MAC FORMAT INVESTIGATES
Looks like there is plenty for Apple users to look forward to over the next 12 months…
Some years are really S transformative for Apple. Others see more incremental improvements to its service and product lines. 2023 was definitely one of the latter. Although there were certainly meaningful advances – look at the development of Apple silicon and iPhone camera technology – there were no real jaw-dropping “one more thing” moments.
That might all change in 2024 though, when the Apple Vision Pro headset is finally released. Announced back in June 2023, we were promised Apple’s first so-called spatial computer “early next year”. So that could be any time now…
The Vision Pro launch will mark 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 Apple 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 (see p6). This will likely remove the outside screen which lets others see the user’s eyes. It is clear Apple knows it needs to have a cheaper model, and more details, if not the product itself, will likely be revealed during the coming 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 rumours from circulating. The whispers, reported by CNET and others, include the iPhone Pro
