What We Can Expect To See At WWDC 2016

By @TheMarkDalton

We are just one week away from Apple’s annual WWDC event. WWDC is all about the software and the company has promised to show off the “future” of iOS at this event. Clearly a future which includes iOS 10.

So what can we expect to see from the company at the keynote on June 13th?

iOS 10

Apple will unveil iOS 10 at WWDC and provide a beta version to developers so they can start working on new features and APIs on their apps. While much of iOS 10 has been kept under wraps so far we know of several changes Apple may implement.

iOS 10 is expected to include a redesigned music app with a more intuitive UI and a bolder, more streamlined design.

Siri is also expected to get a major update to take on Google Now, Cortana and a wave of third party assistants which are being released to the market. Siri is starting to feel well behind the competition despite the “proactive Siri” that Apple boasted last year. A Siri SDK could be announced allowing third party developers to add Siri support to their apps for the first time.

Apple Pay is a feature I really want to get my hands on over in Ireland but there are no signs of it happening at the moment. However there could be an update which includes Apple Pay support for web browsers. That means you could make purchases using Apple Pay via Safari.

There are also rumours of updates coming to the Photos app however it is unclear at the moment what those features may be.

macOS?

OS X is rumoured to be getting a rebrand at WWDC. Apparently the new software for the desktop will be known as macOS which brings it in line with the naming of the other software offered by Apple to different platforms, namely iOS and watchOS.

One of the headline features is expected to be Siri integration, a leaked photo provided by MacRumours shows a Siri button in the dock with a colourful wave design. Siri on the Mac will presumably carry out the same functions as it does on iOS such as playing music, opening apps and answering questions.

macOS is also rumoured to support unlocking Macs via an iPhone and Apple Pay support for the browser. There are rumours of updates for the Photos app however there is no indication right now as to what those updates may be.

watchOS

The rumour mill has been silent around watchOS. There is not much we know here except that we can expect to see watchOS 3. However the more prominent rumours have been around the possibility that Apple could unveil a new Apple Watch at WWDC.

While possible, WWDC is typically kept to software. It is after all a conference for developers. It may happen but I would think that Apple could hold a separate event for an Apple Watch announcement. Despite that, rumours of a thinner watch with more power are floating around at the moment.

How can you watch WWDC 2016?

There is not a huge amount of WWDC rumours floating around compared to previous years. Apple seems to be keeping a tight wrap on what they have been working on over the past year. The event takes place on 13th June and you will be able to watch it via a live stream from the Apple events page if you are on an Apple device.

http://www.apple.com/apple-events/