As Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) dawns upon us for later tonight at San Jose, the question for many is how Apple is going evolve is many platforms which include iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS and Siri apart from hardware for creators. A lot has been reported already but in this article, I’m going to touch upon my personal wishlist, some which will be likely some will not be.
- Multiple reports have claimed that after 18 years Apple going to kill iTunes its iconic music jukebox software which is also the underlying software for syncing iPhones, iPads and iPods with PCs. When it originally came out iTunes was hailed as the panacea to rampant piracy of music as it heralded the digital downloads era. In the recent past, it has become a bloated, convoluted dead weight which is forced upon users because it integrated Apple Music, iTunes Movies and also is the only way to sync your iPhone & iPad with the desktop apart from iCloud. (High possibility)
- Redesign of Apple’s mobile platform iOS is also on the cards. iOS has visually looked the same for 6 years since the last major overhaul in 2012 with iOS 7. While Apple is expected to make big changes in its core applications, a major update to the user interface is not on the cards. iOS 13 will also feature many changes to the interface like the springboard, a system-wide dark mode and will herald major updates for the iPad interface which were earlier scheduled for last year but withheld for a more stable OS in light of iOS slowdowns. (High possibility)
- A fully native file system and mouse support for iOS have been a long asked for feature. That being said, there is no news on this development. Last year, Apple introduced an updated files app which is tied to iCloud, but for the iPad Pro to become a more professional tool. Apple needs to add both mouse support and a native file system. (Low probability of happening)
- As a person who uses both Mac apps and iOS apps a lot, one hopes for more unification of the two platforms something which Apple has already announced. But this is not an overnight switch which means that we may not see full unification of the two platforms till a couple of years. Apple is expected to make more announcements towards this effort which it internally calls Marzipan. (High possibility of happening)
- I really want Apple to showcase the new Mac Pro. The Mac Pro hasn’t been refreshed in 6 years but last year Apple said that a new modular Mac Pro was in the works with a redesigned chassis scheduled for a 2019 release. Considering Apple previewed the Mac Pro in 2013 at WWDC and then two years ago it also previewed the iMac Pro at WWDC, there’s a high possibility that Apple will preview the new Mac Pro later tonight. ( High probability)
- Major updates to Siri are needed. Apple announced Siri shortcuts last year at WWDC which has indeed opened up its voice platform but its still miles behind the Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa. Apple hired John Giannandrea from Google as the head of AI last year, so this could be the year, JG’s work could come to light. (Medium probability)
- One is also hoping that Apple shares some information with regards to Apple Arcade its game subscription service which it announced at its March event. Apple is likely to showcase some of the games that are incoming if they have a date to share. Chances of that happening are quite likely as we’ve already crossed the halfway point for the year and there is more iOS-based hardware inbound for the end of the year. ( Medium possibility)
All in all, we are looking at possibly the most awaited WWDC in more than 5 years which bodes for an exciting conference and a lot of buzz.
