Apple is set to host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2021 completely virtually, from June 7 to June 11, the Cupertino-based tech giant announced on Tuesday. This is the second instance of hosting the WWDC online after last year’s event which took place in an online environment (much like Apple’s other events for the year).
“We love bringing our developers together each year at WWDC to learn about our latest technologies and to connect them with Apple engineers. We are working to make WWDC21 our biggest and best yet, and are excited to offer Apple developers new tools to support them as they create apps that change the way we live, work, and play,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of worldwide developer relations, in a press release.
The WWDC is where the company usually details upcoming changes coming to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS, with the occasional hardware surprise. The Cupertino tech giant had announced the new Mac pro at the WWDC 2019, and a host of new hardware at the WWDC 2017, including its HomePod smart speaker and a new 10.5 inch iPad Pro. However, at WWDC 2020, Apple did not launch any hardware products, so it’d be better to set your expectations low.
The conference this year will offer some insight into the future of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, according to the release. The event will be free for all developers.
WWDC21 is set to inform Apple’s community of more than 28 million developers (as well as the next generation of app developers) what new technologies, tools, and frameworks they will rely on to build innovative and platform-differentiating apps and games.
The company announced that the conference would include announcements from the keynote and State of the Union stages, online sessions, 1:1 labs offering technical guidance, and new ways for developers to interact with Apple engineers and designers to learn about the latest frameworks and technologies. It would also continue to support students who love coding with the Swift Student Challenge, inviting them to demonstrate their coding skills by creating an “interactive scene in a Swift Playground that can be experienced within three minutes.” Winners will receive exclusive WWDC21 outerwear and a pin set.
Apple also announced that it would be donating $1 million to SJ Aspires, an education and equity initiative launched by the City of San José.
