Expectations for Apple’s annual WWDC event are always through the roof and, inevitably, some products we were expecting don’t get announced. WWDC 2023 wasn’t any different.
This year’s show included some massive announcements, including the new Vision Pro headset and an updated Mac Pro, but there are still a lot of products Apple hasn’t provided updates on that we could see later in the year.
24-inch iMac
One of Apple’s oldest Macs at this point is the 24-inch iMac. Originally launched in 2020 when Apple introduced its M1 processor, the all-in-one desktop hasn’t seen an update since. Short of the Mac Pro, which we’ll get to shortly, this is the only Mac that still runs an M1 processor as its default option.
It’s hard to say why we haven’t seen an update yet — Apple has pushed ahead with the M2 MacBook Air, and at WWDC 2023, it even announced a 15-inch version of the MacBook Air sporting the same M2 processor. There’s a good chance that Apple just doesn’t sell a lot of iMacs, so it’s focusing on laptops more. Hopefully, desktop fans will see a 2023 iMac once the Apple M3 rolls around.
Apple M3
Speaking of the M3, the processor didn’t make an appearance at the show, either. We had a good idea that the M3 wouldn’t be at the show — Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman revealed that Apple plans to launch the chip later in the year — but a new generation of processors isn’t uncharacteristic for WWDC.
We expect the processor to launch later in the year, perhaps along with new MacBook Pros and maybe a new iMac. Rumors suggest it will come with 12 CPU cores, 16 GPU cores, and 36GB of memory. That doesn’t sound like a big increase, but the chip is rumored to use a 3-nanometer manufacturing process, which should represent a large jump in performance.
Instead, we saw the new M2 Ultra processor powering a new Mac Studio and Mac Pro.
iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro
Though we got a glimpse into the future of iOS with iOS 17, Apple did not reveal the next lineup of hardware with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. But that’s to be expected, as Apple usually holds a separate event in the fall specifically for the iPhone, as well as the Apple Watch.
We’re expecting Apple to announce the iPhone 15 sometime in September if it sticks with the typical schedule. With the iPhone 15, we’re expecting all models to get the Dynamic Island (goodbye notch!) and USB-C charging. The Pro models are expected to get rid of the long-standing mute switch in favor of a new configurable button. Despite many rumors that Apple would be changing the volume buttons into a single volume rocker that uses haptics instead of physical buttons, those plans may have been scrapped. And while the standard iPhone 15 models will use the A16 chip that is currently in the iPhone 14 Pro models, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max should have the newer A17 chip.
Rumors also suggest that only the iPhone 15 Pro Max model will be getting the periscope lens technology, allowing for a significant improvement in optical zoom photos.
Apple Watch Series 9
Like the iPhone 15, we won’t see the Apple Watch Series 9 until the fall, as Apple typically announces both of these products together (they go hand in hand).
For the Apple Watch Series 9, though, we shouldn’t expect a huge upgrade this year, as the rumors suggest it’s more of an iterative update. While it would be nice for Apple to add new health sensors or even nonintrusive blood glucose monitoring, that technology still could be years away.
Rumors do suggest that Apple will be making significant upgrades to the S-series chip that the Apple Watch Series 9 will use, though. This new S9 processor will use the same technology as the current A15 chip that is in the iPhone 14. This means we could expect faster performance, better power efficiency, and longer battery life.
New iPads
Apple’s iPad lineup includes the standard iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro. Though each of these devices is introduced at different times of the year, none of them were revealed during the WWDC keynote.
In 2022, we got updated 10th-generation iPad, 5th-generation iPad Air, and 6th-generation iPad Pro models. The iPad mini was last updated in 2021. Rumors about new iPads have been fairly quiet, and it’s unlikely we will see any new iPad models this year. If there is one that may see an update, it would likely be the iPad mini, but that device has been going longer between refreshes.
The iPad Pro models have so far seen the M-series chips, with the current iPad Pros using the M2. If Apple were to introduce a new iPad Pro, it would likely feature the M3, which has yet to be announced.
New AirPods
Apple’s AirPods family currently includes the third-generation AirPods, second-generation AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max. Typically, this accessory would be updated and introduced alongside new iPhones and Apple Watches, so it’s no surprise we didn’t see any new AirPods during WWDC.
The standard AirPods were last updated in 2021, and typically have seen about 2 to 3 years between updates. The AirPods Pro were just updated last year, which is about three years after it originally came out in 2019. The AirPods Max came out in 2020, and there haven’t been many rumors to suggest that it will be refreshed anytime soon.
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