New MacBook Air in, AR/VR headset out as likely WWDC22 announcements

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Product Red Macbook Air Concept
Product Red Macbook Air Concept (Image credit: u/17parkc)

What you need to know

  • Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has poured cold water on the prospect of a new mixed reality headset being announced during WWDC.
  • A refreshed, M2-powered MacBook Air could see its debut during the WWDC opening keynote.

Apple's WWDC opening keynote is now just a week away and while it isn't unheard of for Apple to share news of upcoming hardware at its developer conference, it isn't the rule, either. In terms of this year's event, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that we shouldn't get too excited about the idea of Apple showing off its mixed reality headset — but the new MacBook Air is a different kettle of fish.

Writing in his weekly Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Gurman says that while it's possible that Apple could show off its fabled mixed reality headset, it isn't something that we should pin our hopes on. Apple has already reportedly shown the headset to members of the board, suggesting that it is nearing an official announcement.

In terms of new hardware, we won't see that iPhone 14 with the always-on screen until September. And 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.

But there's more hope in terms of a new MacBook Air, with Gurman pointing out that developers have been seeing the device appear in their app reporting for some time now. The new machine, set to be powered by next-generation Apple silicon, could get its first outing next week.

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.

A refreshed MacBook Air could well be the best Mac for a ton of people, but with Apple continuing to battle supply chain issues across its Mac lineup, actually being able to buy one of the new machines might not be as easy as it would like.

Apple will hold its WWDC22 opening keynote online next Monday, June 6 and we expect to see iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13, tvOS 16, and watchOS 9 break cover. All of the new software will be released later in the year, likely in or around September.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.