WWDC – aka Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference – takes place every year in June, and it will happen again in June 2020. But in other respects this year will be very different.
On 13 March Apple announced that the health crisis required it to create “a new WWDC 2020 format that delivers a full programme with an online keynote and sessions”.
Many will be relieved that Apple hasn’t decided to cancel WWDC entirely, but going online-only will have significant consequences: think, for example, of the losses faced by local businesses who had planned for an influx of visitors. (In recognition of this, Apple has committed $1m to local organisations “to offset associated revenue loss”.)
That’s the major bombshell out of the way, but what else do you need to know about WWDC 2020? In this article we outline the dates of the event, how to watch the keynote speech, and the new products, software updates and other announcements to expect.
What is WWDC?
WWDC is a yearly Apple get-together for the software developer companies that create apps for its various platforms. Tim Cook opens proceedings by announcing changes and new features in the major operating systems (macOS, iOS, tvOS, watchOS and iPadOS); the rest of the week consists of networking events and workshops… although we’re not sure how that will work online.
The whole thing is theoretically for developers, then, but the opening keynote speech is big news for Apple fans around the globe. Everyone wants to get a teaser of the new features that will soon be added to their iPhones, Macs and other devices.
Software is the main focus, but in the past we’ve seen some major hardware announcements too. These tend to be high-end, professional machines rather than consumer-oriented products.
At WWDC 2017 Apple launched the iMac Pro, new MacBooks and iPads and the HomePod, for example. If you go further back Apple used to unveil new iPhones at WWDC – such as in 2010 when it revealed the iPhone 4 – but that would be a huge surprise this year.
When is WWDC 2020?
WWDC will run from 22-26 June 2020.
That’s a fortnight later than we expected; based on previous years (see below) we had predicted that WWDC would run from 8-12 June. It’s not clear if there’s any reason for the event happening slightly later in the month than usual. We assume it wasn’t anything to do with the UK Bank Holiday on 8 June.
- WWDC 2020: Starts Monday 22 June
- WWDC 2019: Monday 3 June
- WWDC 2018: Monday 4 June
- WWDC 2017: Monday 5 June
- WWDC 2016: Monday 13 June
- WWDC 2015: Monday 8 June
- WWDC 2014: Monday 2 June
- WWDC 2013: Monday 10 June
- WWDC 2012: Monday 11 June
- WWDC 2011: Monday 6 June
- WWDC 2010: Monday 7 June
Why has Apple changed the format for WWDC 2020?
Although Apple doesn’t mention it by name – it refers only to the “current health situation” – COVID-19 or coronavirus is the reason for WWDC going online-only this year.
Apple isn’t the only company to make changes due to coronavirus. Numerous other conferences have been cancelled (or made online-only) for the same reason. Fellow tech giants Microsoft, Facebook and Google have taken this step with various gatherings, and the E3 gaming event, which was scheduled for 9-11 June, has been axed too.
Beginning on 11 March Santa Clara County Public Health, which is Apple’s local body, issued a mandatory order banning public gatherings of 1,000 or more people, which would have made WWDC impossible in its usual form. Apple may have felt it had no choice but to alter the plan.
How do I watch WWDC?
Apple will stream the keynote over the internet so you will be able to watch WWDC on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac and other devices.
What will Apple launch at WWDC 2020?
We can confidently state that at WWDC 2020 Apple will tell us about the updates coming to Apple’s various operating systems. It’s also possible that the event will include new Macs, and news about the processors in future Macs. And it’s about time we heard about those over-ear headphones Apple’s been working on all this time.
But before we start with our predictions, let’s briefly recap the announcements at WWDC over the past few years:
Software
In terms of software previews at WWDC 2020, we expect the following:
iOS 14
Apple will announce and demonstrate iOS 14, before rolling out a developer beta version so devs can make sure their apps work properly with the new platform.
iOS runs on iPhones, so the yearly full-version update affects a lot of people. This year we expect Apple to focus on making the platform more reliable, but there will still be at least one headline new feature: rumours suggest this will be something to do with a built-in translator.
The good news is that iOS updates, like all of Apple’s OS updates, are free to install. And it’s expected that iOS 14 will run on any iPhone that can run iOS 13.
If you’re interested, we’ve got much more information about the new features coming in iOS 14.
macOS 10.16
There’s a lot of Mac owners out there, so the year’s macOS update is big news too. Here’s what we expect from the next version of macOS.
iPadOS
Ready for new features, iPad owners? We’ve got details of what we expect to see in iPadOS 14.
Other software
We will also hear about tvOS 14, watchOS 7 and a new version of HomePodOS. Apple may also speak about upcoming changes to its apps such as Pages, Numbers, Keynote, iMovie, Music and more.
Services bundle
Do you use any of Apple’s subscriber services? If so, you may have noticed that they’re not cheap. Subscribing to Apple Music, TV+, Arcade and News+ will set you back roughly £30/$30 a month.
It looks like Apple is about to unveil a cut-price bundle for those who want to use more than one of its services. The idea of a Apple Premium deal has been buzzing through the blogs for at least a year, but there’s real evidence this time: code in the iOS 13.5.5 beta which refers to a “bundle offer” and “bundle subscription”.
Hardware
Now for the hardware we could see at WWDC 2020.
Over-ear headphones
Apple’s said to be gearing up to launch a set of over-ear headphones. Find out more about the rumours surrounding the StudioPods.
Tag object tracker
There’s been evidence for this new product popping up for some time. It seems you will be able to attach the disc to keys, wallets and other important items and track it using the Find My app. Read more about these rumours here: Apple to unveil ‘Tag’ object tracker.
New HomePod or HomePod mini
We’re really hoping that Apple will launch a cheaper HomePod to help the company gain market share in the smart speaker space which is dominated by Amazon and it’s lower-priced Echo speakers, such as the £49.99 Echo Dot. Read more about the Mini HomePod and HomePod 2.
New-look iMac
With a design that dates back more than a decade, a change is well overdue for the iMac. We hope that WWDC 2020 will bring a new iMac with a bigger display (made possible by smaller bezels and a thinner ‘chin’), and the leaker Sonny Dickson has given us grounds for optimism. Read more about the 2020 iMac.
If Apple’s updating the iMac we could also see an update to the iMac Pro.
MacBook
Apple discontinued the MacBook in 2019, but we don’t think it’s the last we’ll see of the consumer Mac laptop. We believe that Apple has plans for a new Mac that will use an Apple-made processor and potentially combine some of the benefits of the iPad – and maybe even a touch screen.
We really hope Apple has something up its sleeve, and we think we could get a first look at this new MacBook at WWDC. Read all the latest rumours about the new MacBook.
New Mac processors
Let’s wrap up with news of a divorce. After a happy 15-year relationship, it looks like Apple and Intel are breaking up.
Apple, which already makes its own mobile chips, will announce at WWDC that it’s going to start making its own (ARM-based) Mac chips too.
