Apple tends to host two tentpole events a year, and while the iPhone reveal (usually in September) is certainly a big one, WWDC remains the company’s biggest for many.
The Worldwide Developers Conference has been held since 1983, and while it’s begun to lean away from being solely aimed at developers and more consumer-friendly, it remains the place where we get to see all the good stuff coming to just about every platform.
WWDC 2024 will likely show us iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, the next macOS, and maybe even some AirPods upgrades, but we’re also expecting a new visionOS segment this year for those that have picked up a Vision Pro headset – as well as those considering one.
Here’s all we know about WWDC 2024 so far, including when it’s expected to be held and what you can expect to see.
WWDC 2024: When will it be held?
While WWDC has taken place in a variety of spots on the calendar (including January, if you can believe it), it’s been held pretty consistently in June for the last few years.
In fact, it’s been held in June since 2007, meaning it’s pretty likely to feature in June for 2024. As for the date, WWDC often kicks off with the keynote on a Monday toward the start of the month, so pencil in the 3rd or 10th of June and you likely won’t be far off.
Naturally, we’ll update this page when we have official confirmation.
What Apple could announce?
Expect reveals for the following Apple platforms, with varying degrees of magnitude.
iOS 18
The iPhone is Apple’s big moneymaker, and iOS is core to its success. Despite that, last year felt like a grab bag of fun, smaller features like StandBy mode and Contact Posters.
Thankfully, we’re expecting iOS 18 to be much more of an upgrade, and reports suggest a lot of it comes down to AI. How that’ll pan out is anyone’s guess, but it’s likely Siri could be getting a major overhaul, and it’s about time.
Apple was one of the first to join the voice assistant race, but Siri is just not as smart as many of its competitors, including Alexa and Google Assistant. Could Siri gain the power of a ChatGPT-style service? A supercharge is long overdue, and with any luck will improve Siri across other platforms, too, including iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro.
RCS is also coming to iPhone in 2024, bringing iMessage-style features to your messages with friends and family with Android phones.
watchOS 11
WatchOS had an uncharacteristically big year with last year’s watchOS 10, which really shook things up despite being flanked by two pretty minor hardware updates in the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Ultra 2.
That means watchOS 11 has big shoes to fill, and improved Siri AI would certainly make interactions with the assistant on your wrist less of a chore.
Other than that, much of the update remains under wraps. In terms of what we want to see, though, it’s time Apple updated the Fitness rings – we need a rest day, Tim!
iPadOS 18
However you feel about the iPad, it feels like Apple is leaning away from it, neglecting to release a single new tablet in 2023. Still, with new hardware expected this year (we’ll come to that shortly), it’s a great chance for Apple to put its best foot forward.
Naturally, it’s bound to get some of iOS 18’s features a year late – the Journal app, for example, feels like a fairly safe bet. It’ll also likely benefit from the AI-powered Siri glow-up we’ve been referencing.
Other than that, it’s a little too early to tell, but as we’ve suggested in the past, the iPad Mini could do with being positioned as a portable computer, and it needs things like better external display support to do that.
Will this finally be the year we get multi-user support? Who knows.
macOS 15
We may not know what macOS’ California-based title will be, but we know it’ll be macOS 15 in terms of numbering, and we expect Apple to prove there’s still life in the old dog yet.
Aside from the aforementioned Siri/AI integration, reports have suggested that Apple is planning “ambitious and compelling” upgrades, although what that entails is really anyone’s guess.
Maybe it’s finally time to get rid of Launchpad and bring in an App library, or offer window management tools like snapping to the screen right out of the box. We’ll take a more refined Stage Manager, too, while you’re at it.
visionOS 2?
VisionOS may be the new platform on the block, but Apple has already begun rolling out updates to improve its AR headset.
Naturally, those updates have been focused on improving the existing experience rather than adding any big new features for the nascent OS, but it’ll be interesting to see Apple’s vision for the future (pun intended) now the company has left the starting line.
Considering iOS 2, all the way back in 2008, was pretty staggering in introducing the App Store, could there be something big planned for visionOS’ first big update? We’ll update this page as we hear more.
AirPods
Apple likes to roll out surprising AirPods features now and again, and while you’ll need the latest, low-latency ones for Vision Pro, there’s always the chance we get something added this time around – if not a hardware reveal of the next generation of AirPods.
Will Apple reveal new products at WWDC 2024?
Software is naturally the star of the show at WWDC, but it’s not out of the question for Apple to reveal hardware, too.
Just last year Apple unveiled its Vision Pro headset, and while it was understandably the runaway story of the year, it wasn’t all we got.
The company also showcased the 15-inch MacBook Air, an M2 Mac Studio, and the Mac Pro, although the latter didn’t go down too well with some developers looking for even more power and flexibility.
So, what could WWDC 2024 bring? It was a big year for the Mac last year, which makes sense with so many developers in attendance, but the rumblings of an iPad redesign continue.
With no Apple tablets in a calendar year for the first time, we’re expecting big things in 2024, but it feels like the kind of thing Apple may hold a Spring event for. That’s partially because there’s so much to cover, with the M1 iPad Air likely to be upgraded to an M2 (or maybe even M3) and a potential 12.9-inch version, a 14-inch iPad Pro rumored, and another generation of the base iPad, the iPad 11.
Don’t expect iPhones to be showcased at WWDC, though, Apple’s pocket powerhouse usually goes hand-in-hand with new Apple Watch models in September.
On the Mac side, expect an M3 MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and maybe even the Mac Pro. Dare we dream of a 17-inch MacBook Pro again?
It’s also hard to consider Apple could debut a new Vision Pro, perhaps aimed at consumers, this soon after the original’s debut, but stranger things have happened.
