Apple today announced the schedule for its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference. This year, WWDC will begin on June 10. We take stock of the main announcements that we can expect from Apple on iOS 18 and new products.
How to watch Apple's WWDC 2024?
While WWDC has always been a gathering for developers, anyone can tune into the event and see what Apple has in store through its announcements.
The entire conference will be broadcast online on Apple channels, including on the developer page. However, developers and students will be able to physically attend the first day of the conference.
What to expect at the Apple WWDC 2024 conference
During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce major updates to its operating systems. This includes iOS (iPadOS), watchOS, macOS, tvOS and visionOS. Not every new feature on each platform will be previewed, but you can still expect highlights for each.
iOS 18 and iPadOS 18
iOS 18 will be the star of this year's WWDC, and is shaping up to be one of the biggest software updates – if not the biggest – to hit iPhones (comparison). The heart of iOS 18 is artificial intelligence, and it will include on-device generative AI (GAI) features. It is also rumored to bring extensive home screen customizations and Apple has confirmed that it includes support for RCS.
The iPhone 16 should be the first to run iOS 18 before the update rolls out to other compatible iPhone models this fall. Currently, leaks suggest that iOS 18 will be available for iPhones updated with iOS 17.
As usual, iPadOS 18 is expected to share the same architecture as iOS 18. This means you can expect some new features to trickle down to iPads (comparison), although the availability of AI tools may be limited.
watchOS 11, macOS 15 and tvOS 18
watchOS 11 would be a minor update according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, which isn't a big surprise after watchOS 10 already introduced a significant update last year. However, it's possible that there will also be a major update to Siri via AI.
The same goes for macOS 15 which should equip many Mac and MacBook devices (comparison), the only major changes mentioned being AI. There isn't even a final name for macOS 15, but internally it's called “Glow.”
Known information on Apple's next operating system for its TV decoders and HomePod connected speakers (comparison) is also rare. It appears that tvOS 18 will receive major system changes to support upcoming HomePods with built-in displays. Once again, it could be infused with more AI-based features in Siri.
visionOS 2
Apple is supposed to smooth things over and improve the performance of the Vision Pro headset with visionOS 2. A recent report shed light on the fact that the Vision Pro will also support the Apple Pencil (comparison).
This means that headset users will be able to use the stylus for spatial computing with the headset. Therefore, Apple Pencil compatibility could probably be added to visionOS 2.
New Apple products
While it doesn't always happen, there's always a chance that Apple will unveil new products at WWDC 2024. Based on what we know, there haven't been any substantial developments on what we can wait on the hardware side.
Affiliate link
What are you most looking forward to from Apple's next WWDC?