We are just a few days out from Apple’s WWDC 2024 (Wordwide Developers Conference) event, and we expect to learn about macOS 15, iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, Apple’s AI innovations for products like Siri (possibly in collaboration with companies like OpenAI or Google for its Gemini technology), and developments for Apple’s flagship apps like Photos, Notes, Maps, Calculator, and others.
The WWDC keynote presentation will start at 10 am PT 1pm ET / 6pm BST, which is 3am AEST on June 11 for those in Australia. Check out our guide on how to watch WWDC 2024.
You’ll have to tune it to find out exactly what features and changes macOS 15 will include and what its official name will be, but we have a strong suspicion that it’ll have a substantial amount of AI-related updates. This would bring Apple more in line with its peers like Microsoft, which has been pressing on in this direction for over a year by adding AI features to its rival Windows 11 operating system.
Ahead of WWDC 2024, we’ve collected all the news and rumors so far about macOS 15, and if you’ve not updated to the latest version of the Mac operating system, check out our guide on how to install macOS 14.
All about AI
iOS is expected to be one of the bigger focal points at WWDC, with its digital assistant, Siri, rumored to be getting a big AI boost that will make it better at conversation, understanding, and personalization. This will probably be thanks to Apple’s recently reported partnership with OpenAI to integrate its technology, including ChatGPT, which is expected to be integrated into iOS 18.
This isn’t the only Apple operating system that’s slated to get AI capabilities, with iPadOS and macOS 15 reportedly getting some sort of AI boost as well. According to MacRumors, these new AI features will be opt-in and users will only have to adopt them if they want to. Additionally, if iPadOS and macOS users want to be able to use AI features, their devices will be required to have at least M1 chips. This could mean that macOS 15 will be the first version that is exclusive to Apple silicon Macs, which would certainly disappoint people who still use older Intel-based Macs.
OpenAI’s tools and technology is rumored to be used to power new and existing features of Apple products, but there’s also talk of Apple’s own ChatGPT-like chatbot made in partnership with OpenAI. We expect to find out exactly what this will look like at WWDC.
Apple is supposedly readying several cross-platform AI-powered features, as relayed by MacRumors, including:
- AI-generated Apple Music playlists
- AI-assisted writing in Pages
- AI-assisted slide deck creation in Keynote
- AI code writing features in Xcode
We’re looking forward to seeing Apple’s first big move into consumer AI products in general, and it’s due to take up about half of the WWDC keynote, so there’ll be plenty to look forward to.
macOS 15 release date
Based on previous launches of macOS, we think it’s a pretty safe bet that Apple will announce macOS 15 at WWDC 2024, including its release date, and make a developer beta version available very soon after the presentation (possibly the same day). You’ll have to pay a fee to try that, or you could wait until later in the year, possibly July, to try a public beta version for free. Then, later in 2024, either in September or early October, we expect the full macOS 15 public release rollout, again, based on what Apple has done with previous macOS releases.
If you’re particularly enthusiastic or an early adopter, or you’re a Mac app developer, a beta version might be especially interesting for you. However, you should keep in mind that beta versions of software are generally more prone to bugs and instability, potential rollbacks of changes and features by Apple, and hardware risks. We’d recommend only installing a beta version if you’re using a spare Mac device or are comfortable troubleshooting your device.
For everyone else, we’d recommend you wait for the stable public release. Also, be sure to check back here as we’ll update you the moment we know more about macOS 15’s release date.
macOS 15 name
We expect to find out macOS’s official name at WWDC 2024, and the trend for macOS names since 2013 has been names of California landmarks. Many of these have already been trademarked by Apple over the past decade, although not all of these have been used yet. Trademarked possibilities include: Redwood, Grizzly, Sequoia, Mammoth, Pacific, Rincon, Farallon, Miramar, Condor, Diablo, and Shasta.
Alternatively, Apple could go for a non-trademarked name, which it has also done before.
Names of previous iterations of macOS in honor of California landmarks include: Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, and Sonoma.
macOS 15 availability
If reports are correct, you’ll need to make sure your Mac has an M1 Apple silicon chip or newer to be able to take up Apple’s new AI features.
However, it might be possible that some older Macs will be able to run macOS 15, probably without the AI features, and we expect Apple to clarify this point at WWDC. The Mac models capable of running what’s currently the latest version of macOS, Sonoma, are:
- 2019 or later iMac
- 2017 iMac Pro
- 2019 or later Mac Pro
- 2022 or later Mac Studio
- 2018 or later MacBook Air
- 2018 or later Mac mini
- 2018 or later MacBook Pro
macOS 15 features
Apple hasn’t always been the “first” to introduce a product or feature, but it’s known for methodically working on products while competitors rush to be first across the line. Then, when Apple does finally release its version, it often achieves mainstream success.
Here are some of the features we expect and would like to see:
- A revamp of System Settings: This is one of the most anticipated developments for macOS 15, hopefully delivering a redesign of the operating system’s menus and apps. Many users are hoping to see a refreshed design which could bring a sense of novelty while preserving what makes macOS intuitive.
- A smarter Siri for Mac devices: Once the more intelligent and upgraded Siri makes its way onto iOS devices, we could see a new version of the digital assistant for desktop as well. It may not have all of the mobile version’s features and capabilities, but there is still room for improvement that users would like to see.
- Improved gaming capabilities for Macs: If Apple wanted to make its devices better suited for gaming, and to make use of its newest M3 and M4 chips, it could present advancements that would make it more lucrative for game developers to make versions of games for macOS.
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