A render of what the iPhone Fold could look like – Image Credit: AppleInsider
Apple’s release list in 2027 could be massive, with major product launches that year expected to include the iPhone Fold and the first attempt at Apple Glass.
Apple is constantly working on research and development for new products to add to its roster. While some don’t pan out, such as the billions plowed into the Apple Car project, others stand a much better chance of extending Apple’s product catalog.
In Sunday’s “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg, Apple’s probable product roadmap for 2027 is outlined. The year is set to be packed with the usual upgrades, including its iPhone, iPad, and Mac lines, but also more experimental pushes into entirely new product categories.
The selection is quite varied and covers a majority of previously reported-on prospects for the company.
iPhone Fold and a second smartphone
The first category in the list is arguably the most probable. The long-rumored iPhone Fold, Apple’s first foldable mobile device, is expected to be on the market by 2027, and form one of Apple’s major two-decade anniversary initiatives for the iPhone.
Gurman believes the main unique factor for the model will, understandably, be its folding capability, with it anticipated to lack the usual display crease. It is expected that the crease will be practically invisible to users.
Previous rumors say it will have a 7.8-inch internal folding display, while the outside screen will be 5.5 inches in size. It’s also anticipated to cost consumers around $2,300 when it eventually ships.
The second iPhone-specific introduction is said by Gurman to be a mostly glass curved iPhone. The model, which will mark the ten-year anniversary of the iPhone X, will use a design seemingly without any cutouts in the display.
An under-display camera system has been rumored for quite some time, but has frequently not appeared in the standard iPhone lineup. An appearance in a special anniversary-edition model is entirely plausible, if still a challenging design to implement.
Smart glasses and cameras everywhere
Apple’s first attempt at Apple Glass is also thought to be coming out the same year, if not the end of 2026. However, it’s not expected to be the fully-fledged version with augmented reality, but one with more muted capabilities.
It is expected to be similar in concept to the Meta Ray-Bans, smart glasses with imaging and audio capabilities as well as connection to a digital assistant. Where Apple should excel is in its design expertise and its work in miniaturization, which should result in an interesting minimalist design.
Apple may also offer better processing performance for its eyewear. It is reportedly working on customized chips made specifically for the challenging requirements of smart glasses.
Even with the design challenges, Apple is expected to be hard at work making it a reality. It’s apparently a top priority for CEO Tim Cook.
The glasses are expected to have Apple Intelligence, which will use onboard cameras to capture images of the local environment, gathering data that could be used to answer queries. This would effectively be similar to the existing Visual Intelligence function.
To feed more visual data to Apple Intelligence and the glasses, Apple is also expected to introduce AirPods and Apple Watch models. The new versions are believed to include cameras, which could support the versions on the glasses in queries.
More Apple Intelligence
For Apple Intelligence, there are two apparent changes on the 2027 horizon. On the performance side, it’s anticipated that Apple is developing new processors for AI servers, improving cloud-based processing for queries.
On a more consumer-facing level, Siri could finally get its big overhaul to use large language models, similar to those used by generative AI and chat services like ChatGPT. The change should introduce a more conversational experience, with more nuanced responses to queries.
This massive overhaul of Siri is taking a lot longer than Apple had hoped to achieve, causing it to make managerial changes. This has also led to a shift in development for Siri to a team that worked on the Apple Vision Pro.
Robotics
The least likely of Mark Gurman’s list to appear in 2027 is robotics. The push is said to include a tabletop device with a robot arm, which has previously been raised as part of a smart home hub.
That device will apparently include its own AI assistant and personality, which would be a first beyond Siri.
Apple teased this as a potential future product through a Machine Learning Research paper and video, featuring a robot lamp with Pixar logo-like movements. The paper demonstrated that it could have a “personality” in movement to communicate through non-verbal means to the user, as well as to encourage endearment.
Gurman’s list covers a wide array of products and devices supposedly in development and repeatedly reported on in the past. However, while the prospects of a 2027 release for any or all of the items are favorable, it’s entirely possible for Apple to delay or outright cancel products before that time.
