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Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference officially began at 10 a.m. ET in Cupertino, California today, when its smiling CEO Tim Cook took the stage and said, “Welcome to WWDC 2023!” (That’s 6pm BST / 1pm ET and 3am ACT (on June 6th) for those not in California.)
What else can he say, well, we think we know enough. Cook will briefly touch on all of Apple’s major and important platforms, including iOS 17, macOS 14, tvOS 17, iPadOS 17, and watchOS 10. This being a developers conference, he will also mention Swift and Xcode.
Granted, it’s not Cook’s job to delve too deep into anything. He’ll leave it, in large part, to Craig Federighi, Apple’s SVP of software engineering, and several other development leads. By the way, if Apple follows the script of years past, even if it’s an in-person event, most of the presentation could be pre-recorded.
No one is expecting a sea change on either of these platforms. watchOS is no big deal with widgets. iOS 17 is all about maintenance and stretching without fundamentally changing the entire iPhone OS. There may be even fewer changes in macOS 14.
Let’s be clear, the real excitement here will be around the Apple VR headset and the possible reveal of the new xrOS. Cook will almost certainly unveil both as the keynote speaker and may also don a hat during the event. OK, maybe he won’t put on a vision-enhanced VR headset and accidentally walk off stage (no one wants that). It’s more likely that we’ll get a glimpse of the new VR product on stage and then have the opportunity to take photos and even get a hands-on look in the ample space above the Steve Jobs Theater.
WWDC has also been a launchpad for updates related to Apple silicon and the company’s own CPUs. Some expect the M3 chip to debut, and if Apple does, so will the hardware. Maybe a new Mac Pro (the last Mac still running on Intel silicon). Others are speculating a new big-screen 15-inch MacBook Air (possibly over the M2) and a new iMac (also M2).
Granted, this is all speculation until Cook starts speaking. Buckle in folks, I’ll share all I can from my seat in the audience.
