Apple didn’t announce any new {hardware} at its WWDC 2025 keynote earlier this week, however eagle-eyed beta testers have been busily combing by the code for any references to imminent product launches. And so they haven’t searched in useless.
In response to 9to5Mac, Xcode 26—the newest model of Apple’s developer device for creating third-party apps—features a mysterious new “Imaginative and prescient Professional 4K” simulator. That in itself doesn’t seek advice from the specs of an upcoming mannequin, for the straightforward cause that the present Imaginative and prescient Professional has greater-than 4K output. (As Apple says on its product web page, the gadget provides “extra pixels than a 4K TV for every eye.”) Nevertheless it may trace at one thing else when you’re desperate to learn between the strains.
The important thing factor is that Xcode now provides two simulation modes for the Imaginative and prescient Professional: Imaginative and prescient Professional 4K and Imaginative and prescient Professional. Sure, the important thing change is that the simulator can now, for the primary time, output in 4K. However the outdated model continues to be there. Why? The logical clarification is that Apple is just giving devs high-res and lower-res choices in case they don’t have entry to the right {hardware} so that they’ll nonetheless be capable to take a look at their apps even when it’s not an ideal rendition of the present Imaginative and prescient Professional expertise. Or maybe the outdated mode in there as a result of Apple hasn’t bothered to do away with it but, what with all the brand new stuff being “beta” proper now.
The third, extra fantastical chance is that Apple has stored the non-4K mode round as a result of will probably be used sooner or later for a brand new Imaginative and prescient Professional mannequin with a decrease decision. That is already a widespread rumor, maybe as a result of it feels so needed: the Imaginative and prescient Professional is a deeply spectacular product however far too costly to be commercially profitable. Apple may simply compromise in a couple of areas, get the worth down, and nonetheless ship a high-quality expertise.
The primary drawback with this idea is that it’s untimely. Rumors at present maintain that the cheaper Imaginative and prescient Professional (simply plain Imaginative and prescient?) gained’t be with us till past 2027, and that the following mannequin we get can have barely higher specs than the present one–it definitely gained’t have a decrease decision. If the outdated low-res mode is supposed for the price range mannequin, it’ll most likely be hanging round till visionOS 27 and even 28—a quite very long time to spin within the rumor mill.
