A complete list of what to expect from Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference(WWDC) 2016

We have just a day or two left before Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference takes place. Apple will be announcing new updates in San Francisco on June 13th.

Apple is expected to launch the next version of iOS, iOS 10 and rename OS X to macOS making it consistent across the board with all its other OS’s. But obviously there’s more, so let’s go through it one by one.
iOS 10:

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iOS 10 is will hit the beta availability soon after WWDC and it is said to pack in a bunch of exciting additions. Apple is said to be working on a new ‘Dark theme’ similar to what was available on OS X Yosemite and this can go system wide. The WWDC app that Apple released follows a similar dark theme pattern away from its iOS 7 bright white theme that not everybody preferred. Apple will also probably drop a few more devices from its compatibility list such as those running on just 512MB RAM and on the A5 or A5X chip which based on current standards even for an iOS device is pretty slow. these devices include iPad 3, iPad 2, first-gen iPad Mini, iPhone 4S and fifth-gem iPod Touch. Rumours for Apple making iOS 10 completely 64-bit is still a little skeptical as devices like the iPhone 5, 5C along with the iPad 4 run on 32-bit chips.

Apple is also expected to refine its multitasking capabilities on the iPads and may also introduce multi-user system similar to the one launched for its education program. In addition to these features, refinements and improvements under-the-hood for better performance will be expected as with any ‘upgrade’. iMessage may also now be available on Android.

Siri:

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Apple could revamp Siri to a level never seen before. Especially considering devices like Amazon Echo with Alexa are picking up traction in the industry and more devices like the newly announced Google Assistant and Viv are much more advanced, smarter and capable. Apple is expected to open-up Siri to third-party developers for better integration among with apps and better voice recognition and natural language processing. Apple could further bring better Home kit integration similar to Amazon Echo to create an all-in-one type voice assistant. This version of Siri will also now appear on all of the existing platforms including iOS, tvOS, watchOS and soon-to-be-available macOS.

Revamped Apple Music app:

Apple Music will receive the biggest update ever since its launch. Apple will rectify one of Apple Music’s biggest complaints, the UI. Apple will now bring a revamped and simplified user interface and might even shift to a dark theme similar to the current WWDC app to put the emphasize on album art. One of the biggest changes will come to the ‘For You’ section which greets you first in Apple Music to make finding new music more easier and convenient. Apple is also rumoured to remove the largely unpopular ‘Connect’ section which acts like a social media platform for users to connect with artists and musicians.

Apple Pay:

Apple Pay has been expanding rapidly across the globe and in countries where it already had been introduced. Apple might also introduce a new form of Apple Pay bringing Apple Pay to the web similar to Apple Pay for apps so know instead of using iCloud Keychain to fill out your card details and billing info, you could now have a more simplified way to make a payment on the web. Another thing that Apple is rumoured to be thinking about according to famous Apple insider Mark Gurman (current Bloomberg and former 9to5Mac reporter) is peer-to-peer payments in iMessage using Apple Pay.

OS X a.k.a macOS:

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macOS. Source: Medium.com[/caption]

The most noticeable change Apple will bring to OS X is in the name which ran since 2012. Apple is now expected to rename long- standing OS X to macOS inline with it’s other OS’s like tvOS, watchOS and of course iOS.

One of the most anticipated feature on macOS is Siri integration for the first time. With tvOS, watchOS and iOS all having Siri integration, transforming OS X to macOS might bring Siri too. The chances of this happening is very real especially considering Apple’s primary rival Microsoft integrated it’s version of a personal assistant Cortana into Windows 10 system wide. Apple could further introduce better integration with the rest of the ecosystem especially iOS similar to what it did with the introduction of continuity and hand-off. Apple could take this a step further and possibly integrate touch-id authentication from compatible devices for unlocking certain computer system possibly via Bluetooth Low Energy given a close proximity between the devices. While there are apps already available on the App store to do this, Apple’s integration can be much more reliable and sophisticated. Apart from this as with any software, there will be better refinements and improved functionality on the existing feature set. Apple may also integrate features like Apple Pay in the browser and improve Apple Music integration on iTunes and could even extend the changes to the Photos app which replaced Aperture.

