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Apple’s latest software from WWDC sets the stage for a busy fall 2022 and first half of 2023. Also: A US Apple store votes to unionize for the first time, iOS 16 beta 2 brings needed improvements, and the company hires a designer from a popular air-purifier company. Last time in Power On: Apple’s revamped CarPlay is the foreshock to an eventual electric car. |
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Apple’s in-person WWDC 2022 keynote event. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
Apple Inc.’s Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month was jam-packed with announcements, including an overhauled iPhone lock screen, two new Macs with the M2 chip, and a revamped multitasking interface for the iPad. But more interesting to me is how these changes set the stage for Apple’s next slate of devices. From what I’ve been told, the company is about to embark on one of the most ambitious periods of new products in its history—with the deluge coming between the fall of 2022 and first half of 2023. The new products will include four iPhone 14 models, three Apple Watch variations, several Macs with M2 and M3 chips, the company’s first mixed-reality headset, low-end and high-end iPads, updated AirPods Pro earbuds, a fresh HomePod and an upgraded Apple TV. The announcements at WWDC give us a bit of a preview of what to expect—including how the new software and hardware will tie together. 
The iOS 16 lock screen. Source: Apple
Let’s start with the iPhone. The main new feature—as first previewed here before iOS 16 was announced—is the revamped lock screen. The company has been working on this interface for a couple of years, and it makes sense to release it now because the lock screen works hand-in-hand with a new feature on the upcoming iPhone 14 Pro models: an always-on display. Like the Apple Watch, the iPhone 14 Pro will be able to show widgets displaying weather, calendars, stocks, activities and other data while the screen remains at a low brightness and frame rate. And there will be a setting—also like the Apple Watch—that keeps sensitive data from appearing on the lock screen for all to see. Other new iPhone 14 Pro features include a much-improved front-facing camera, a new rear-camera system that includes a 48-megapixel sensor, thinner bezels, a faster A16 chip, and a redesigned notch with a pill-shaped cutout for Face ID and a hole punch for the camera. The Pro phones, code-named D73 and D74, will be the big iPhone story this year, with the non-Pro iPhone 14 models—D27 and D28—generating less excitement. The lower-end phones will stick with the same A15 chip as the iPhone 13, though the 5.4-inch mini size will be replaced with a 6.7-inch model. 
The iPadOS 16 and Stage Manager. Source: Apple
All of this year’s new iPhones will continue to use Lightning to charge the battery, but I expect a transition to USB-C to happen in 2023. Speaking of USB-C: A new low-end iPad with an A14 chip and 5G—as first reported by 9to5Mac—is due this fall with that more powerful connector, I’m told. I can’t mention the iPad without getting into Stage Manager. Like it or not, this appears to be Apple’s solution to pro users wanting better multitasking capabilities. After trying it on the iPad (and testing it more extensively on a Mac), I’m absolutely not a fan—and I don’t think it solves the problem. I do think, however, that it’s a preview of what’s to come from the iPad Pro. I expect Apple to release new 11-inch and 12.9-inch models with M2 chips later this year that work with Stage Manager. They’re code-named J617 and J620. That will let Apple say it has five different iPads that support the interface, versus three today (the current M1 iPad Pros and iPad Air). I also expect Apple to release an iPad with a bigger display sometime in the next year or two—between 14 and 15 inches. Stage Manager could make more sense on a device that size. 
The M2 MacBook Air. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
The new M2 chip, part of the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro announced at WWDC and optimized with macOS Ventura, is also the core of several other products in the pipeline. Those are likely to come in much quicker succession than the M1-based Macs did. Here are the M2 Macs I’m told to expect beyond the first two:
Outside of the Mac and iPad Pro, there’s another place I expect the M2 to appear: Apple’s mixed-reality headset. I’m told the latest internal incarnations of the device run the base M2 chip along with 16 gigabytes of RAM. And speaking of WWDC, there were plenty of software-related hints there about the headset’s operating system, realityOS, and its features. Apple is also already at work on the M2’s successor, the M3, and the company is planning to use that chip as early as next year with updates to the 13-inch MacBook Air code-named J513, a 15-inch MacBook Air known as J515, a new iMac code-named J433 and possibly a 12-inch laptop that’s still in early development. 
