Apple is hosting its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on Monday, and like Microsoft’s Build, the show is largely a chance for Cupertino to give developers a sneak peek at what’s coming for its next-gen operating systems.
Don’t expect new iPhones or Apple Watches; those usually drop in September or October. But we will get an idea of the software updates they’ll feature with early looks at iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, plus next-gen watchOS, tvOS, and macOS.
Still, we may finally see a piece of hardware that’s been rumored for years: AR glasses. Whether or not they’ll be ready for primetime in 2023 remains to be seen, but it seems like Apple may finally be ready to compete against Meta, Sony, and others in that space.
Apple’s main WWDC keynote is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET on Monday, June 5, and will be live-streamed on Apple.com and via the video above. Here’s what we expect to see.
iOS 17 and iPadOS 17
The main no-brainer for WWDC is a first look at iOS 17 and iPadOS 17.
As part of Global Accessibility Awareness Day last month, Apple already previewed a few features coming to both OSes, including a voice-cloning tech that’s intended to help those with conditions that affect their voices communicate in their own words. With Personal Voice, people record 15 minutes of audio on an iPhone or iPad. People can then type in what they want to say and Apple’s hardware will read it out loud in their synthesized voice.
Live SpeechThat may spook security-conscious iPhone users (and delight scammers), but Apple says it’s only available on-device, so in theory, your voice shouldn’t be accessible anywhere else.
Another accessibility feature on tap: Live Speech, which will let people “type what they want to say to have it be spoken out loud during phone and FaceTime calls as well as in-person conversations.”
Other features rumored to be coming to iOS 17 and iPadOS 17:
Journaling app: According to the Wall Street Journal, the app can assess iPhone usage data to make suggestions about what to journal about. It's more about mental health than fostering a writing career, though. It'll assess user behavior, ostensibly to help people keep track of how they spend their days.
Revamped Control Center: A MacRumors reader tells the site that Control Center will get a big revamp this year. Details are scant, but as MacRumors points out, the Control Center has remained largely unchanged over the years, save for a move from the bottom of the screen to the top right with the iPhone X.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman tips software that will open up the iPhone to sideloading, but it’s not Apple’s idea. EU legislation put into place last year establishes regulations for “digital gatekeepers” in order to open markets and requires them to comply by March 2024.
MacRumors also has a roundup of some minor updates Apple plans to make.
Apple will likely release iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 to developers next week, a public beta thereafter, and then a final release in the fall ahead of the new iPhones. (Same drill with watchOS and tvOS.)
For more, check out 5 Cool Features We Want to See in iOS and iPadOS 17.
MacOS 14
There have been fewer rumors about what’s on tap for Apple’s desktop OS. Most recently, Bloomberg’s Gurman talked about it in the context of the M3, saying that the upcoming chip “is running in a future high-end MacBook Pro with the upcoming macOS 14.0.”
During a recent MacRumors podcast appearance, Gurman said he didn’t expect anything “groundbreaking or significant,” adding that he hasn’t “heard anything remarkable about macOS.” Instead, Apple is focusing on its mobile OSes and then adding support for those features on macOS, he notes (like last year’s Stage Manager).
For more, check out 13 Big Changes We Want in MacOS 14.
Apple VR/AR Headset
Rumors about an Apple virtual reality or augmented reality headset have been floating around for years. We thought it was happening at WWDC 2021 when the conference’s teaser image featured an avatar wearing glasses that reflected images from a MacBook. Alas, here we are two years later, and no Apple glasses.
The rumor mill, however, really ramped up this year, to the point that most Apple watchers believe we’ll get our first glimpse at what Cupertino has been working on at WWDC 2023. If those reports are true, however, this will be an expensive device—potentially around $3,000.
Reports tip two ports: a USB-C interface for data transfers and a proprietary magnetic port to attach the headset’s external battery pack, according to Gurman. It’s also widely rumored to feature two 4K displays (one for each eye), an M2 chip, and around a dozen sensors and cameras to track eye movement and hand gestures.
For more, check out With Its Headset, Apple Can Singlehandedly Turn VR Into a Thing.
15-Inch MacBook Air
We heard rumors about a 15-inch MacBook Air in March, and Gurman confirmed a month later to say Apple had "several new models in the works," including a 15-inch MacBook Air. "At least some of the new laptops will be announced at WWDC," Gurman says, though they'll likely run the existing M2 chip versus the upcoming M3.
For more, check out What We Expect From Apple's WWDC 2023 Mac Lineup.
