One week away from the next major Apple conference, the pressure is mounting and rumors are swelling. Between software improvements and new services could even sneak in a few surprises on the product side, including a certain mixed reality headset.
Monday, June 6, at 7 p.m. (French time), the opening keynote of WWDC 2022 will be held, an event during which Apple should make many announcements focused on the modernization and enrichment of its product ecosystem. One week away from this high mass (which you can of course follow live on Digital with our journalists), it’s time to look at the clues and rumors in order to draw up the list of announcements that we can expect.
Above all, Apple should multiply the software presentations, since the event will in principle be the opportunity to discover iOS 16, iPadOS 16, tvOS 16 as well as watchOS 9 and macOS 13. A program which therefore promises to be very rich. It is on the side of iOS 16 that the changes should be the most numerous. Improved notification system, new completely revised version of the Health application, consumer credits integrated into Apple Pay, accident detector, interface adjustments in view of the arrival of an iPhone without a notch, etc., we should a priori be full of novelties.
If iPadOS 16 could be satisfied with a new multitasking interface, watchOS 9 should offer more changes, such as a new more energy-efficient profile to extend the autonomy of Apple Watches, improvements made to the detection of cardiac arrhythmias or new functions for monitoring running sessions.
The famous AR/VR helmet on the gear side?
Over time, hardware announcements have become scarce during WWDC. The famous “one more thing” have disappeared in favor of more regular events that are better spread out over the year, strategically devoted to range renewals, thanks to which Apple attracts even more spotlight on its products. Nevertheless, the WWDC remains at the eyes of the Apple community the main event of the year, and it is not impossible that the firm decides to introduce significant novelties, such as for example… its virtual and augmented reality headset.
The evidence of Apple’s work on a mixed reality headset has multiplied in recent years, so the question is no longer if, but when Apple will tackle this market. And according to several observers, the time has come for the Cupertino company to present to the general public this headset, the design of which is rumored to be reminiscent of that of the Oculus Quest, which would run on an on-board processor with a power greater than that of an Apple M1 and that it would have two micro Oled displays (or even a third to offer peripheral vision) and a dozen cameras to track movement and capture the user’s environment, all with eye-tracking and dedicated operating system, for an estimated retail price of “at least $3000“. Suffice to say that if this information were to be verified, it is a professional target that this helmet would aim above all.
Finally, always side hardware, we lend Apple the intention of presenting new evolutions of its Apple Silicon processors, with an M2 chip that could be found integrated into the MacBook Air or the Mac Mini. Traces of these new features have been left in Apple software by the firm’s engineers, giving substance to these rumours. As for the presentation of a new Mac Pro, it is also a possibility evoked with insistence by certain American editorial staff…