Apple in 2023: An Unexpectedly Less Predictable Year

It has been an absolutely off-the-wall year for Apple news. I was genuinely impressed by how many surprises the company packed into 2023 and I'm not just talking about the usual upgraded iPhones and MacBooks. I've been a tech reporter for over 15 years and Apple is a company that often feels predictable to me.

Apple made decisions that rocked our world this year, entering new areas of business, bringing products back that we once thought were goners and taking risks on entirely new software and hardware.

Read more: Best iPhone of 2023

Apple threw a ton of unexpected news nuggets our way. So let's look back at the biggest Apple news that happened in 2023 and the stories that will shape our world going forward.

Vision Pro becomes a reality

There's no bigger story for Apple this year than the Vision Pro headset. It was rumored and reported on for years, but Tim Cook finally debuted it to the world in June at Apple's developer conference WWDC.

But, it's not quite done yet. We got a preview of what it will look like and even the $3,499 starting price. We learned some things you can do wearing it, how you'll control it and what you'll look like wearing it. But we did not see Tim Cook or any Apple executive use it. Only a select group of reporters, including CNET's Scott Stein, have experienced it in brief demos. The headset even has its own software called VisionOS.

What makes the Vision Pro extra special is that there's been so much buildup. But it's not the first time we've waited for a new Apple product to launch after its announcement. The first iPhone was announced at MacWorld in January 2007, but didn't launch for another six months. When the iPad was announced in January 2010, it wasn't released until April and the Apple Watch was unveiled in September 2014 but went on sale seven months later.

The past six months have included a lot of Vision Pro teases and developer testing. The tech involved does make it a more ambitious product than the first iPhone, iPad or Watch. While there's still a lot to learn about how it works in the real world, you can be certain that the Vision Pro is going to shape every Apple conversation in some fashion for the foreseeable future. Now, we just have to patiently wait until it is ready to launch in early 2024.

More about the Vision Pro:

• Apple Vision Pro Hands-On: Far Better Than I Was Ready For
• Apple iPhone Spatial Video Looks Amazing on Vision Pro
• How the iPhone and Snoopy Get Us Into a Vision Pro Mindset
• The Apple Vision Pro Is a Dystopian Device for a Dystopian World

Apple Pay Later and later, Goldman Sachs

Apple also launched two new financial products. The first was a high-yield savings account for Apple credit card customers. Then there was the rollout of Apple Pay Later that gives people the option to pay for purchases with a series of four installments over the course of six weeks.

But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for Apple financial news. Reports show that Goldman Sachs lost billions of dollars trying to build out their operation for the Apple Card. In November, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is pulling the plug on its credit card partnership with Goldman Sachs, giving the investment bank a proposal for how to exit its contract over the next 12 to 15 months. 

Next year, we could find out which company will be taking over Apple's credit card and savings account business. Chase and American Express are a couple of the names analysts hope are in the running.

But it's not great to announce a new product like the Apple Card savings account and read news that your partner wants to leave the deal all in the same year.

More on the Apple Card and Apple Pay Later:

• Apple Proposes an End to Goldman Sachs Partnership
• Apple Savings Account May Bite Into Big Banks
• Is Apple's High-Yield Savings Account Worth It?
• Apple Pay Later Makes Its Debut in the US

Apple Music Classical scores a hit

Apple's music streaming service took things up an octave and launched Apple Music Classical as an additional perk for current Apple Music subscribers. The project tackles a complicated problem in the streaming world: Find a way to present and organize classical music libraries intelligently, while dealing with over 5 million tracks that span hundreds of years in different styles. A single famous composition can, itself, have hundreds of recordings, and the process can be further complicated by the fact that people need to be able to search for it in different languages.

At launch, I felt Apple made something enjoyable for classical music lovers and for folks who just want to discover new stuff. I wish it wasn't a separate app from Apple Music. But it had to be its own app because classical music has different data fields from pop. I doubt this is Apple's coda for classical music and I'm curious if we'll hear more about how the app will evolve its offerings next year.

More on Apple Music Classical:

• Apple Music Classical Gets Its Own App
• Apple's New Classical Music App Is Cool, But I Have a Few Notes
• Apple's Mysterious New Music App

Shot on iPhone, USB-C on iPhone

The iPhone had its own slew of changes and additions that shook up the norm. On the iPhone 15, Apple made the switch from lightning to USB-C charging ports. That happened because the European Union adopted a law that made USB-C charging mandatory on all phones and other small devices by 2024. That change alone will shape how we spend money on charging cords and other related accessories that get updated.

