What to expect at Apple's WWDC announcement
The Washington Post · Heather Kelly, Geoffrey A. Fowler, Reed Albergotti
SAN FRANCISCO - The pandemic isn't stopping one of tech's summertime standbys: Apple unveiling updates to the software of the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch . . . and maybe a few product surprises, too.
This year, however, Apple's WWDC - which stands for Worldwide Developers Conference - is going virtual. On Monday at 1 p.m. Eastern, 10 a.m. Pacific, CEO Tim Cook and other Apple executives will stream their announcements online instead of presenting them in person to a convention center audience filled with app developers.
Apple is expected to demo its next iPhone software, iOS 14, as well as new versions of iPadOS and MacOS, the software that runs its tablets and computers. In recent years, Apple has made early-release test versions of these updates available in "public beta" over the summer, before making final versions available to everyone in the fall.
Heading into the event, Apple finds itself in a brouhaha over how it runs its successful App Store, where it sells more than 2 million apps. The company takes a portion (typically 30%) of the revenue from apps that sell subscriptions. But the new email service Hey.com - which sells subscriptions on its website - says Apple threatened to remove it from the App Store when it refused to offer an in-app subscription option and share a cut.
One potential WWDC announcement that's been generating buzz: Apple switching its Mac computers to ARM-based processors, an alternative to the Intel chips that Apple has used for 14 years. Apple's iPhones, iPads and watches already use ARM chips, which give Apple the ability to customize them to its own specifications. Last year at WWDC, Apple made inroads toward making apps that run on iPads also run on Macs, and a switch to the same kind of processors would bring Apple's mobile devices and computers even closer together.
As Apple streams from somewhere at its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters, the pandemic could be a chance for the company to update its approach to product announcements. The choreographed events have followed a predictable format since Steve Jobs made them his signature way of generating headlines, though much of the secrecy that made them exciting is largely gone. Executives in crisp casual wear talk up the company's stats - sales, number of active devices, newest stores - then roll through updates with special guests and glossy promotional videos.
Cook has sometimes used the start of Apple events to address current events, like immigration. This year he's also likely to talk about Apple's work to develop exposure-tracing apps for the coronavirus.
Usually a five-day, $1,600 event for developers to learn about the latest tools for making apps, WWDC will be entirely virtual and free this year. Developers can watch videos or request one-on-one sessions with Apple engineers.
Apple did not say if the keynote was being streamed live, streamed on a delay or prerecorded. The word live does not appear in Apple's descriptions of the announcement.
