Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman says that Apple may unveil new Mac hardware at WWDC 2022, with a redesigned M2-powered MacBook Air being the most likely hardware announcement. Gurman’s comments come in his latest “Power On” newsletter.
There have been signs of a “realityOS” operating system that will run on Apple’s much-rumored mixed-reality headset found in some Apple source code. Also, a trademark for “realityOS” has surfaced, with a foreign filing date deadline of June 8, 2022, just two days after the main WWDC keynote. However, Gurman says he doesn’t expect a “full-blown” announcement of Apple’s headset at WWDC:
In terms of new hardware… though Apple’s upcoming mixed-reality headset is full steam ahead — underscored by the recent demonstration of the device to the company’s board — I’d be wary of expecting a full-blown presentation for developers and consumers next week.
Gurman has previously said that the headset’s launch will likely be delayed until 2023 due to development issues, including overheating issues from at least one chip, as well as camera and software challenges.
Gurman says that while Apple has been planning to unveil a new MacBook Air powered by an M2 chip at this year’s WWDC, supply chain issues may have delayed the unveiling:
If there’s any hardware at WWDC, it will likely be on the Mac side. The company has been aiming to launch the next MacBook Air with M2 chips at the conference. The recent supply chain crunch due to Covid-related closures in China has complicated that, but developers say that Apple employees are increasingly using next-generation MacBook Airs with their apps. That’s a sign that the new Mac is close.
In addition to possible hardware announcements, Apple is expected to debut new operating systems for its devices at WWDC, including iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, tvOS 16, and macOS 13.