But there could be another large change coming to your iPhone next year. As first reported by 9to5Mac, the iPhone will support RCS messaging in 2024. That means texts between Android and Apple users can show typing indicators, read receipts and even be more secure.

This also was the first year we saw an entire Apple presentation video that was shot on iPhone. The Scary Fast October event was recorded with iPhone 15 Pro Max cameras. Apple was transparent on how it used a lot of professional gear to make that magic happen, but it showed any doubters that the iPhone 15 Pro really can do it all. 

More on the iPhone 15:

• iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max review
• iPhone 15 and 15 Plus review
• I'm Stoked For the iPhone's USB-C Port. But There Are Downsides
• Apple's iMessage Block Just Part of Bigger Blue/Green Bubble Saga
• Apple Resolves iPhone Overheating Issues in Latest iOS 17 Update

The HomePod strikes back

This year saw the surprising return of the HomePod speaker. Apple's original smart home speaker debuted in 2018 for $350. A price cut followed, and in 2021 Apple said it was discontinuing the device, shifting focus to the more colorful and more affordable HomePod Mini.

But in January, Apple took us all by surprise with the introduction of a second-gen model of the HomePod. It looks nearly identical to the original, but changes on the inside improved the sound. The company has been presenting the speakers as something that makes for a better home theater experience with the Apple TV 4K box.

This proves that Apple could make anything return. Will the iPod make a comeback? Hey, it could happen, but it may take a different form.

More on the HomePod:

• 2023 HomePod Review
• 2018 HomePod Review
• Is Technology Bad Now or Has the Magic Just Gone for Me?

A FineWoven mess

In 2023 Apple pushed to do more for the environment. It pledged to make all its products carbon neutral by 2030 with the Apple Watch being the company's first carbon neutral product. The fineprint here is that you have to buy Apple's sport loop fabric band made with recycled materials for your Apple Watch.

Apple also said it's making the iPhone with more recycled materials and that it had stopped selling leather accessories in stores. It released a replacement product called FineWoven. The pitch was that a FineWoven case would be a more environmentally friendly alternative to a leather iPhone case as it's made of 68% postconsumer recycled content.

But when Apple makes a product to replace leather and it costs $60, high hopes follow. Once we got the case in our hands, things quickly went south. The FineWoven case doesn't feel as nice as a leather one and it gets marked up easily, leading to a big ol' FineWoven flop for Apple.

I hope this doesn't deter Apple from tinkering in this space. It's important for Apple to make more of its products and accessories environmentally friendly. The FineWoven debacle was more a lesson in marketing and pricing if anything else.

More on Apple's environmentally friendly approaches:

• My iPhone's FineWoven Case Had a Rough Week, and It Shows
• The iPhone 15's First Week Is Not So FineWoven
• Apple Ditches Leather for Environmentally Friendly Materials
• How Green Is Apple? A Closer Look at the iPhone-Maker's Sustainability Credentials

Apple's major push into sports gets Messi

Last year, Apple made a huge investment to make Apple TV Plus the home of major league soccer. It's the only place you can stream all MLS games for the next 10 years. The deal reportedly cost Apple $2.5 billion. But there was a surprise twist.

This year global soccer superstar Lionel Messi joined MLS and moved to Florida to play on the Inter Miami team. This guy led Argentina to a World Cup title last year. Apparently, Apple played a role in bringing him over. It's reported that Apple enticed Messi to move to Miami by paying him a cut of revenue from new subscribers to Apple TV's MLS Season Pass.

But there was a bit of a hitch: Messi got a hamstring injury in September and couldn't play for four games, almost half of the season. As a result, Inter Miami didn't make the playoffs. Still, it's the kind of Apple news that makes the whole industry think different, both in the world of sports and in streaming.

More on Apple TV Plus and MLS:

• MLS Season Pass Review
• MLS Season Pass on Apple TV: How to Watch and StreamHow Apple's Mixed Reality Headset Could Immerse You in Sports
  

CNET's Patrick Holland contributed to this story.

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

+31 More

See all photos