If you want to know what's coming next to your iPhone — make a note of June 10th in your diary. That's because Apple will host its next Worldwide Developer Conference, more commonly known as WWDC, from its spaceship-like headquarters in Cupertino, California on that date.
The annual event, which will run June 10-14, is an opportunity for Apple to preview some of the biggest changes coming to its operating systems, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS to the developers behind some of the most popular apps on its platforms.
We'll likely get an early glimpse at iOS 18, the operating system that will roll out as a free upgrade for iPhone owners worldwide later this year, during the WWDC keynote. CEO Tim Cook has already said AI will be "a huge opportunity" for Apple, which many analysts interpreted as a hint that AI will play a significant role in iOS 18.
But WWDC isn't just about software announcements. Last year, Apple used the developer-focused event to unveil its Apple Vision Pro. The timing was designed to encourage software developers to begin to build apps for its visionOS operating system ahead of the launch.
Apple has sent out invitations to developers with the above logo for the next edition of WWDC
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WWDC will be available to stream online, although Apple plans to host an in-person event at its Apple Park headquarters on the opening day of the conference.
Speaking after confirmation of the date of the 2024 event, Susan Prescott, Apple’s Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations, said: "We’re so excited to connect with developers from around the world for an extraordinary week of technology and community at WWDC24.
"WWDC is all about sharing new ideas and providing our amazing developers with innovative tools and resources to help them make something even more wonderful."
For developers looking to collaborate with others or ask Apple engineers for help with their apps, the Californian company will offer video sessions and opportunities to engage with in-house designers and engineers and connect with the worldwide developer community across the Apple Developer app, Apple website, and YouTube.
Tickets for the in-person events will be extremely limited, but developers can learn how to apply via the Apple Developer site and iOS app. For everyone else, we'll bring you all of the news from the WWDC keynote as it happens right here, so stay tuned to find out what's coming in the next version of iOS, macOS, iPadOS, and more.
The announcement of WWDC comes as several of Apple’s biggest rivals have made a series of announcements around generative AI – Samsung and Google have made the technology a key component in their latest phone launches.
Using the Gemini AI from Google, Samsung Galaxy S24, S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultraowners are able to remove people from the background of photos, adjust the size and placement of the subject, summarise notes into bullet points, rewrite emails to alter the tone of voice, and translate incoming voice calls in real-time.
Android rival Honor also placed AI at the forefront of its latest smartphones, stating that its software can anticipate your next action and begin to load the correct apps in the background to speed up everything.
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According to sources speaking with Bloomberg, Apple is planning to use its own homegrown AI models for some new capabilities in its upcoming iOS 18, but will rely on a partner to power generative AI functionality, like dreaming up an entirely new image or writing an essay ...all based on a simple written prompt from the user.
Whispers suggest Apple could partner with Google to bring its new Gemini AI model to the iPhone to power some of the most complex generative AI features coming to iPhones this year.
