Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference, known as WWDC21 is on tomorrow (8th June) and for Australian’s on the east coast, kicks off at 3AM, thanks international timezones.
Unfortunately Covid-19 has again impacted the event, but that also means that developers writing for the Apple ecosystem of products and services, will be able to attend for free. It is expected that Apple’s army of more than 30 million developers from 227 regions around the globe will tune in live, or watch on-demand.
At this year’s WWDC, we can expect a keynote where Apple will share more information on the future of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS.
It is expected that the world will learn about the new version of Apple’s mobile OS, iOS 15. As yet, little is known about it, however judging by the event invites, it seems we’ll see a strong focus on Augmented Reality and further developments with memojis.
It’s been a while since we had a serious surprise from Apple, so the perfect One More Thing could be a surprise announcement that Apple will finally release their AR glasses (the MeMoji on the left is wearing glasses), it’s a stretch, but maybe. The character on the right is also wearing an airpod, so extra points if they add AAR (Audio Augmented Reality) that enhances your life as you walk (based on location) and maybe the direction you’re facing.
While the focus is always on the announcements from the keynote at the start of the week, the conference runs all week and offers developers the opportunity to engage with one another, and directly with Apple engineers for guidance on building innovative and platform-differentiating apps and games.
Apple Keynote
WWDC21 kicks off with the unveiling of exciting new updates coming to all Apple platforms later this year. Streamed directly from Apple Park, the keynote address will be available via apple.com, the Apple Developer app, the Apple TV app, and YouTube, with on-demand playback available after the conclusion of the stream.
Platforms State of the Union
Take a deeper dive into the new tools, technologies, and advances across Apple platforms that will help Apple developers create even better apps. Platforms State of the Union will stream via the Apple Developer app and the Apple Developer website.
Apple Design Awards
Every year, the Apple Design Awards celebrate the creative artistry, craftsmanship, and technical achievement of Apple developers. The Apple Design Awards will stream via the Apple Developer app and the Apple Developer website.
Access to Experts
Featuring over 200 in-depth sessions, one-on-one labs, and more, WWDC21 will provide unprecedented access to Apple engineers and designers so developers can learn about the latest tools and technologies to help them create the next generation of apps.
Apple Developer Program members can request one-on-one lab consultations with more than 1,000 Apple experts to ask questions about the latest APIs and best practices, and apply for user interface and design reviews. Apple engineers will also be available in Apple Developer Forums throughout the week to answer questions and engage in technical discussions.
The session recordings will start going up later in the week, so if you miss out, you should definitely look out for these when they go up each day in the Apple Developer app and on the Apple Developer website.
Pavilions
New for WWDC21, Pavilions provide an easy way for developers to explore relevant sessions, labs, and special activities for a given topic. Conference attendees can customise their WWDC experience and check out content organised around specific areas like SwiftUI, Developer Tools, Accessibility & Inclusion, and more. This is exclusively available within the Apple Developer app. If you don’t already have it, you can grab it from the App Store here.