The Worldwide Developer Conference kicks off June 5 and Apple is prepared to show off a slew of new features and devices to its ravenous fanbase. So what should fans expect to see at this year's conference?
Software Updates
Software updates are usually a big part of WWDC, with yearly updates to Apple's four software platforms with first looks at WWDC. It shouldn't be a surprise that the biggest suite of changes would come to iOS and Siri.
The obvious piece to get updated is Siri. While there haven't been any details revealed, an update has to be in the cards with reports of a Siri speaker being prepped for manufacturing. Even though Siri was first out of the gate, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa have emerged as the more popular voice assistants on the market. Apple has never been one to be left behind so this could be a big show for Siri.
It's the same case for iOS since iOS 11 is going to be a big piece of the show. Like Siri, there are no details about what Apple has in store for its latest iteration of the operating system, but that hasn't stopped rumors from popping up. Most are the usual wish list features, such as a dark mode, to save battery, and group FaceTime. However, it's entirely possible that iOS 11 could finally bring those to iPhones and iPads.
Then there's macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, which have had little word about what could be in store for these. While each has seen the big update here and there, it's entirely possible that little comes out beyond some fine tuning and small changes. That said, it takes one announcement to change things for any of these.
New Hardware
As mentioned above, one of the big pieces of hardware that could steal the show is the possibility of a Siri Speaker. Given the competition, it is believed that the speaker will have surround sound and HomeKit — Apple's smart home system — to properly compete with Amazon Echo and Google Home.
There are fewer educated guesses that can be made after that. It is a fact that iPhone won't be at the show, so no iPhone 8 debuts. However, that could be a miss-direct, but that's very unlikely. There could be some new updates coming to MacBook, but again, no guarantees there either.
On the whole, this looks to be a very software driven show this year. By the same token, Apple could pull something out and catch fans off guard, but it should be worth checking out regardless.
