Apple Reportedly Has Secretive 'Startup' Team Working on Experimental Technologies for Future Devices
Apple's secretive Exploratory Design Group is working on a range of next-generation technologies, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
In his most recent newsletter, Gurman revealed new information about Apple's Exploratory Design Group, known as "XDG" inside the company. The team is apparently highly secretive, even by Apple's notoriously high standards. People working on one project within the group are not permitted to communicate about their work with other members of XDG that are tasked with a different project. Individuals are also organized by skill set rather than specific projects, meaning that XDG members often work on several different projects simultaneously.
The Exploratory Design Group operates as a startup within Apple and is made up of only a few hundred people, mostly engineers and academic types. That's a far cry from the many hundreds of people in the Special Projects Group, which is focused on Apple's self-driving car, or the more than a thousand engineers in Apple's Technology Development Group, the team building the mixed-reality headset.
XDG also receives significant financial resources and members are encouraged to work on projects until they can determine whether or not an idea is viable, rather than "churn out" new features for devices like the iPhone.
Last week, Gurman revealed that XDG was behind Apple's recent breakthrough with non-invasive blood glucose monitoring technology. The group is said to be actively working on next-generation display technology, artificial intelligence, low-processor technologies, next-generation batteries for smartphones, and health features for headset devices to help people with eye diseases. Chip and battery technologies developed by XDG have purportedly already shipped in iPhone, iPad, and Mac models for several years.
Popular Stories
In 2025, Apple is expected to discontinue the iPhone "Plus" device in its iPhone 17 lineup to make way for an iPhone "Slim" – although it may not actually be called this when it debuts in the fall of next year. Even though the iPhone 16 series launch is still over two months away, when you consider that we learned about larger displays on the iPhone 16 Pro models way back in May 2023, rumors...
Code discovered in Apple's backend by Nicolás Alvarez and shared with MacRumors confirms Apple's plans to release four iPhone 16 models this year, and it indicates that the devices will all have the same A-series chip. There are mentions of new model numbers that are not associated with existing iPhones, and that have the numbering scheme Apple uses for its flagship devices. The code...
The Apple Watch Series 10 will feature a larger display and a new chip, but new health monitoring features for the device are now in question, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the design of the Apple Watch Series 10 is "unlikely to look much different" to its predecessor, but it will be thinner. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch...
Best Buy this weekend is offering a big selection of discounts on Apple's late 2023 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, with up to $500 off select models. These deals are available to all shoppers and do not require a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps...
Code discovered on Apple's backend by MacRumors confirms Apple is indeed working on a long-rumored home accessory in addition to the HomePod and Apple TV. The code references a device with the identifier "HomeAccessory17,1," which is a new identifier category. The name is similar to the HomePod's "AudioAccessory" identifier. Interestingly, the 17,1 in the identifier name suggests that...