Sources: Apple plans to unveil its “Reality Pro” headset this spring, before WWDC; the new Mac Pro will look like the 2019 model but lose user-upgradeable RAM

2023 is set to be the year of Apple's mixed-reality headset and not much else. Also: The company hikes battery-replacement costs …

Bloomberg 2023-01-09 Mark Gurman

Context & Ripple Effects

Apple had already been accelerating work on its mixed-reality headset and renaming its software platform xrOS, making the reported spring timetable a move from internal development toward a public product program. Later coverage of a demo for Apple’s top executives reinforces that the headset had become a senior-priority launch effort.

The Mac Pro detail points in the opposite direction for Apple’s desktop line: a familiar external design paired with less customer serviceability. That contrast matters because Apple is advancing a new computing category while further standardizing a flagship machine for existing professional buyers.

First-order effects

Apple’s mixed-reality team gains a pre-WWDC unveiling target, putting the headset and xrOS at the center of the company’s near-term product narrative.
Mac Pro buyers would lose the ability to expand RAM themselves, shifting memory configuration choices to the point of purchase.

Second-order effects

The reported postponement of lightweight AR glasses concentrates Apple’s extended-reality roadmap on a mixed-reality headset and a later lower-cost model rather than an immediate glasses product.
Professional Mac customers that value post-purchase hardware expansion face a more integrated system design, narrowing the distinction between the Mac Pro’s configurability and Apple’s other tightly controlled hardware.

Third-order effects

If Apple maintains this product direction, its spatial-computing strategy will develop first through mixed-reality headsets rather than lightweight AR glasses, with lower-cost variants following the high-end device.
The pairing of a new headset platform with a less-upgradeable Mac Pro signals a broader Apple product approach centered on fixed configurations and software-defined capabilities rather than user-modified hardware.

The trend: Apple is concentrating its next platform bet on tightly integrated mixed-reality hardware while further reducing end-user hardware modularity in its professional Macs.

Discussion

@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
Power On: Apple is planning to debut the Reality Pro mixed-reality headset this spring, ahead of WWDC, and ship it later in the year. The push to launch — along with the economy — will lead to an otherwise muted 2023 for Apple. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
An update on the first Apple Silicon Mac Pro: In addition to canceling a high-end M2 Extreme configuration, the machine will look identical to the 2019 Intel model but will lack user-upgradeable RAM. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@vadimyuryev Vadim Yuryev on x
These are all features destined for AR glasses. We're just getting them early as an iPhone beta test. https://twitter.com/...
@scobleizer Robert Scoble on x
This is important. Because of how Apple does PR there are only two journalists/analysts I listen to when it comes to Apple and @markgurman is one of them. It is a signal from highest levels of Apple that Spring is now scheduled announce date. https://twitter.com/...
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on x
I'll forever respect Tim Cook's long term strategizing for deciding to compete with Oculus and first laying the groundwork by specifically targeting Meta's business model so aggressively it led to cost cuts. I'd hate to play chess against him. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@classicii_mrmac Mr. Macintosh on x
Apple kept the same Mac Pro case design when they transitioned from G5 to Intel. Not being able to upgrade the ram is disappointing, yet understandable due to its on chip memory design. The board will likely be half the size of the intel board. Will it look like the old MP DTK? h…
@jamespmcleod James McLeod on x
Every augmented reality implementation really feels like a solution in search of a problem. If I've got to pull out my phone and launch an app and stuff, why wouldn't I just look up the specs and pricing on the website rather than trying to read it in an AR interface? https://twi…
@andrewhartar Andrew Hart on x
Mark Gurman says Apple will launch a Reality Pro headset this spring. - Introduction in spring, developer APIs revealed at WWDC in June - OS to be named “xrOS” (that's what Gurman says!) - Device to be named “Reality Pro” https://www.bloomberg.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@rjonesy Ryan Jones on x
Good grief, Gurman knows Apple's entire 2023. 🫣 Reality Pro headset 🙌 15" MBA 😏 iPhone 15 USBC, titanium, periscope 😏 Medium HomePod 😴 iOS 17 😴 Watch spec bump 😴 Mac Pro spec bump 😴 iPad spec bump https://twitter.com/...
@patrickmoorhead Patrick Moorhead on x
Apple's M architecture gets a lot of its PPW advantage from a very tightly coupled memory subsystem. Challenge it creates is that is very, very hard to have that *and* expandable RAM. More important for creators where RAM matters. Creates supply chain issues, too. https://twitter…
@vadimyuryev Vadim Yuryev on x
Reusing the same chassis makes the most financial sense. Buyers who care about performance for their businesses and studios don't care about a new design. The lack of M2 Extreme is disappointing. Sounds like this chip didn't scale well at all. Let's hope for M3 Extreme later. htt…
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
Besides the headset, the other major new device in '23'will be the iPhone 15. As has been rumored, these are indeed the new features: the Dynamic Island across all models, titanium + haptic volume buttons and Periscope cam on the Pros, USB-C and new chips. https://www.bloomberg.c…
@ishanagarwal24 Ishan Agarwal on x
It's time y'all — the Reality Pro mixed-reality headset from Apple may be unveiled in Spring, before WWDC. Will be the first time Apple enters into a whole new category after Apple Watch. It's gonna be expensive though, as per past reports. I have high expectations! https://twitt…
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
Updates to the iPad, AirPods and Apple Watch in 2023 will be minimal, while the major new Mac will be a 15-inch MacBook Air. There won't be a new Apple TV this year and the new HomePod is a cheaper version of the original model. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
Apple has started seeding its headset to a small group of third-party developers to begin working on apps for the device and xrOS. It will talk up developer tools at WWDC in June. https://www.bloomberg.com/...

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