Well, Apple’s WWDC 2023 keynote address is over, and while CEO Tim Cook’s hyping of the event as a landmark in Apple’s history is a little over the top, it had plenty to show off, including a new 15-inch MacBook Air, a peek at iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma… oh, and the Vision Pro AR headset. Our WWDC 2023 live blog has all the news as it came in, if you want to check it all out.
However, in the run-up to the event, there were plenty of rumors flying about hinting at other things Apple might show off… which didn’t happen in the end.
Whether that was because they were so outlandish there was little likelihood that they would have appeared, or because Apple changed its mind, we may never know, but here’s the list of the most notable absences that were rumored before the show.
1. M3 chip, where art thou?
There had been some rumors suggesting that Apple would announce a new M3 chip, along with new MacBooks at WWDC 2023.
This rumor never felt too believable to me, as the M2 chip was only launched last year, and the M2 Pro and M2 Max launched earlier this year.
So, an M3 launch seemed too early – a 2024 launch fits the schedule Apple introduced with the M1. After all, Apple wouldn’t want devices running M2 chips to feel outdated so quickly.
Even though I didn’t believe it would appear at WWDC 2023, there were enough M3-related rumors that I did doubt myself for a while. However, Apple didn’t announce a new M3 chip, just the M2 Ultra, which is made of two M2 Max chips, and I learned a valuable lesson: never doubt myself, I am always right.
2. M2 Extreme
Another no-show in the chip department was the M2 Extreme, which some rumors suggested could be shown off alongside a new Mac Pro.
The rumors suggested that while the M2 Ultra (which did show up) would be two M2 Max chips connected together, the M2 Extreme would be made up of two M2 Ultra chips.
This rumor was harder to believe, as that would mean you ended up with an extremely powerful chip that very few people would need, and an extremely high price tag that very few people could afford.
However, there was some logic to this rumor, as it suggested that Apple would want to differentiate between the Mac Studio and Mac Pro by making the M2 Extreme exclusive to the latter, therefore justifying the assumed price difference.
That didn’t happen, and Apple instead showed us a new Mac Studio and Mac Pro that both come with M2 Max or M2 Ultra chips, for similar performance. Only, the Mac Pro costs around $5,000 more than the already-expensive Mac Studio. Explain that one, Apple.
To be honest, this is one of the rumors I think actually would have made the showcase better.
3. No new iMacs
OK, this one hurts. Apple has been showing a lot of love to almost all of its Macs and MacBooks recently – even the extremely niche Mac Pro got an update!
But where’s the love for its iconic all-in-one PCs? The last iMac to be launched was the lovely 24-inch iMac back in 2021. This launch introduced a stylish new design in a selection of colors, and was powered by the then-new M1 chip.
So, an update that added the M2 chip at WWDC 2023 was a no-brainer, right? Well, seems Apple disagreed, as there was no mention of a new iMac model. This is particularly galling for people who want a larger iMac, as the 27-inch iMac last got a refresh in 2020 with an Intel chip – so there isn’t even a version powered by Apple silicon. The same goes for the iMac Pro.
When even the Mac mini is getting M2 goodness, this seems like a real shame, and I do hope Apple has some sort of announcement for iMac fans soon.
4. No new MacBook Air 13-inch
Many rumors about the 15-inch MacBook Air suggested that it would launch alongside a refreshed 13-inch MacBook Air.
Again, this seemed a bit far-fetched to me, as the MacBook Air 13-inch (M2, 2022) launched only last year, and brought a successful redesign. An update a year later seemed premature – these aren’t iPhones, where a yearly update is expected.
As soon as it became clear that Apple wasn’t going to announce the M3, this killed any likelihood of a new 13-inch MacBook Air at WWDC 2023, as if Apple wasn’t going to update it with an M3 chip, what would be the point?
When the M3 chip does inevitably launch, perhaps at WWDC 2024, then I’m sure a new 13-inch MacBook Air will be right there, alongside it.
5. A reason to buy Apple Vision Pro
Although Apple kept its Apple Vision Pro reveal until the very end of the WWDC 2023 keynote, there was little doubt after all the rumors, leaks, and speculation that its VR headset would appear.
However, as Tim Cook and co showed off their vision of augmented reality, or as Apple would like us to call it ‘spatial computing’, there was something clearly missing: a reason to buy one.
We got plenty of faked videos of what it might be like to use one – though having used plenty of VR headsets in the past, I can almost guarantee that it won’t actually be like that in real life – with some scenarios Apple presented leaving us with more questions than answers.
Apple wants us to use the Apple Vision Pro to make FaceTime calls with friends, showing a woman standing in a room where videos of her friends were floating about. But that meant that the friends were using normal webcams – and what would they see of the person using Apple Vision Pro?
There wasn’t anything that showed how this new device could make tasks like video calling, working on documents, or watching movies better than how we perform those tasks already.
I’m sure Apple could do that, and it has a year to change my mind (and many others who seem skeptical), but with a starting price of $3,499, it’ll have its work cut out to make the case for buying the headset.
