What’s Coming From Apple in 2023?

Noah Roach, Reporter

Apple has a variety of new products with new features lined up for late 2023. New iPhones, an augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) headset that has been in the works for years, updated and upgraded entry level iPhone models, and a folding-display iPhone that will launch its own line of phones from Apple. 

Articles like this one describe what analysts believe will come out in the near-future and a lot of leaked information on incoming Apple products come from these types of reports.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has called augmented reality tech “critically important” and “one of the very few profound technologies”. This would explain the tech giant’s big push for the implementation of virtual and augmented reality into their lineup. The announcement of Apple Glass last year would also play into this. 

A South Korean source gives new information on a new folding-display iPhone, meant to compete with the release of the Samsung Galaxy Fold Z and the LG G8X ThinQ over the past couple of years. Business Korea also reported that multiple of these folding-display iPhones could be released in their own product line, such as the “pro” and “max” version of the iPhone. 

The biggest piece of information released in this recent leak would be the announcement of an Apple branded VR/AR headset that they will release in late 2023 or early 2024. Apple hasn’t made any official VR technology besides minor AR features in recent iPhones. 

A headset like this would serve as competition for Sony’s PSVR headset and Meta’s Oculus Quest 2 headset. 

This is separate from the former-mentioned Apple Glass, which would be purely AR. 

Google has also teased a brand-new AR headset, which could mean competition when this is released. 

Rumored specs include “M1 Pro-like” performance. The “M1” chip is a central processing unit (CPU) developed and used by Apple in their Mac line, iMac products, and iPhones.

There will most likely be external tracking cameras on the device’s exterior, much like the Oculus Rift S. 

Apple filed a patent for a new kind of smart ring, ones used in tracking that could be implemented to control the headset itself. This leads to another rumor, one of said tracking rings being used for in-air-typing in a virtual workspace. 

LG and Samsung are potential manufacturers for the displays, two 8K resolution screens will most likely be used for the headset. Lidar technology recently added to the iPhone lineup may also be used to help with motion tracking. 

With all this new technology involved, what will the device cost? Most sources say between $2,000 – $3,000. With an impressive CPU and even more graphic processing power needed, a 96 W Macbook charger will most likely power the headset.