WWDC 2017: Apps People Predictions

WWDC 2017: Apps People Predictions

Apple’s worldwide developers’ conference begins on Monday and the anticipation of what Tim Cook will announce has been taking over the Internet, to no surprise. Bets have been placed on the announcement of upgrades to Apple’s software as well as speculation of what exciting new products may or may not have been in the works since last year’s conference.

 

For those of you who aren’t as obsessed with following the annual event as we are- here’s a rundown of when WWDC is, what you can expect and how you can watch the event.

 

WWDC is Apple’s developers’ conference. Held annually, the event strives to educate and excite developers around the globe about future app and service development; it is also used as a platform to communicate Apples next big moves in the consumer-tech industry war. Every year Tim Cook takes to the floor to deliver his keynote speech in which he reveals all the major announcements for Apple’s latest operating systems and hardware. The two-hour presentation, delivered by Cook is on the first day of the weeklong event which runs from June 5th through to June 9th.

 

The conference is held at the McEnergy Concention Center in San Jose, California and starts at 10am PST, or for us here in Australia in the early hours of the morning at 1am. If you, like us, are not fortunate enough to attend the event then you can watch it live (if you’re up at that ungodly hour) here or through the WWDC iOS app.

 

So what are we expecting to be announced?

 

One thing is for sure; the announcement will feature a run down of the next generation of Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS 11 alongside the upgrade for its macOS, watchOS and TVOS. Talk on the new operating system features will most likely take up a big chunk of Cook’s two hour keynote, however don’t expect too many out there changes for these operating systems. It is predicted that a deal to bring the Amazon video app as well as some Siri incorporation into Apple TV will be announced. As for WatchOS there will be talk on the shift from WatchOS 3 to WatchOS 4 with significant focus placed on the new fitness functions, further emphasising the Watch as a health device.

Apple hasn’t unveiled the next generation of iPhone at a developers’ conference since 2010 with the unveiling of the Iphone 4, so it’s doubtful that we’re in store for the reveal of the iPhone 8. Following the trend of the last several years there will be a separate event held in September dedicated to the company’s leading and most successful device.

 

Also following in tradition, we can be sure to hear about Apple’s various services. This is a major area of improvement for Apple so we can almost guarantee that there’ll be lots of talk on iCloud, iCloud Photo Library, and Apple Music.

 

Now for the exciting part: The hardware.

These could include an iPad, rejuvenated MacBook devices and the biggest device that’s been going around the rumour mill- the Siri-infused Speaker.

 

There has been talk about the possible unveiling of a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro at the conference. The iPad will have an increase in size paired with a higher-resolution screen, and will replace the existing 9.7-inch model. The 10.5-inch size should however place the iPad nicely in-between the current too-small-to-splitscreen 9.7-inch model and the too-big-to-travel with size 12.1-inch iPad pro which haven’t been upgraded in more than a year. There is a chance Apple may have been working on processor upgrades for the Macbook Pro models which were released last year.  The Macbook Air, on the other hand hasn’t been updated since 2015 so we can expect for both the 12-inch MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Air to get updates.

 

And finally, the predicted Siri Speaker- talk about saving the best for last! We’re fairly confident that this will be announced on Monday, however there’s speculation that Apple will hold off on the reveal until later in the year when it is ready to be shipped. What we do know though, is that if it is announced it will steal the show. There has been a lot of hype around voice assistants lately and the home hub market in particular, with Google Home and Amazon Echo snatching up the market. There’s no doubt that there’s been talk all over the Internet as to whether or not Apple will compete in the war against these products and create a device that will be a host for Siri in the home. It is rumoured that the speaker is already in production and will not have a screen, instead the speaker will really focus on quality surround sound; hosting a feature that can measure the size of the room and adjust its sound accordingly.

 

There’s been a lot of hype surrounding AR and VR in the past few months. Even though it is highly unlikely that Apple will introduce features that dabble in augmented reality at the very least, we can’t and won’t be 100% certain until the conference is over for another year.