Apple is expected to make several hardware and software announcements at its upcoming World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 6. The event is slated to start at 10 a.m. Cupertino time (1 p.m. ET) and will be streamed live on Apple's Event page, as well as on YouTube. Like every year, the event is expected to start with a keynote by Apple CEO Tim Cook, with other presentations to follow from different Apple executives and team leaders, showcasing the company's new products and services.
At WWDC 2021, Apple introduced iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15 with exciting new features and updates over their previous iterations. The company also announced a premium subscription tier for iCloud called 'iCloud+' that combines paid storage with privacy features like 'Hide My Email.' The event also saw Apple announce a few minor changes to its App Store Review Guidelines and make the Screen Time API available to third-party developers. There was, however, no major hardware announcement at the event, unlike previous years.
Like every year, the highlight of WWDC 2022 will be the announcement of iOS 16, which is expected to be available for iPhone 7 and newer. In terms of what the new software is expected to offer, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, it will bring significant changes to how notifications are handled, including improvements to Focus Mode. iOS 16 is also expected to bring new health and fitness features, as well as the much-rumored car-crash detection function that's said to work similarly to the existing fall detection feature. There are also rumors about Apple bringing an always-on display for the iPhone 13 lineup with iOS 16, but it's not clear if that will happen now or be exclusive to the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro that are rumored to ship with a variable refresh rate that goes down to 1Hz. Finally, there are also rumors about new AR/VR capabilities, as well as improvements to the ARKit framework in the lead-up to the company's upcoming mixed reality headset.
Expected Software And Hardware Announcements
Alongside iOS 16, Apple is also expected to announce iPadOS 16, macOS 13, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16 at WWDC 2022. Starting with the operating system for iPads, it should retain most of the notable features of iOS 16, but with some tweaks and changes to adapt for larger screen sizes. Rumors also suggest that Apple is working on porting Xcode, Logic Pro, and Final Cut Pro to its tablets, so it will be interesting to see if that will happen this year with iPadOS 16.
As for macOS 13, there's increasing pressure from Mac users to bring Universal Control to Apple's desktop operating system, so it will be interesting to see if that will happen this year. Apple could also replace Launchpad with the iOS App Library, as well as introduce the ability to create Time Machine backups directly to iCloud. The final software-related announcement that could come through at WWDC 2022 is the rebranding of HomePodOS to homeOS as Apple looks to introduce more IoT devices in the future.
In terms of hardware, rumors suggest that Apple could introduce a new iMac Pro at the event to replace the discontinued 27-inch Intel-powered model. The aging Intel-powered Mac mini and the Mac Pro could also get refreshed with M-series chips and other new hardware. Apple's rumored mini-LED monitor could also make an appearance at the event, although recent reports suggest that it has been delayed until October. There are also rumors about M2-powered MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, so it will be interesting to see if they'll be announced at WWDC or Apple's dedicated hardware event later this year.
Source: Apple