Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which incorporates all of the Apple information you missed final week in a useful bite-sized roundup. We name it Apple Breakfast as a result of we expect it goes nice with a Monday morning cup of espresso or tea, however it’s cool if you wish to give it a learn throughout lunch or dinner hours too.
One week to go
There are simply seven days to go till Apple’s WWDC 2023 keynote presentation, the second largest occasion within the firm’s calendar and the primary of any variety since final fall. This time subsequent week, the fortunate few shall be attending the watch get together at Apple Park (and looking out ahead to their special tour; no, after all, I’m not envious), whereas the remainder of us shall be huddled round our displays listening to the newest bulletins. Each teams, it’s truthful to say, could have excessive expectations.
From the sounds of issues–and for all Apple’s ruthless efforts to maintain issues secret, quite a bit has leaked–there shall be some large information to justify the hype. The issue is that the information, as large as it’s, will solely be related to a small viewers.
Whenever you work within the media, you rapidly study to establish the issues which are fascinating to the biggest variety of individuals. On Macworld we’re properly conscious that an article in regards to the iPhone shall be related to many extra individuals than one in regards to the HomePod, and is consequently doubtless, all issues being equal, to get extra pageviews; the previous is solely extra extensively common than the latter. It’s extra mainstream. Following an analogous logic, at WWDC every year Apple tends to concentrate on the software program that runs on the merchandise with the biggest consumer base. For that reason iOS tends to be the marquee part of the presentation. There are many iPhone homeowners on the market, they usually need to know what new options are on their approach.
Now, I’m not saying that Apple goes to disregard the iPhone fully at WWDC 2023. iOS 17 is anticipated to incorporate a raft of latest options, together with a intelligent sensible show perform and, very doubtless, the momentous capacity to put in apps from third-party shops with out jailbreaking. However most pundits agree that that is going to be a quiet replace with no “tentpole enchancment.” It’ll be about fixing bugs and enhancing reliability, with just a few “good to have” new options chucked in as a bonus.
In the meantime, macOS seems to be headed for a boring June–a lot in order that my colleague has questioned if Apple cares about macOS anymore. “Our macOS 14 information hub has nothing,” he laments. “The chirping crickets simply gave option to the unhappy trombone.” On the intense aspect, there’s the potential of new Macs, equivalent to a 15-inch MacBook Air and a Mac Pro (lastly).
And these, keep in mind, are the flagship merchandise. iPhone and Mac, aspect by aspect, dragging Cupertino out of its 90s doldrums and making it the envy of Wall Road and Silicon Valley alike. Absolutely Apple has one thing to say about these titanic product strains that’s price listening to? Maybe not.
As an alternative, the highlights of WWDC 2023 are more likely to sit in two classes: the blended actuality headset, and watchOS 10. Reality Pro is definitely an fascinating prospect to me, provided that it’s a wholly new product line that might finally be extra essential to Apple’s fortunes than the iPhone. It’s actual futurist, risk-taking stuff. The issue is that, for now, it’s area of interest. A TrendForce report final week predicted that Apple’s headset will initially be focused at builders, not customers and that this yr’s shipments are more likely to fall in need of 100,000 items. By Apple’s requirements, that is peanuts, and the product is essentially irrelevant to the overwhelming majority of individuals watching the keynote.
The Apple Watch isn’t fairly as area of interest as that, however it’s nowhere close to as mainstream because the iPhone and even the iPad. Relying on which analysis agency you ask, there are in all probability between 1 billion and 1.5 billion iPhone customers on this planet proper now. The Apple Watch consumer base, against this, sits someplace between 100 million (which the road officially passed in 2021) and 200 million, the approximate complete quantity ever offered. And so it’s debatable how a lot the WWDC viewers will care about even a basic rethink of the way in which we management our Apple Watches.
I’ve argued up to now {that a} boring Apple occasion is better than no event, and I believe it’s essential for Apple to provide correct consideration to the merchandise on the margins. Apple can’t make each occasion in regards to the iPhone, any greater than we will make each article about it. Apart from the rest, it wants to seek out the product that may take the iPhone’s place as soon as the tills cease ringing.
However make no mistake: that is going to be the riskiest set of bulletins Apple has made in years. A colossal international viewers has been ready a very long time for this occasion. It might be daring, to say the least, to spend a lot of the occasion speaking about one product whose gross sales get rolled in with residence merchandise and equipment, and one other whose buyer base for this yr would slot in a big sports activities stadium.
Foundry
Evaluations nook
Trending: Prime tales
Apple is finally ready to confess the Apple Watch is all fallacious.
Apple’s AI future may very well be quite a bit brighter than it appears, says Jason Snell.
Bungie’s Marathon revival is a missed opportunity for Apple and the Mac.
Jason Cross argues that Warner Bros. Discovery blew it with the brand new Max app for Apple TV.
ChatGPT may give you advice on buying a new Mac. It simply occurs to be dangerous recommendation.
Samsung’s new Smart Monitor M8 is the subsequent smartest thing to a 32-inch iMac.
The rumor mill
A leaked listing of key gamers in Apple’s headset workforce reveals the undertaking’s misguided priorities.
Apple has given us a big WWDC clue by inviting the VR press to the keynote.
The iPhone 15 might not want a MagSafe-certified charger for 15-watt quick charging.
And the yr after, Apple reportedly plans to modify again to a vertical camera layout on the iPhone 16.
Patent activity suggests a future Apple Pencil may have Discover My assist.
Podcast of the week
On this episode of the Macworld Podcast, it’s all about your scorching takes! You could have ideas on the newest happenings on this planet of Apple! Let’s hear what you need to say!
You’ll be able to catch each episode of the Macworld Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site.
Software program updates, bugs, and issues
No, iOS 16.5 hasn’t killed your iPhone’s battery.
New iOS and macOS updates have fastened extreme flaws in iPhones and Macs from the previous 10 years.
Look out: The watchOS 9.5 replace would possibly turn your Apple Watch screen green.
iOS 16.5 fixes a security hole that was supposedly addressed final yr. Thoughts you, it additionally stops an Apple adapter working with some iPhones and iPads.
And with that, we’re completed for this week’s Apple Breakfast. For those who’d prefer to get common roundups, join our newsletters. You can even observe us on Twitter or on Facebook for dialogue of breaking Apple information tales. See you subsequent Monday, and keep Appley.