WWDC is now closer than ever, with only hours until the event takes place. Apple's annual software event, as always, will show us the future of the operating systems and apps that run on our favorite Apple devices — and this year, it looks like we're in for a treat. We're going to get our first glimpse at iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, watchOS 11, and with a little luck, visionOS 2!
That will all take place at Apple's customary opening keynote, scheduled for 10 am today. After that, there'll be Apple's yearly Platforms State of the Union address before developers kick off a week of workshops and sessions to get hands-on and into the weeds with all of Apple's latest and greatest software, as well as new tools developers can use behind the scenes.
Sometimes, Apple unveils new hardware at WWDC, however this year is tipped to be a software-only event. That means we aren't expecting to see any new models of Mac, iPad, AirPods, or anything else for that matter. What we are expecting to see is our first glimpse of Apple AI and the company's foray into the world of artificial intelligence. That could entail a massive update to Siri powered by OpenAI, as well as new AI features across the board powered by Apple's own large language model.
With the excitement brewing, here's everything you need to know about WWDC 2024.
WWDC 2024: Date and time
WWDC is set to kick off very soon. While the conference is technically a weeklong event, Apple's day-one keynote is the highlight of the show, here are the details.
Apple Keynote - June 10, 10 a.m. PDT
Apple's main keynote will take place at 10 am PT on June 10. Here, we can expect to see the unveiling of all of Apple's new software iterations for 2024.
Platforms State of the Union - June 10, 1 p.m. PDT
The Platforms State of the Union is a deeper dive into all the new features included in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS, as well as any new tools for developers. This is available to watch on the Apple Developer app and the Apple Developer website.
What will Apple announce?
Apple has confirmed that we can expect to see the new iterations of all of its main software. As follows:
iOS 18
The iPhone is Apple’s big moneymaker, and iOS is core to its success. Despite that, last year felt like a grab bag of fun, smaller features like StandBy mode and Contact Posters.
Thankfully, we’re expecting iOS 18 to be much more of an upgrade, and reports suggest a lot of it comes down to AI. How that’ll pan out is anyone’s guess, but it’s likely Siri could be getting a major overhaul, and it’s about time.
Apple was one of the first to join the voice assistant race, but Siri is just not as smart as many of its competitors, including Alexa and Google Assistant. Could Siri gain the power of a ChatGPT-style service in iOS 18? A supercharge is long overdue, and with any luck will improve Siri across other platforms, too, including iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro. The latest rumors indicate Apple has partnered with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT to Siri.
RCS is also coming to iPhone in 2024, bringing iMessage-style features to your messages with friends and family with Android phones.
Other big iPhone upgrades include a more customizable Home Screen, a new Passwords app, and a rumored new Safari web eraser that could let users block elements of a website such as adverts or video.
watchOS 11
Apple Watch's software had an uncharacteristically big year with last year’s watchOS 10, which really shook things up despite being flanked by two pretty minor hardware updates in the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Ultra 2.
That means watchOS 11 has big shoes to fill, and improved Siri with AI would certainly make interactions with the assistant on your wrist less of a chore.
Other than that, much of the update remains under wraps. In terms of what we want to see, though, it’s time Apple updated the Fitness rings - we need a rest day, Tim!
iPadOS 18
In May, Apple finally released its first new iPads since 2022 with the new M4 iPad Pro and the new iPad Air 6. While Apple did announce Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 and Logic Pro for iPad 2, the focus on software was minimal. As such, iPadOS 18 could be the big upgrade to the iPad we've been waiting for.
With Apple's M4 chip now available in the best iPad on the market, the iPad is crying out for more powerful software that can take advantage of all that processing power. We'd love to see some big upgrades to Stage Manager, as well as all of the AI upgrades we're expecting on iPhone too.
Other than that, it’s a little too early to tell, but as we’ve suggested in the past, the iPad Mini could be positioned as a portable computer, and it needs things like better external display support to do that.
Will this finally be the year we get multi-user support? Who knows.
macOS 15
We may not know what macOS’ California-based title will be, but we know it’ll be macOS 15 in terms of numbering, and we expect Apple to prove there’s still life in the old dog yet.
Aside from the aforementioned Siri/AI integration, reports have suggested that Apple is planning “ambitious and compelling” upgrades, although what that entails is really anyone’s guess.
Maybe it’s finally time to get rid of Launchpad and bring in an App library, or offer window management tools like snapping to the screen right out of the box. We’ll take a more refined Stage Manager, too, while you’re at it.
visionOS 2
VisionOS may be the new platform on the block, but Apple has already begun rolling out updates to improve its AR headset.
Naturally, those updates have been focused on improving the existing experience rather than adding any big new features for the nascent OS, but it’ll be interesting to see Apple’s vision for the future (pun intended) now the company has left the starting line.
Considering iOS 2, all the way back in 2008, was pretty staggering in introducing the App Store, could there be something big planned for visionOS’ first big update? We’ll update this page as we hear more.
Will Apple reveal new hardware at WWDC 2024?
The latest reports indicate that WWDC 2024 will definitely be a software-only event. While Apple has released hardware at WWDC in the past, we've already had the brand new M3 MacBook Air, as well as the new 2024 iPad Pro and the new iPad Air 6, with the Apple Pencil Pro in tow already this year.
We can say for certain that there won't be any iPhone hardware, and with iPads having launched in May, the only candidate is the Mac. We are waiting for M4 MacBooks and desktop Macs this year, but early reports suggest these won't come until the second half of the year. As such, any hardware at WWDC would be a big surprise this year.
