It’s once again time for Apple to carry its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, or WWDC, where it shows off the latest renditions of its operating systems for Macs, watches, iPhones, tablets, and TVs.
iOS 16 will arrive with “fresh Apple apps,” though it’s unclear whether that indicates new apps from Apple or a unique glimpse of existing apps. For iPadOS 16, he specifically told to multitasking improvements that could create the lineup a little better at being a laptop replacement.
It’s also conceivable that Apple will overhaul the notifications system, indicating that the company’s building on the Focus modes it presented with iOS 15. While Apple almost certainly won’t speak anything about the iPhone 14, the software features and APIs the business talks about at WWDC usually offer at least some hint about its future hardware.
If Apple initiates telling developers to design for a dynamic status bar, that’d be a solid hint that gossip about the iPhone 14 Pro ditching the notch is correct. In addition, iOS 16 could obtain an always-on lock screen.
It senses like something that may be locked to the next-gen iPhone, but there’ll be hints about it in the code and APIs. If his projections that the lock screen is obtaining “widget-like capabilities” are correct, you would see that as an adorable strong indicator about the iPhone 14 having an always-on display.
One thing worth watching is which devices are subsidized by iOS 16 — the iPhone 6S has obtained six updates, but that’s bound to end. Also, keep an ear out for any recognition of the accessibility updates Apple recently announced. While they’ve already been pretty detailed, they’ll probably at least get a word and possibly even a demo.
There aren’t a ton of gossip about watchOS, but Apple’s pretty compatible with what counts to the Apple Watch each year: some new workouts you can track, new fitness/health features, and new watch faces. 9to5Mac also conveys that an iPhone-like low-power mode could suggest more usability than the current power reserve mode.
Apple Watch mirroring with iPhone
We could potentially witness the accessibility features that Apple previewed before this month, including expanded Assistive Touch gestures that let you drive your fingers to do things like ending a call, taking a picture, and managing media or workouts.
Apple also guided a mirroring mode that allows you to see and control your watch’s screen from your phone. Apple stated that these features would be coming in software updates this year, and it appears likely that suggests they’d be in watchOS 9.
As for what the next rendition of macOS will bring, the buzzes have been very few and far between. However, there’s speculation it could get the iPhone’s Focus Mode component and that it may be called macOS Mammoth. Other than that, the only thing we’re genuinely anticipating to see is support for…
The current rumor is that Apple will introduce at least two new computers “around the middle of the year.” That prediction came alongside a list of computers that Apple’s reportedly functioning on, including a new Mac Pro, and refreshed laptop lineup, and a Mac Mini.
There have been buzzes of a redesigned MacBook Air floating around for a while, and Apple has vowed to introduce a Mac Pro with Apple silicon. So the latter appears ripe for a WWDC announcement. It’s the conference where Apple collects a big chunk of its pros and fans (e.g., the folks that would value a Mac Pro), and it’d be weird if it knocked the hardware at one event and didn’t declare it at the next.
As one of Apple’s more famous computers, the Air wouldn’t be out of business either. But neither would a Mac Mini, primarily provided the rumors that Apple’s looking to equip it with an M2 Pro processor.
They’re likely to feature Apple’s next-generation silicon detailed in the potentially in-progress Macs. While there aren’t many details on what improvements the M2 will bring, where better to go over all the technical information than at a developer conference?
While Apple’s continued to pump out new deviations of its chips, they’ve all been evolutions of the M1 design it reported over a year and a half ago. The company stated that it’s done introducing new M1 chips, so it appears possible that new computers would have to arrive with a new generation of chips.
Apple will show off a headset, presently rumored to be capable of virtual and augmented reality, featuring an array of cameras, a chip that’s about as powerful as a Mac, and reliable software called RealityOS.
It’s never actually occurred, but rumors are swirling that Apple’s getting close to revealing one after years of reportedly chaotic development. Apple’s board of directors just got to try out the headset, which happens shortly before consumers see it.
Apple was plotting to introduce the headset at WWDC, but there may have been delays that would stop that. Apple could always knock it, though — some people guess it’s already done so by incorporating a person sporting glasses in its Memoji iconography for the concert.