Apple has confirmed that the 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place from June 10 to June 14. The highly anticipated WWDC 2024 keynote is scheduled for June 10 at Apple Park in Cupertino, California. Developers worldwide can participate in the virtual conference for free.
Anticipate a software-focused keynote at this year’s WWDC, with potential insights into Apple’s AI advancements from the past year. Reports suggest a lineup of updates including iOS 18, iPadOS 18, tvOS 18, macOS 15, and watchOS 11. Additionally, there’s speculation about unveiling the next operating system, visionOS 2, for the Apple Vision Pro headset recently launched.
There’s a chance for new hardware reveals at this year’s WWDC, following last year’s trend of notable product announcements like the Vision Pro and the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air. With the absence of updates for the Mac Mini in recent refreshes, speculation is ripe for an announcement of an M3-based update during the event.
WWDC Software Announcements
Software is the main focus of WWDC, and 2024 rumors suggest that iOS 18 could be the biggest update to the iPhone that we’ve had in many years thanks to AI, and many of those features will also likely to be included in macOS.
iOS 18 and iPadOS 18
Apple wants to catch up with competitors when it comes to AI, and Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman believes that iOS 18 will be a “relatively groundbreaking” software update with “major new features and designs,” primarily focused on AI.
AI is expected to be incorporated across the operating system, and here are some of the ways Apple might use it:
- Auto-generated Apple Music playlists based on input from the user, such as a mood.
- AI-assisted writing in Pages.
- AI-assisted slide deck creation in Keynote.
- AI code writing in Xcode for developers.
- Improved Spotlight search.
- Siri improvements that integrate large-language models (LLMs), such as natural conversation capabilities and improved user personalization.
- New integration between Siri and the Messages app to better allow Siri to respond to messages and suggest response options.
- Shortcuts integration with Siri, so users can automate complex or multi-step tasks using voice-based commands.
macOS 15
macOS and iOS often have many features in common, so while most of the rumors we’ve heard have focused on iOS 18, it’s likely that quite a few of the AI features will also be available on Apple’s Macs.
As for a name, Apple is still using California landmarks. Apple has trademarked several California-related names over the years, and many of them have gone unused.
Some of the remaining possibilities include Redwood, Grizzly, Sequoia, Mammoth, Pacific, Rincon, Farallon, Miramar, Condor, Diablo, and Shasta. Apple could go with a non-trademarked name, though, and it has done so in the past.
Here are the names that Apple has used since it started naming macOS versions after landmarks in 2013: Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, and Sonoma.
Other Updates
We’ll also see watchOS 11, tvOS 18, HomePod Software 18, and visionOS 2, but we haven’t heard rumors about what might be included in these updates.
