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Apple will host WWDC 2024 from June 10, showcasing future updates to its operating system and maybe even new hardware . There are still rumors about this.
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is the company's opportunity to talk about future software and hardware changes that will occur across various platforms.
The event, which usually takes place in early June, has evolved from a primarily in-person gathering to an online event. One that helps developers know what's on the horizon and how to write applications to take advantage of new technologies.
The event mainly focuses on software, specifically the major releases of Apple's operating systems, which will be released in the fall along with the new iPhone models. However, Apple is also known to be introducing new hardware.
With Apple Vision Pro launching in early 2024, as well as major changes in iOS 17 due to European regulations, this year's WWDC should be an event everyone should pay attention to.
Naturally, the rumor mill has expectations for what Apple will unveil during the event. This is exactly what was rumored in various sources of information and reports several months before the event itself.
When will WWDC 2024 take place?
In March 26 June Apple confirmed that it will host WWDC starting on June 10 and running until June 14.
The announced date largely follows the usual WWDC schedule in early June. The exception since 2007 is 2020, which took place at the end of June.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference was held largely virtually, Apple took steps to bring back the human element to the event. As has been the case for the past few years, Apple is holding a one-day event at Apple Park on Monday, June 10th.
This in-person event will include a Keynote viewing party, sessions with Apple experts, and other special events held at Apple Park.
Software – iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, tvOS 18, watchOS 11, VisionOS 2
The main reason is software provision Given the existence of WWDC, and following Apple's previous WWDC announcements, the next batch of Apple operating systems will be a big deal for the event.
As per Apple's usual naming conventions, they should be called iOS 18, iPadOS 18, tvOS 18, and watchOS 11. While we know that macOS will be version 15 this time around, we won't know the name of the Sonoma sequel until the keynote.
Operating system updates for all Apple hardware will be presented at WWDC
Another operating system will be presented: VisionOS.
The Apple Vision Pro operating system is still in version 1 and has undergone many changes in its relatively short life. Apple will certainly review VisionOS during the event, likely with a move to version 2.
Apple AI and accessibility changes
Early October rumors suggested that the iOS 18 release would be more AI-focused than Apple initially expected. This apparently included building an internal chatbot called “Apple GPT” and testing generative AI for internal customer service tools.
With iOS 18 in particular, it is believed that Apple will incorporate artificial intelligence into its various services, for example helping users write in Pages or create slides in Keynote.
This work will naturally contribute to the development of Siri, including improvements to how Siri asks questions and how Messages automatically completes sentences.
For developers, this AI work may include assistance in the Xcode development environment using artificial intelligence to predict and complete blocks of code. This can make coding easier for developers and even help with tedious tasks such as generating code for testing applications.
Xcode could get new AI capabilities at WWDC 2024
These AI changes could even extend to Apple's iWork collection of apps after purchasing some related domains. Apple researchers have even created tools to generate images, both static and animated.
There have also been rumors that Apple may offer more than just its own artificial intelligence features in its future operating systems. Various commentators believe that Apple has been in talks with several artificial intelligence companies about potentially offering access to artificial intelligence applications in an expanded AI app store.
Apple has also reportedly spoken to Google and Baidu about potential AI processing help.
There were rumors about incoming accessibility features in iOS 18 and macOS 15 in March, which suggested that elements like voice commands that match accessibility features to spoken phrases could be coming in the near future. Live Speech and Personal Voice for Live Speech can get categories, helping users quickly find frequently used phrases.
Improved font management in operating systems will also help users adjust font sizes across multiple applications at once, rather than requiring changes to be made on a per-application basis.
Apple may also add more Home screen customization options in iOS 18, although what exactly that entails hasn't been suggested in the rumors.
As for which devices should run iOS 18, one source claims that it will be identical to iOS 17. As for the iPad OS, it supposedly won't support the A10X Fusion chip or earlier. which reduces the list of iPads that will support it.
If true, iPadOS will work on iPad Pro models released in 2018 or later, iPad Air and iPad mini starting in 2019, and iPad models starting in 2020.
On the other hand, there have been claims that Apple is making iOS 18 more similar to VisionOS. A February report expressed doubts that this would happen, but the iOS changes would still be “ambitious and compelling.”
Hardware – New Macs
Although it is mostly software, Apple makes major hardware announcements that are aimed more at developers than consumers. This usually means upgrading products like Mac Studio and Mac Pro.
Rumor has it that an updated Mac Studio with M3 Ultra will arrive in mid-2024, which will coincide with the announcement at WWDC.
Mac Studio could receive M3 Ultra updates at WWDC
If previous iterations are anything to go by, the M3 Ultra will actually have two M3 Max chips connected via an interconnect. This means it will have twice as many individual chip components as the M3 Max chip.
While there have been rumors of an update to the Mac Studio, the same cannot be said for the Mac Pro.
One report in December suggested that Apple could release an update for Mac Studio and Mac Pro towards the end of 2024, meaning they could skip WWDC entirely. However, the January Mac Studio report didn't mention the Mac Pro at all.
Given that the Mac Pro update was seen by the company as a major mistake, Apple has both a reason to update the Mac Pro to win back users and to leave it alone for a while and focus on Mac Studio.
WWDC is also home to the introduction of entirely new product categories, which included the Apple Vision Pro in 2023. At this early stage, it's unlikely that any major changes will be made to the headset, but it will likely be discussed at some point.
