WWDC – aka Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference – takes place every year in June, and we expect 2020 to be no different. Although there is a strong chance that Apple could cancel WWDC this year because of the coronavirus outbreak.
It’s an event for developers and therefore it tends to be a software-focused event. You can expect Apple to demonstrate updated versions of the macOS, iOS, tvOS, watchOS and iPadOS operating systems. This is why the event is so popular with the public: we’ll get a teaser of the new features that will soon be added to our iPhones, iPads, Macs and other Apple products.
We also tend to see presentations from third-party developer partners who will talk about how they are updating their software to work with the new platforms.
It’s not always just a software event, though; in the past we have seen hardware announcements too. At WWDC 2017 Apple launched the iMac Pro, a new MacBook and MacBook Pro, a new iPad Pro and the HomePod, for example. If you go further back Apple would actually unveil new iPhones at WWDC – such as in 2010 when it revealed the iPhone 4 – but that kind of thing would be a huge surprise these days.
The hardware announcements that Apple makes around the time of WWDC tend to be high-end, professional Macs rather than consumer-oriented products, because the audience for the event tends to be less mainstream.
When is WWDC 2020?
We’d expect WWDC to run from 8-12 June 2020, if it’s not cancelled because of health worries.
That’s not official yet, but we can make an educated guess based on past behaviour. WWDC always takes place over the course of a full week in early June, kicking off with a keynote address on the Monday at which various Apple execs present the new features coming to the operating systems.
Based on the past few years (outlined below) we expect WWDC to fall around the 8 June. This date is a little problematic, at least in the UK, because 8 June is a Bank Holiday in 2020 (the May bank holiday has been moved to June to celebrate VE-Day). But the US will not be observing this with a public holiday and it’s unlikely that Apple will take this into consideration.
- WWDC 2020: Monday 8 June?
- WWDC 2019: Started Monday 3 June
- WWDC 2018: Monday 4 June
- WWDC 2017: Monday 5 June
- WWDC 2016: Monday 13 June
- WWDC 2015: Monday 8 June
- WWDC 2014: Monday 2 June
- WWDC 2013: Monday 10 June
- WWDC 2012: Monday 11 June
- WWDC 2011: Monday 6 June
- WWDC 2010: Monday 7 June
Will Apple cancel WWDC 2020?
At the moment, unfortunately, it looks highly likely that the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak – also known as COVID-19 – will lead Apple to cancel WWDC in 2020.
Numerous other conferences have been cancelled (or made online-only) for the same reason. Fellow tech giants Microsoft, Facebook and Google have taken this step with various gatherings, and it’s strongly rumoured that the E3 gaming event, which was scheduled for 9-11 June and would very likely have overlapped with WWDC, will be cancelled too.
Santa Clara County Public Health, which is Apple’s local body, has issued a mandatory order banning public gatherings of 1,000 or more people, which would make WWDC impossible in its usual form. That order began on 11 March and is initially scheduled to last for three weeks, but may be extended as the outbreak develops.
We’ll keep a close eye on developments and update this article with any news. You can read a more detailed discussion of the situation in Will Apple cancel WWDC?
How do I watch WWDC?
Apple is likely to stream the keynote over the internet so you will be able to watch WWDC on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac and other products.
If you’re a developer you might even be able to get tickets to attend WWDC. Tickets to WWDC are allocated via a ballot which you will have to enter if you want to get WWDC tickets in 2020.
What will Apple launch at WWDC 2020?
We can confidently state that WWDC 2020 will tell us about the updates coming to Apple’s various operating systems. It is also possible that the event will include new Macs, more information below.
Before we start with our predictions we’ll recap on what Apple’s done at WWDC over the past few years:
- WWDC 2019: Apple told us about iOS 13 and macOS Catalina. It also unveiled the new Mac Pro and new display.
- WWDC 2018: Apple revealed details of iOS 12 and macOS Mojave. There were no hardware updates at that event.
- WWDC 2017: Apple talked about iOS 11 and macOS 10.13 High Sierra. We also got our first look at the new iMac Pro which was previewed alongside the launch of new iMacs and an updated MacBook Pro and MacBook.
Software
In terms of software previews at WWDC 2020 we expect the following:
iOS 14
We have more information about the new features coming in iOS 14 here.
macOS 10.16
Here is what we expect from the next version of macOS here.
iPadOS
We have details of what we expect to see in iPadOS 14 here.
Other software
We will also hear about tvOS, watchOS and HomePodOS. Apple may also speak about upcoming changes to its apps such as Pages, Numbers and Keynote, and iMovie, Music, and more.
Hardware
Now for the hardware we could see at WWDC 2020:
New-look iMac
With a design that dates back more than a decade a change is well overdue for the iMac. We are hoping that 2020 will bring a new iMac with a bigger display (made possible by smaller bezels and a thinner ‘chin’). Read more about the 2020 iMac.
If Apple’s updating the iMac we could also see an update to the iMac Pro.
13in MacBook Pro
Having launched a 16in MacBook Pro at the end of 2019 it’s now the 13in MacBook Pro’s turn for an update. Apple is expected to start selling a new 13in MacBook Pro in the first half of 2020. The big change coming to the new model is a new keyboard. Apple’s laptops have been plagued with issues linked to the keyboard design since 2016 and Apple’s no doubt racing to address them. Read more about the new MacBook Pro for 2020.
New MacBook Air
The MacBook Air will also get that new keyboard. More information about what to expect from the new MacBook Air.
MacBook
Apple discontinued the MacBook in 2019, but we don’t think it’s the last we’ll see of the consumer Mac laptop. We believe that Apple has plans for a new Mac that will use an Apple-made processor and potentially combine some of the benefits of the iPad – and maybe even a touch screen. We really hope Apple has something up its sleeve, and we think we could get a first look at this new MacBook at WWDC. Read about the rumours about the new MacBook.
Via MACWORLD