Apple has also been able to hold up compatibility of it’s latest release operating systems to Mac’s dating upto Mountain Lion as they are all Intel-based and run with 64-bit drivers and equivalent graphics performance along with Extensible Firmware Interface(EFI). While we can’t be a 100% sure on whether this will stay true for this major release, we can expect most if not all, of these recent Mac’s to be fully compatible.

watchOS:

Apple could bring more third-party integration to the Apple Watch and open up api’s that can extend the developers capability to utilize the various sensors and data collected from the Apple Watch. New watch faces, new levels of app integration and data collection and a more efficient and lighter OS could all be included in the next update for watchOS. Apple Watch could also get a more closer integration with the rest of the ecosystem increasing the capabilities of the Watch.

tvOS:

Apple’s newly launched tvOS can also receive an update bring refinements and improvements to graphics and net performance yields. Apple may also push for a closer integration towards the rest of its ecosystem and possibly remove limitations such as every game requiring a controlling having compatibility with the included Siri-remote.

In addition to all of the above mentioned service and product updates, Apple may also tease a product or service like it’s done in the past. Apple’s ‘One More thing…” is always reserved for something brand new and highly anticipated. While Apple mainly focuses on the software side of things for WWDC, it isn’t uncommon to see releases of hardware products or teasers of upcoming projects. So below we’ve listed the possible hardware announcements that we can expect to be made at this year’s WWDC.

REMEMBER THERE IS A HIGH POSSIBILITY THAT NONE OF THESE DEVICES BE ANNOUNCED AT WWDC. EVEN IF APPLE DOES A TEASE A PRODUCT, IT COULD ONLY BE ANY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING.

A new thunderbolt Cinema display:

Apple might also finally refresh the aging Thunderbolt display which it introduced back in July, 2011. The new display is said to be having a 5K resolution(5120 x 2880) or 4K(4069 x 2160) at the bare minimum. Both these new resolutions are stunning compared to the current 2560 x 1440 resolution the thunderbolt display has. But driving these pixels especially from low powered Macs like a Mac Mini or the MacBook lineup is not going to be easy or efficient so Apple is said to be interacting a built-in GPU for the 5K display that could revile the stress on the actual computer. Apple could also update the I/O at the back of the monitor including USB Type-C ports and probably eliminating Firewire 800 and updating the rest(such as thunderbolt) to their latest versions. Apple could spice up the built-in FaceTime HD camera, microphone and speaker for better conferencing. Apple could also change the way the display connects to a Mac by adding USB type-C and probably thunderbolt 3 (and hopefully MagSafe connector).

Apple may also do what it does best and make the screen more thinner giving it a sleek and stunning look. The display may ship in two sizes: 21-inch(Probably 4K) and a 27-inch(5K) similar to the current iMac lineup. In terms of pricing, Apple might still keep the current version of the thunderbolt display for a budget oriented buyer at a lower price while the new displays might get a price hike due to the above mentioned updates.

MacBook Pro:

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Apple is expected to bring the biggest refresh to the MacBook Pro lineup after a really long time. The new MacBook Pro’s is expected to come with a new set of I/O with the latest generation Kaby lake (or if we’re unlucky, SkyLake) processor and new hardware changes. Based on leaked images, the new MacBook Pro will have a similar design but will now have just 4 USB type-C ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Apple seems to be getting rid of it’s MagSafe connector as well. The keyboard will now have an OLED touch surface that will bring added convenience and features in place of the function keys and the whole body, thanks to the new I/O will be thinner and possibly even lighter compared to the previous generation versions. Apple could also improve SSD speeds thanks to innovation in SSDs from companies like Samsung who recently announced production of a new NVMe SSD lineup giving speeds of upto 1,500mb/s read and 900mb/s write. They are also more smaller and thinner than ever which could further help Apple who is possessed to remove even a millimetre off of its devices, decrease the thickness of the new MBP’s.

The new MacBook Pro along with the new displays might ship in August or Q2 this year and may come in similar colour variations as the existing MacBook.

With all these announcements lined up, we can’t wait to see what Apple has in store for us! What do you think Apple should introduce at WWDC’16?