The Apple Watch. Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg
The other major announcement this year at WWDC was watchOS 9. That update certainly heralds what we can expect from the Apple Watch Series 8 this fall. As I’ve reported, Apple is preparing three new variations: a new low-end SE, a standard Series 8 and a rugged edition aimed at extreme sports. For those hoping for a faster chip in this year’s Apple Watch, I’m told the S8 chip will have the same specifications as the S7, which was also the same as the S6. Next year’s models, however, are slated to get an an all-new processor. The software update drops support for the Apple Watch Series 3, so I’d finally expect that model to be discontinued in the fall. The current SE could slide into that Series 3 price point, with the new SE becoming the mid-tier option. Changes to workout tracking are some of the biggest enhancements in watchOS. Those upgrades include: multisport workouts, so the watch can automatically move between tracking swimming, biking and running; elevation tracking; training zones; and new running metrics. All of those features seem especially relevant to an extreme sports watch. I’d also expect the low-power mode I’ve long discussed as part of watchOS 9 to show up as a new hardware-exclusive feature. 
Apple TV set-top box. Photographer: Nina Riggio/Bloomberg
While Apple didn’t show much love to the software running on the Apple TV and HomePod at its developer conference, there are still some nice upgrades to those products in the works, though a new HomePod is unlikely to arrive until next year. The new Apple TV, code-named J255, is in development with an A14 chip and an additional gigabyte of RAM. That compares with the A12 chip announced as part of the 2021 Apple TV last year and could be useful for additional gaming capabilities rolling out in tvOS 16. The HomePod, code-named B620, will run the same S8 chip coming to the watches and will be closer to the original HomePod in terms of size and audio performance rather than a new HomePod mini. The new HomePod will have an updated display on top and there’s even been some talk of multi-touch functionality. Speaking of audio products, I’m also still expecting new AirPods Pro earbuds with an updated chip and support for higher-quality audio.
The iOS 16 software update screen. Source: Mark Gurman/Bloomberg
The iOS 16 beta 2 arrives with many fixes. The first iOS 16 beta was certainly buggy—as to be expected. My iPhone would constantly overheat and suffer random reboots, and its battery life was probably cut in half. But with the second iOS 16 beta this past week, most of those problems have been resolved. In fact, this new update feels pretty stable for a second beta, which bodes well for the third developer beta and first public beta around the week of July 11. In addition to making the iPhone actually usable, the second beta delivered some new features:
I’ll be on the lookout for some Stage Manager improvements in beta 3 or beta 4 (hopefully). 
An Apple retail store. Photographer: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg
Apple sees its first US retail store unionize. It has finally happened: An Apple retail store voted to join a union—and did so by a wide margin, about 2 to 1. That means pay and other key decisions at the store will require negotiations between the employees’ union representative and Apple corporate. This only affects a store in Towson, Maryland, for now, but many Apple retail employees expect other locations to follow suit. Apple was quiet about the move last week, likely wanting to avoid an episode like when Deirdre O’Brien’s anti-union comments leaked to the press. Instead, Apple store managers verbally told staffers that they don’t know (yet) how this will affect operations and that they’re willing to discuss the matter privately. Apple isn’t expected to contest the election, and store managers have told staff that it’s fine for them to discuss unions among themselves—though some employees were warned about customers potentially broaching the topic. I’m certain there will be a lot more to say on this subject in the coming days and weeks. In any case, Apple’s retail leaders are in for some discomfort while staffers push for more changes.
The Molekule air purifier. Photographer: Philip Harvey
Apple hires the chief design officer from air-purifier company Molekule. Apple added a new member to its design team: Peter Riering-Czekalla, who previously worked at the upscale air-purifier company Molekule. Riering-Czekalla had the job of chief design officer at Molekule, mimicking Jony Ive, who had the same title at Apple. Before that, he was a design lead at IDEO, where Apple has gone for talent in the past. Given that his last job was making $1,000 aluminum air purifiers as alluring as possible, he could be a perfect fit for Apple.
Q: Do you think Apple will bring Stage Manager to older iPads? |
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