Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered the keynote address at the World 2020 Apple Developers Conference (WWDC) at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California, June 22, 2020.
Brooks Craft Apple, Inc. | through Reuters
Apple CEO Tim Cook will unveil the latest versions of Apple’s iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch and TV software on Monday to launch WWDC, Apple’s annual developer conference.
The new “bits,” as attendees often call updates, are Apple’s biggest software release of the year and set the public strategy for Apple’s platform over the next 12 months. For example, iOS 16, as Apple is expected to call the new iPhone and iPad software, may include improved notifications, a redesigned lock screen and updates to the Messages and Health apps, according to a Bloomberg News report.
But Apple’s long-announced mixed-reality headset is unlikely to debut next week.
WWDC, which means Worldwide Developers Conference and is called “Dub Dub”, is strategically important for Apple, even if the company does not announce new hardware.
Apple’s financial results depend on support from third-party software developers such as those who visit the WWDC. Without a serious selection of updated, high-quality applications, the value of Apple’s consumer and consumer platforms is likely to decline, which will ultimately hurt sales. Apple also generates up to $ 20 billion a year from software sales in its App Store.
Apple platform software, such as iOS apps, typically uses different programming tools or frameworks than other major platforms such as Microsoft’s Windows, Google’s Android, or the web. Apple prompted programmers to get excited about these technologies through an ad-filled keynote speech to launch the conference, a more technically-oriented presentation called “State of the Union’s Platforms” later that day, and then a week of class-like sessions. individual one meeting where developers can get feedback and guidance from Apple engineers.
The biggest difference this year for WWDC is that it will include a personal component after being completely virtual for two years. The change is subtle – the main presentation with announcements of new products will still be pre-recorded and developers from around the world can still attend the conference sessions in practice.
But this year, Apple invited several hundred software developers, members of the press and students at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, to watch the video presentation, tour the campus and talk in person with some of the people who created the software. It’s not like the 6,000 visitors who traveled to San Jose for the WWDC before the pandemic, but it’s another sign that things are back to normal after two years of virtual product announcements. Apple employees were due to return to the office this spring after nearly two years of work, mostly from home during the Covid pandemic.
The personal event at WWDC this month lays the groundwork for an autumn launch, where Apple will showcase new phones and perhaps even high-end mixed-reality headsets to live audiences to get instant hands-on feedback from the press and partners. Just like in the old days.
New software is coming
Apple sometimes unveils new WWDC hardware, but the products are usually expensive, powerful, and aimed at developers – usually Macs, who are needed to build iPhone applications.
The last time Apple announced WWDC hardware products was in 2019, when it released the Mac Pro for $ 6,000 and a monitor for $ 5,000. He previously announced updates for Mac desktops and laptops in 2017.
Apple may reveal the successor to the WWDC’s M1 processor. Earlier, at a product launch event, it was annoying that a high-end model called the Mac Pro with a chip designed by Apple was coming. The “M2”, as it may be called, will be the next generation processor for the Mac and may appear in a redesigned MacBook Air, according to Bloomberg.
At the very least, discussing progress on Apple’s processors would be appropriate for a developer conference. Apple initially announced its move to its own WWDC processors in 2020.
Apple’s next major product category, augmented or mixed reality hardware, is unlikely to emerge.
Apple can talk about new applications and software that lay the groundwork for mixed-reality headphones or a pair of augmented reality glasses, and often announce updates to its WWDC’s augmented reality software, ARKit. (Augmented reality displays computer-generated images on transparent lenses that allow users to see the real world, while mixed reality is a fully immersive virtual reality experience, but with external cameras showing real-world images from the outside.)
But new product categories usually get their own launch events instead of being included in the WWDC, and the headphones are reportedly not yet in mass production.
Major software updates are a better bet. In previous years, Apple announced a new version of its iOS software at WWDC in June, released a public beta for early adopters and testers later in the month, and then released the final version of the software along with the new iPhones in September.
While the iPhone has the most users and the most important App Store, updates to other Apple software platforms, including the iPad, Watch and TV, often receive as much attention on the WWDC.
In particular, the iPad may undergo major changes. It is reported that iPadOS 16 may include the ability to resize windows on the go, which would make the device more attractive to experienced users who like to perform many tasks. Currently, users can run two applications side by side, but the ability to customize floating windows would make it more like MacOS.
Apple TV, Apple TV, may receive an update that will make it more useful as the heart of a smart home, according to Bloomberg. Apple Watch received new hardware last year with a physically larger screen, and its software is due to an update that includes new faces on the watch to take advantage of the larger screen.
One Apple product that will attract a lot of attention next week is Swift, the company’s open source programming language, which was introduced in 2014. Invitations sent to developers and the media included graphics with a large Swift logo and one of The slogan for the conference is “Fast Approaching”.
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