Prediction: WWDC 2020
2020 is really turning out to be a year to remember, sadly unlike anything we have ever seen before. It’s an incredibly unique year in a way that Apple’s WWDC (World Wide Developer Conference), will be completely remote and done online. On the bright side of all of this, I’m incredibly thankful to live in this connected world that Apple is even able to present and broadcast their yearly developer conference for us. I anticipate that 2020 will be the highest watched year to date, simply based on the fact that we are all remote in our homes.
I predict this is the year that Apple goes deeper into subscriptions services. I can see something along the lines of the Apple “bundle” including Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple News +, and Apple Arcade. Right now quite honestly I’m already paying for these, so it’d be a welcome addition to my monthly bills. Down the road I can even see this going one step further to include an “Apple Everything” plan, which would include all Apple services as well as a monthly payment for the most recent iPhone. That plan I’d see coming down the road after WWDC, but they could possibly announce it with a release date in the fall. This conference in previous years has been mainly software based, giving the developers the new tools and frameworks to do what they do best, create Apps that will change the world.
This year at WWDC, I predict these enhancements:
iOS 14 - iOS is always a fan favorite. This is the software that powers the iPhone which is the most popular mobile operating system in the world. Apple does a good job with their upgrade and patching strategy with their users. I can see iOS go deeper into automated updates with even less user interaction. I can also see further enhancements to iMessage in their Messages App to bring some functionality that has been used in popular messaging Apps such as Slack. You should be able to @ someone to get their attention with a notification, be able to edit a message after it has been sent, and of course interact with even more selection of emoji’s. Another welcomed enhancement would be split screen apps and multi window apps, similar to features that we see on iPadOS 13. As always there will be further underlying software enhancements to secure the experience for the end user.
iPadOS 14 - This is one I’m always very excited about. Could this be the year iPad finally gets TRUE external display support from the USB C port? Now that would be incredible! It makes sense as Apple has their newly released iPad Pro Magic Keyboard which includes trackpad and cursor support which would give a true desktop computing experience, especially on an additional screen. I can also see this being the year that Apple allows XCode to run on iPadOS 14 giving developers the ability to create apps for iPad on the device they’re currently using. This would be game changer, because as of right now if a developer wants to create an App for iPhone or iPad, they need to own a Mac and do create the App on Xcode on macOS. iPadOS 14 on iPad can change all of that.
tvOS 14 - Now this is one where I’m hoping new hardware accompanies the software. The Apple TV 4K is a great streaming box for a TV, but it was released in 2017 and a hardware upgrade would be welcomed. I can see the next box having the same A13 Processor which is the same processor in the current iPhone 11, and new iPhone SE. I’d watch this space for Apple to also introduce software enhancements to updated services, further expansion into Apple Arcade gaming, and more customizations around user profiles on the Apple TV itself.
watchOS 7 - Can you believe the Apple Watch is coming up on it’s 6th year and 7th round of a major software upgrade? Wild. I absolutely love Apple Watch, and I predict we are going to see even more health improvements with watchOS 7. One area I can see Apple exploring next is a mental health function and check in with Apple Watch. It would be the perfect time to do so, and would continue along their track record that the Apple Watch is much more than a watch. This product is also evolving out of the mold of being a “companion” device for iPhone, to a device that can stand on its own. I can also see Apple finally tackling sleep tracking with the Watch. We would need to see a software update in order for functionality and battery life to support it, but I can see it being a popular addition to the ecosystem. This is a device that is enabling people to live a healthy life. On top of that, the Apple Watch is the most personal piece of tech that Apple has launched to this day. There is a lot of trust between the consumer and Apple as this product literally touches our skin the entire time we are using it.
macOS 10.16 - Which California location will this version of macOS become? Moving from the island of Catalina, maybe we will see Apple move into wine country with macOS 10.16 Sonoma. That’d be epic. 🍷 On a more serious note, something I alway get excited about with macOS is seeing how Apple gives IT Professionals tools to further incorporate macOS into corporate environments. I’m guessing we’re going to see ever further security enhancements around macOS. Years ago we got something called SIP (System Integrity Protection), years after that we got user approved 3rd party kernel extensions, and it feels that Apple will continue to build on that mentality here with one goal in mind, protecting the end user. The one feature that I have seen a need for on a consumer level would be a revamped version of Time Machine. Time Machine is the built in backup system a part the Mac since OS X 10.5 Leopard from 2007. It’s been 13 years since this feature has seen a revamp, and I can see Apple giving users the ability to backup to iCloud. It could be yet another push for Apple to sell more cloud based storage and obtain another recurring revenue model for iCloud services.
….and one more thing? Wouldn’t it be amazing if Apple was really able to give us something that wasn’t reported on, hasn’t been discussed on the rumor mills, and caught us all off guard? Only time will tell. I’m looking forward to get my hands on the beta software after the keynote is done, so I’ll be sure to post updates on my findings.
All eyes on Apple once again. I really hope they deliver some amazing enchantments that we all can get excited about. Be sure to tune into the live stream this coming Monday, June 22nd at 1 PM EST/ 10 AM PST. Apple has already generated their YouTube live stream on their official channel. Link here!
Happy Keynote Watching Everyone!
Best,
-Joe
