynamic Island, though the iPhone 15 will not hold the new A17 chip. An iPhone SE 4 with a 6.1” screen and Apple’s own 5G modem will follow in 2024.

Apple’s 5G modem comes in 2024

TSMC will apparently begin manufacturing Apple’s self-designed 5G chipsets later this year with production ramping up into 2024. Most now expect the 5G will be built onto the A-series chip, and this makes it possible the first devices will ship in quantity next year, with current 5G supplier, Qualcomm picking up the slack.

MagSafe

Apple is working with the Wireless Power Consortium to build a next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard based on MagSafe. Expect first sight of this later this year.

Fold iUp

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo  has previously claimed a foldable iPad will appear in 2024, along with a new iPad mini.

Further out

The speculation that won’t die is that Apple plans to introduce touch screen Macs in 2025.

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