Apple will open the World Wide Developers Conference in less than two weeks. WWDC 2021 will also be held virtually this year. iOS 15, watchOS 8 and much more are expected. Below is an overview.
This year, WWDC begins on Monday, June 7. The date marks a return to the event's normal start date, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced Apple to postpone WWDC to late June last year. Other than that, Apple is sticking with its virtual format for WWDC 2021. The developer expo will kick off with a special event keynote at 7:00 PM ET. This event will be streamed "directly from Apple Park" and can be viewed on the Apple website, the Apple Developer app, the Apple TV app, and YouTube. (I'll remind you again on the day of the event.) Following the keynote, Apple will deliver its annual "Platforms State of the Union" address.
“Unprecedented access to Apple engineers and designers”
As has become the norm since last year, the WWDC keynote will be a pre-recorded video with high production values, beautiful videography of Apple Park, and appearances from several Apple executives and engineers. (Welcome to the modern age!) In addition to the keynote and State of the Union, WWDC 2021 will feature the Apple Design Awards—which will have a video component this year. There will also be pavilions for WWDC 2021, which Apple says will "provide an easy way for developers to explore relevant sessions, labs, and special activities for a specific topic." Apple will also create "Digital Lounges" for WWDC 2021. These "lounges" will feature text-based Q&A sessions as well as "special activities related to developer tools." Finally, WWDC 2021 will feature over 200 in-depth sessions, one-on-one labs, and more. This will give developers “unprecedented access to Apple engineers and designers,” the company said.
iOS 15 at a glance
As usual, we expect one of the biggest focuses of WWDC this year to be the iPhone with the launch of iOS 15. While last year saw a flurry of leaks about what to expect from iOS 14, this year Apple has done a better job of keeping things under wraps. Nonetheless, there are still some rumors about what Apple might have in store for iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. Most of the current details about iOS 15 come from an April Bloomberg report. In the report, Mark Gurman outlines a handful of features that could arrive with this year's update to iOS 15. One of Apple's particular focuses will reportedly be new ways to manage notifications.
The lock screen is also to be revised
The report explains that users will be able to set different notification preferences based on their current status, such as "working, sleeping, or custom categories." A menu to access these controls will reportedly be located in the Control Center and on the lock screen, which is set to be redesigned this year.
There will also be an option to set automatic replies to messages based on their status. This will be an improvement over the current auto-reply feature, which is currently only available while driving. Apple has added some unique notification features like Do Not Disturb and Sleep Mode. However, this will be the first time the company offers a system-wide feature to change notifications based on a user's status.
Apple is also reportedly working on changes to iMessage. The long-term goal is to make iMessage "more of a social network" and more like WhatsApp. However, it's unclear what new features will be introduced this year. Apple will also continue its focus on privacy with new features in iOS 15. The company is reportedly developing a feature that "shows users which apps are silently collecting data about them."
Apple has already announced new accessibility features
A separate report suggests that iOS 15 will also include built-in support for food tracking in the Health app. This could be similar to what third-party apps like MyFitnessPal and FoodNoms already offer—just built into the operating system. Other rumors suggest that a redesigned Control Center and support for dual biometric authentication could be coming later this year. Interestingly, Apple has already announced a handful of new accessibility features that Apple says are coming to the iPhone later this year. It's likely that these features, such as background noise, will arrive as part of iOS 15. In fact, it's possible that the screenshots shared by Apple even give a glimpse of design changes coming in iOS 15.
iPadOS 15 at a glance
As testing of the new iPad Pro has shown, an overhaul of iPadOS is long overdue. If Apple has an iPadOS overhaul in the works, we expect it to be announced at WWDC 2021 in June—logical, right?! Bloomberg has reported that iPadOS 15 will bring "the most significant update" to the iPad home screen since 2010. This update will allow users to place widgets anywhere on the iPad home screen, mimicking a feature introduced on the iPhone last year with iOS 14. With the M1 chip powering the new iPad Pro, there are a ton of potential changes Apple could have in store for iPadOS 15 this year. These include support for professional applications like Xcode and Final Cut Pro, a new multitasking system, and more. Whether these features will arrive this year remains to be seen. But they're at the top of many iPadOS users' wish lists.
watchOS 8 at a glance
For the Apple Watch, Apple will unveil watchOS 8 at WWDC this year. So far, we haven't heard any rumors about what changes Apple might have in store for the smartwatch this year, so there's nothing more to say at this point.
macOS 12 at a glance
There have been some questions about the naming of this year's macOS version. However, a reference found in Apple's WebKit documentation code in March seems to confirm that Apple will be moving to macOS 12 this year. The naming of macOS is getting particularly interesting this year, as Apple has jumped from macOS 10.15 Catalina to macOS 11 Big Sur, marking the first notable change to macOS naming conventions since the launch of mac OS X in 2000. Currently, there are few clues as to what might be new in macOS 12 this year. A Bloomberg report only suggested that this year's macOS version will be "minor" compared to last year's redesign.
tvOS 15 and HomePod
Rounding out the software platforms we expect Apple to update at WWDC 2021 is tvOS 15, which powers the Apple TV and HomePod. With the big HomePod discontinued, it remains unclear what new features we can expect from tvOS 15 this year. As in the case of watchOS 8, there's nothing more to note at this point.
New MacBook Pro
While WWDC is typically a software-focused event, hardware announcements are not uncommon. Last year, at WWDC 2020, Apple did not announce any new hardware. But at WWDC 2019, Cupertino unveiled the Mac Pro and its accompanying Pro Display XDR. In general, Apple keeps product unveilings at WWDC limited to those related to developers. But Jon Prosser claims to have learned from his sources that the new MacBook Pro will be unveiled during WWDC 2021. Apple's next MacBook Pro update is expected to bring a new design, Apple Silicon inside, and perhaps improved mini-LED display technology.
More connections and significantly more power
The new design is said to be slimmer, similar to the iPad Pro, and will reportedly be available in 14- and 16-inch display sizes. The "MacBook Pro" logo below the display is also rumored to be removed, while ports like HDMI and MagSafe are expected to return, along with an SD card slot. The Apple Silicon chip inside will likely be something similar to the "M1X." Bloomberg reports that it will have a 10-core design with eight high-performance cores and two high-efficiency cores. Apple will offer two variants of the chip, one with 16 GPU cores and another with 32 GPU cores.
Other hardware options
In addition to the MacBook Pro, Apple is also working on updates for the Mac mini, the larger-screen iMac, the MacBook Air, and the Mac Pro. Of these devices, the new Mac mini is the only one that could potentially be announced at WWDC. According to a recent report, the new Mac mini will have a redesigned chassis with an M1X processor inside. Since this is the same chip we expect to see in the redesigned MacBook Pro, it's possible that the new Mac mini will be unveiled at the same time. The new larger-screen iMac, the redesigned MacBook Air, and the Mac Pro are devices that are expected to follow later. Be that as it may, if you don't want to miss anything, you should download our app and activate push notifications. You can find all relevant articles in our separate event section - we look forward to seeing you.
Important note to our Apfelpatient Premium App users
If you don't want to miss anything software-related after WWDC 2021, be sure to subscribe to the "Personalization" section for iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS, and/or macOS. In addition to feature news, I'll also be providing tons of new tips throughout the summer that you can easily bookmark to be ready for the fall launch. By the way, did you know that Apple internally calls WWDC simply "Dub Dub"? The name is derived from the English word "double-u." So, the next "Dub Dub" is coming! (Image: Apple)
