Apple Tipped to Launch a Slew of Hardware Till First Half of 2023: Details

Apple is planning to launch a slew of products in the next one year, as per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. These products will include four iPhone 14 models, three Apple Watch Series 8 variants, several Mac machines with M2 and M3 chips, Apple’s first mixed-reality headset, a bunch of low-end and high-end iPad tablets, a pair of updated AirPods Pro earbuds, a new HomePod, and an upgraded Apple TV. Gurman has already given details of some of these products in the past and the rumour mill is also churning out details of various devices included in the list.

Gurman shared all the details in his Power On newsletter setting the tone of what people could expect in the year to come. He said that these products will be launched between the fall of 2022 and first half of 2023.

iPhone 14

iPhone 14 rumours started pouring in from October last year. Just like older rumours by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Gurman also says that Apple will launch four iPhone 14 models. There will be two Pro models with codenames D73 and D74, while the non-Pro iPhone 14 models will have D27 and D28 codenames and are expected to “generate less excitement”, Gurman claims.

The iPhone 14 Pro models are tipped to get an improved front-facing camera, a new rear-camera system with a 48-megapixel sensor, thinner bezels, an A16 chip, and a pill-shaped cutout for Face ID and a hole punch for the camera. The non-Pro iPhone 14 models are said to come with the A15 chip that powers the iPhone 13. He also says that the “5.4-inch mini size will be replaced with a 6.7-inch model.” Gurman goes on to say that iPhones will continue to use the Lightning port to charge the battery and a transition to USB Type-C is expected to happen in 2023.

Apple Watch Series 8

Gurman claims that Apple is preparing to launch three variants of the Apple Watch Series 8. He says there will be a new low-end SE, a standard Series 8, and a rugged edition aimed at extreme sports. The wearables are said to get the S8 chip that could have the same specifications as the S7. He also mentions that next year’s Apple Watch models – part of Series 9 – are slated to get a new processor. As far as the screen sizes are concerned, the most affordable SE model will stick to the screen size of the current model. As per Gurman, the Apple Watch Series 3 could be discontinued in the fall and the current SE could take its place in the market.

Earlier reports have also suggested the development of three Apple Watch Series 8 models. Previously, Gurman claimed that Apple is working on a bunch of features, including adding satellite connectivity to the Apple Watch.

iPad tablets

When it comes to iPad tablets, Gurman says that Apple will launch new 11-inch and 12.9-inch models with M2 chips later this year. These iPads are said to be codenamed J617 and J620, respectively. He says The Cupertino-based company is also expected to release an iPad with a bigger display —between 14 and 15 inches—sometime in the next year or two.

There are reports which claim that Apple is expected to launch a “new entry-level iPad will feature a Retina display of the same resolution as the iPad Air’s display” but the size of the display could be 10.5-inch or even 10.9-inch display. This particular iPad is tipped to get Apple’s A14 Bionic processor and a USB Type-C port. There are rumours of a 14.1-inch iPad that will come with a traditional LED display as well as M2 SoC and 16GB of RAM.

MacBooks and Mac PCs

Gurman says that the M2 chip, which powers the latest series of MacBooks, will also a power a series of other products in the pipeline. He says that there will be a Mac mini powered by M2 chip and another by M2 Pro silicon, 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops with M2 Pro and M2 Max chispsets, and Mac Pro models with M2 Ultra and M2 Extreme processors.

He says that Apple is also already developing M2’s successor, the M3, which may be used in the 13-inch MacBook Air codenamed J513, a 15-inch MacBook Air with codename J515, a new iMac codenamed J433, and a 12-inch laptop that’s still in early development.

Apple is also said to be preparing 15-inch MacBook models with M2 and M2 Pro CPU. Gurman had earlier mentioned that Apple is working on a total of 9 computers with next-generation M2 chips.

Apple mixed-reality headset and AirPods Pro

Talking of the M2 processor, Gurman says that Apple’s mixed-reality headset can also be powered by the M2 CPU. Citing sources, he says that the headset is expected to run the base M2 chip paired with 16GB of RAM. It will be announced in Jan 2023, as per Ming-Chi Kuo, who also claims that the device will favour the “continued rapid growth” of the headset market.

When it comes to audio products, Gurman says there could be a new pair of AirPods Pro earbuds with an updated chip and support for higher-quality audio.

HomePod and Apple TV

Lastly, Apple is also said to be developing a new Apple TV that has a codename J255, is powered by an A14 chip, and has more RAM as compared to the latest model. For HomePod, Gurman says the smart speaker is codenamed B620, will run the same S8 chip coming to the watches, and will have a similar design as well as performance as the original HomePod. However, it is said to have an updated display on top and may get multi-touch functionality.