INVESTIGATES
Looks like there is plenty for Apple users to look forward to this year…
Some years are really transformative for Apple. Others see more incremental upgrades to its services and product lines. 2023 was definitely one of the latter. There were certainly meaningful advances —look at the development of Apple silicon and iPhone camera tech —but there were no real jaw–dropping “one more thing” moments.
That might all change in 2024 though, now that the Apple Vision Pro headset has finally released. The Vision Pro launch marks the first time in a number of years that Apple has stepped into a whole new product category, and it will be a major test for both the company and Tim Cook’s leadership. Can Apple make a breakthrough and take on rivals like Meta in this space? The price point, starting at $3,499, indicates that the Vision Pro is not yet intended to be a mass market product.
The headset needs to succeed on its own, albeit potentially niche, terms —however, Apple has not made it clear what those terms are. It will be interesting to watch the reception the Vision Pro receives in the real world, and the use cases people find for it. It’s a high price point though, and a complete flop would obviously be hugely embarrassing, especially when Apple’s foray into the tech has taken so long to come about.
There is also talk of a lower–priced headset. This will likely remove the outside screen which lets others see the user’s eyes. It’s clear Apple knows it needs to have a cheaper model, and more details, if not the product itself, will likely be revealed this year.
OTHER 2024 HARDWARE
Aside from the Vision Pro, it looks like we can look forward to a host of new hardware in 2024. Central to this will be the new range of iPhones, presumably the iPhone 16. It is hard to know whether Apple will overhaul its smartphone, be that in terms of design or features or just tweak and improve things a bit. Hopefully, as usual, the standard models will get some of the features from the previous Pro models.
The fact that we are not going to see a new iPhone until September has not stopped the rumors from circulating. The whispers, reported by CNET and others, include the iPhone Pro models getting a larger screen. This could go up to 6.9–inches for the Pro Max, according to analyst Ross Young, with Bloomberg News’ Mark Gurman saying similar. We can also apparently look forward to more efficient displays, newer chips and better zoom capabilities on the iPhone camera.
It will be fascinating to see the various ways in which the iPhone interacts with the Vision Pro, particularly with the Pro models of the phone. So far, all we’ve really heard about is viewing photos, including in Panoramic
