New leaks reveal Apple's plans for AR specs, iPhone 8, Siri speaker and more

Apple CEO Tim Cook is likely to be less than impressed but an anonymous Foxconn employee has taken to Reddit to reveal some of Apple's hardware plans ahead of the company's big WWDC developer event which starts on Monday. The poster's identity has apparently been verified by Reddit mods.

Among the tips shared online is news of Apple's long-rumored jump into the realm of augmented reality: the source says AR spectacles codenamed "Project Mirrorshades" are in the early stages of testing and are planned for a 2019 launch, although we don't know much more beyond that.

As far as the iPhone 8 is concerned, the anonymous leaker says the Touch ID sensor will indeed be on the front of the device, adding to the debate that's been rumbling for months. The dummy units we've seen so far have been pretty close to the final design, if the Reddit poster is to be believed.

2017 and beyond

When it comes to the Siri speaker that we're expecting to see unveiled at WWDC next week, the Foxconn source says the device looks like a smaller Mac Pro. Although prototypes with a camera and screen were tested, these features apparently won't make it to the final version.

Finally the tipster also said that Apple's iMac and MacBook Pro lines would be getting some spec bumps during the course of 2017, but planned improvements to the design of both ranges won't happen until 2018, so adjust your buying plans accordingly. E-ink keyboards are apparently on the table for future laptops.

Of course we can't take any of this as official yet, but given that the source has been verified by Reddit and has apparently been spot on with an Apple prediction before means we're taking these tips seriously. They also line up closely with rumors we've already heard about all these upcoming products.

Via 9to5Mac

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.