Apple will host its five-day annual Worldwide Developers Conference, its first big event of 2023, starting from June 5.
This year’s conference is going to be Apple’s “biggest and most exciting yet”, according to Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of worldwide developer relations.
The online event will be live streamed on the company's website and other platforms from its headquarters in Cupertino, California.
However, there will be an opportunity for developers, media and students to attend the event in person at Apple Park on Monday.
Industry experts believe the company will unveil the first look at its new upcoming operating systems for iPhones and other devices including tablets, smartwatches and Apple TV.
The company is also expected to provide a glimpse of new products and services – particularly the virtual reality headsets – that will be released in the months ahead.
Apple does not confirm upcoming product names and services ahead of its events, but here is what the iPhone maker is expected to announce during the event, based on leaks.
Apple’s long-awaited virtual reality headset
Apple is expected to offer a first glimpse of its long-awaited virtual reality headset, which is expected to be launched in the market in September.
With the new device, which will come with eye and hand-tracking systems, Apple is aiming to disrupt an industry that is currently dominated by Facebook’s parent company, Meta Platforms.
Expected to be priced at nearly $3,000 per device, this will be the new major product category from Apple since releasing its first smartwatch in 2015.
Codenamed N301, Apple’s virtual reality headset has been under development since 2015. A technology development group of nearly 2,000 engineers is working on the project.
The new headset, believed to be called the Reality Pro, will run on a new version mobile operating system, possibly known as xrOS, and use a new version of Apple’s M2 chip.
AI-driven health coaching service
Expanding its push into the health and wellness industry, Apple aims to introduce an artificial intelligence-driven coaching service as well as new technology for tracking emotions.
Code-named Quartz, the new coaching service is intended to motivate users to stay healthy, improve their eating patterns and sleep better, Bloomberg reported.
The company will use various AI technologies to process user data collected from Apple smartwatches to offer customised coaching plans based on a range of lifestyles.
Will the new iOS 17 open access to third-party apps?
Apple is likely to announce its latest operating system for iPhones – the iOS 17. The new software will help users to multitask and is expected to allow them to download apps directly from the web or through third-party outlets.
Called sideloading, the new feature, which will allow users to install apps outside the App Store, will help Apple to adhere to EU’s competition rules.
However, Apple is considering whether it should apply certain security and privacy requirements on apps and software available outside its App Store, according to a Bloomberg report.
"Such apps also may need to be verified by Apple – a process that could carry a fee," it added.
Software updates
The latest iPadOS 17 will come with live speech – a text-to-speech feature that can be used when talking to others, while the watchOS 10 will offer more health-related features and “notable changes” to the interface.
Apple is also expected to introduce tvOS 17 with minor upgrades.
All the updates will be followed by a round of beta testing before they are officially released later this year.
Several new Macs and M3 chip
Apple is expected to launch several new Macs during the annual developers conference on Monday, according to Bloomberg.
The company is testing high-end Macs that will be powered by the M2 Max and the upcoming M2 Ultra chips.
Apple is also reportedly working on its next M3 chips that will strengthen its position in the semiconductor industry.
The company is also expected to announce M3-powered MacBook Air and iMac devices that will be shipped to customers in the last quarter of the year.
New accessibility features
Apple has previewed various new accessibility features that it is expected to roll out during the annual conference next week.
These include detection mode for users with vision challenges, assistive access to give a customised experience while on a call or on the FaceTime app and live speech that will allow users to type a message and then have it spoken on phone.
Commonly used phrases can be saved so they can easily be accessed and sent during conversations.
Other activities
Besides the announcements of new products and services, Apple engineers and designers will host various activities online – on messaging platform Slack – to help developers engage in technical discussions, get answers to their questions, and connect with each other.
How can you watch the conference?
Live streaming will be available through apple.com, the Apple Developer app on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV and YouTube.
Users can also access the on-demand playback available after the conclusion of the live stream.
Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, is expected to kick off the keynote at 10am Pacific Time on Monday (9pm UAE time).
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What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
