Earlier in the year, Apple announced that it was taking the unusual step of moving its WWDC event closer to home. Only minutes from its Spaceship campus, the new venue is the McEnery Convention Center, With this new home, comes a furthent sense of excitement. It has people asking, how will this year’s Apple WWDC event surprise us?
Apple WWDC Predictions
If you’re unfamiliar with the Cupertino-outfits, developer event, it’s an annual summit which usually marks the announcement of various new bits and pieces. With the most common being Siri, however, over the years it has been a rather eclectic event. One that has seen both hardware and software revealed to the surprise of everyone.
So, what you can take from this is that the Apple WWDC is a means for the company to give the world a sneak peak. This year’s event starts June 5th and ends June 9th, with the official keynote starting around 10 AM PT.
Here’s what the rumor mill expects/wants to be revealed at this year’s Apple WWDC.
iOS 11
iPhone and iPad fans the world over are looking to Apple to continue the fantastic improvements it made with iOS 10. And as such, iOS 11 is almost a shoe-in for this year’s event. Powering the majority of Apple’s big hardware, there’s a huge sense of anticipation around the next mobile OS installment.
As always, rumors are circling about what new features may appear, in addition to improvement on existing ones. Of those which are fueling the most commentary are FaceTime Group Calls, a Dark Mode, Guest Mode, and more.
You can read about more rumors and possible new features here.
WatchOS 4
With the evolution of the Apple Watch Series 2, came the much improved WatchOS 3. A wearable OS that enabled the companies smartwatch to include extra functionality while enhancing battery life. In addition, it gave greater access to third-party app developers, which has made Apple’s wearable a formidable device.
As for this year, what will we see at the Apple WWDC? It is expected that WatchOS 4 will be announced giving developers a taste so that they can begin to create the apps that will drive it forward. However, right now, there’s little substance, other than Siri may make an appearance, making the Apple Watch more voice controlled.
As always, we will keep you up to date with any leaks and news that may arise.
iPhone 8 Preview
Stop The Press! If true this next Apple WWDC prediction could be the iOS 11 usurper, forcing it backwards in the anctipation queue.
Could the much hyped iPhone 8 make an appearance? Apparently, JPMorgan, was able to glean a piece of information (that everyone else missed) via the recent Apple earnings. And that was the possibility of the 10th anniversary iPhone 8 being revealed next month.
Coming from an unknown analyst, he/she believes Apple will give the public a preview of the device. Could that mean we see an iPhone 8, iPhone 7s, and iPhone 7s Plus? If so, that would go firmly against the grain of recent predictions.
Will this happen? We have to say, probably not, why announce so early only to release in the fall; it wouldn’t make much sense, would it?
Siri 2.0
Right now, there is a lot of talk about a Siri Smart-Speaker similar in nature to the Amazon Echo, now that’s a very good idea. But, what about the version of Siri that is on your iPhone or iPad? What can we expect to see at this year’s Apple WWDC?
How about an upgraded voice, this is one feature of the virtual assistant that has hardly changed since 2011. Back when it was first released onto the iPhone 4s. Apparently, Apple has formed a partnership with an English team to help make a change happen. Meaning, within iOS 11, could be a Siri 2.0 with a more naturally sounding voice.
Additionally, there is lots of talk about a much smarter Siri, hence the inclusion of 2.0 in its name, However, what this could mean in reality is that the assistant will have broad contextual learning abilities. These would help it better communicate with users, work with third-party apps, and integrate with iMessage and iCloud.
There are certain rumors that Siri is about to get a lot smarter as it will score deep contextual learning abilities and better integrate with iMessage and iCloud.
Final Thoughts
While the above is not the most exhaustive list of what may be at this year’s Apple WWDC, it certainly would be exciting if that was it. The possibility of an iPhone 8 launch, a Siri Speaker, along with a cast of supporting software would be an Apple fans dream come true. The problem of course is, Apple almost never reveals what it will announce until it does so. And that means it’s possible that none of the above will make it, which would be a huge shock. Especially, when you consider iOS 11, and WatchOS 4 are almost, well, penned in for this event.
