Apple prepare to announce major updates.
What should we expect at WWDC this year?
It's Summertime and that means it's once again time for the next major software updates from Apple at WWDC 2021 on June 7.
Expect updates for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac and maybe even some hardware reveals with Apple M2 Silicon rumoured to show up.
We had some big surprises last year with the MacOS Big Sur UI overhaul, Scribble on iPad and Home Screen Widgets on iOS so I hope Apple continue to surprise us.
Lets begin with the big one…
iOS 15
Last year we got a major update to the iPhone home screen with iOS 14 and the arrival of widgets, unfortunately they’re static and non interactive widgets right now so with iOS 15 I’m hoping we get the ability to scroll through emails or notes within the widget on the home screen like you can on Android.
Split screen multi-tasking is also something thats long overdue for iPhone since Apple went big with their displays on the iPhone 6 Plus in 2014, I would love to scroll through Reddit while watching a youtube clip or live event.
Notifications is rumoured to finally get an overhaul this year thankfully as I find it completely unhelpful in its current state, and the lock screen might get an always on display feature but some reports say it might be kept back to showcase with this years iPhone 13 models in the fall.
With always on display, we could have complications similar to the Apple Watch with a simply glance you would know how many text or email you have without even touching your device.
And finally, some UI updates and hopefully some default apps such as contacts, weather and phone get a new design UI.
Last year I was so pleased to finally see a change to the iOS home screen after not having any real changes since iOS 7, the static screen became so dull that not even a wallpaper could improve it but now widgets have made it much more personal and I love it. I just hope the next stage in UI changes will be the icons and if they’ll use the Big Sur designs so that we have a unified look across the whole Apple ecosystem.
iPadOS 15
The iPad has become something very special and unique in the tech World as it stands alone as the only real tablet of choice for many and is often regarded as a laptop replacement.
Last month the iPad Pro line up received a massive hardware upgrade with the M1 chip and thunderbolt port, these are laptop level upgrades and with the magic keyboard released last year, this puts the iPad Pro closer to being a laptop replacement than ever before.
The software has always held the iPad back in my honest opinion, that was until Apple replaced iOS with iPadOS and they finally started giving the iPad some real desktop features like a files app, external hard drive support and real multi tasking abilities.
With iPadOS 14 we were given some nice features such as scribble and smart selection, improved features for the Apple Pencil and a new photos app, but I found the lack of home screen widgets outside of landscape mode in a static holding place and no multi user support to be a bit of a let down.
It finally feels like Apple is giving the iPad, and especially the iPad Pro every chance of being a real alternative to laptops regarding the hardware, with Apple Pencil, magic keyboard, M1 SoC, and the Thunderbolt port but on the software side its been behind, but the rumour of Final Cut Pro, multi user support, home screen widgets like the iPhone and a full app library would make the iPad a champion.
The iPad Air continues to be the best choice for those that just want a great tablet to accompany their laptop and the basic iPad is best for kids, iPad Pro is still for the hardcore tech fans, professionals or those who actually want to replace their laptops with one.
MacOS 12 and WatchOS 8
Almost nothing is known about these two, so its quite difficult to work out this year, and last year MacOS received a major update with Big Sur and it gave us a complete UI overhaul.
This time around it will most likely be smaller refinements to the new UI and maybe some small features but nothing really has leaked so far.
As for WatchOS, again the same with nothing really leaking this year except for maybe some new watch faces and the long rumoured blood glucose sensor but that would require a new sensor and limited to the Apple Watch Series 7 so it’s doubtful we’ll get a peek this early in the year.
Perhaps a possible redesign for some the apps might be something we can expect as well.
MacBooks with M2 Silicon
This is a long shot but isn’t impossible, rumours recently point to Apple releasing a MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with the new M2 SoC and a complete redesign for both models.
The Air and Pro have both looked the same for years now and long overdue to join the current design trend at Apple, the iMac just last month finally got a design update after 9 years and it looks fantastic with the 7 colours.
I’ll start with the MacBook Air, as its had the most leaks recently from Jon Prosser who posted some images of what the Air may look like.
It features a new completely flat thinner design with white bezels, no longer tapered and a white keyboard with Touch ID similar to the new iMac including the 7 colours. The screen size and bezel size is still unknown to Prosser so we’ll have to wait and see if the Air gets a 14" display this time.
The underside of the MacBook Air will also see design changes, no longer having four rubber feet for support. Instead, there will be two long vertical strips.
We shouldn’t expect anything other than two Thunderbolt ports on the Air and hopefully we won’t see a price increase, and if these reports are correct then I think this might very well be my next MacBook.
and the MacBook Pro.
This is a little tougher to predict as many reports say the second half of 2021 for release but this is what we know.
The pro will come in 14" and 16" display sizes, a redesign, M2 SoC and possible Liquid Retina XDR displays (Mini LED) found on the new 12.9" iPad Pro.
We don’t have any leaked images of them yet but I would assume they’d resemble the leaked MacBook Air but slightly thicker. They should also be coming with more ports and the return of MagSafe charging, this is to push the “pro” features.
The touch bar is also being removed according to leakers, this is a bit of a shame but it just never caught on with developers and became wasted space.
Don’t expect colourful choices for the pro model either, with Silver or Black being my predictions.
Finally, it’s going to be an interesting WWDC this year with the M1 SoC smashing the competition and the prospect of the M2 just running away with it like the A14 does in smartphones. The continued changes to iPhone, with iOS 14 we finally saw a major change following years of stagnation and iOS 15 should continue that journey.
MacOS Big Sur gave us a whole new UI that will surely become synonymous with the new iMac, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro designs and this will only be improved upon in 2021.
The Apple Watch is still the best smart watch and fitness tracker to buy right now, battery and slight UI updates might be all we get in a year where a design change is due on the hardware side.
And the iPad continues to be the best alternative to a laptop as iPadOS makes it even more incredible, with the hardware already ahead of many laptops it only needs a few OS changes to really be the best choice.
It will surely be a year of continued dominance in the hardware area for Apple, now we just have to see if the software can make use of all that power.
WWDC 21 begins June 7–11.
