Apple’s World Developers Conference is just around the corner and, as in previous years, there are several rumors about the event.
We know for sure that we will see the new operating systems of the technology giant, including iOS 16 / iPadOS 16, but sometimes hardware also appears in Apple events.
Rumors surrounding WWDC 2022 are everywhere, some point to the unveiling of a new MacBook Air and others indicate that Apple will finally make fun of its long-awaited mixed reality headset.
Let’s go in and break down what we might see at WWDC 2022:
The mystery of hardware
AR / VR headphones
This year, the main question surrounding WWDC is whether Apple will finally unveil its highly anticipated virtual reality / augmented reality (VR / AR) headphones. A recent report, courtesy of Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, indicates that we will not see the headphones during the WWDC presentation, but like many rumors / reports, this may be inaccurate.
There is a possibility that Apple is using WWDC to get developers interested in creating applications for the operating system (OS) of their headphones, which is rumored to be called “realityOS”. This would not be entirely strange for the tech giant, as it unveiled the original HomePod at WWDC in 2017, several months before its release in the United States (and a year before it dropped in Canada).
Apple’s AR / VR headphones are rumored to include dual 4K displays, various 3D sensors, and a price tag of about $ 3,000 (about $ 3,736). Some rumors also suggest that the headphones are powered by the technology giant’s M1 chip.
MacBook Air and the M2 chip
While we probably won’t see Apple’s VR / AR headphones at WWDC 2022, there’s a good chance the tech giant will finally show off its M2-powered MacBook Air.
It is rumored that the new MacBook Air will have a significant redesign that includes several new colors (hopefully, borrowed from the colorful iMac M1). The laptop will likely have a thinner but more square design in line with the MacBook Pro, along with the return SD card slot.
On the M2 side, Apple’s next-generation entry-level chip will be based on a 5nm chip with an eight-core CPU, similar to the M1, but with a remarkable clock speed. The GPU will also switch to a 9 or 10 core variant. Despite being more powerful than the original M1 chip, the M1 Pro, Max and Ultra will still outperform the M2, according to reports.
MacBook Pro / HomePod / Mac Pro
Despite some rumors, we probably won’t see a new MacBook Pro at WWDC, but there are rumors that Apple could show off a new HomePod equipped with a camera and an Ultra-powered Mac Pro M1.
What we will surely see
iOS 16 / iPadOS 16
Not much is known about iOS 16 / iPadOS 16, but it will almost certainly be shown at WWDC 2022. That said, there are reports pointing to a revamped notification system and software functionality that will allow the iPhone 14 Pro always has a function. on the screen that is updated up to 1 Hz.
Another report courtesy of Mark Gurman, often trusted by Bloomberg, also mentions the possibility of new features coming to Apple’s Messaging / Health apps and that all Apple apps will have a visual update of some sort.
watchOS 9
Similar to other updates to Apple’s operating system, it’s unclear which new feature will come to watchOS 9. We’ll probably see new watch faces and older revamped faces that fit better with Apple’s larger screen Watch Series 7.
macOS 13
Rumor has it that macOS 13 is called “Mammoth Lakes” (via 9to5Mac), but beyond that, not much is known about updating the desktop operating system. Since Apple has moved almost its entire Mac line to its M1 architecture, it’s likely that we’ll see the tech giant launch more exclusive features for the chip.
tvOS 16
Apple’s decoder operating system rarely gets much attention from WWDC, but some rumors suggest that the tech giant is launching some sort of HomeKit-centric feature for the Apple TV that makes it a better smart home.
The event will take place on April 6 at 13:00 ET / 10:00 PT.
Source: @mingchikuo, Bloomberg (2), @markgurman, 9to5Mac, (2)