So, the annual Worldwide Developer Conference is happening on June 7th, and it is my favourite of all the events, as it is focused on software. Whilst design of Apple's current lineup has stayed the same for many years (changing slightly, but not much), their software has been evolving a little faster.

Source: Apple

Last year's WWDC was, in my opinion, the best online-only event of the pandemic so far. The transitions were great, the pace was good and it helped shape the other events of the year, not only Apple's events. The software announcements were significant too, with some of the biggest updates coming to the company's software in recent years. iOS came with widgets and some extra features, MacOS 11 Big Sur - a huge change from MacOS Catalina - came in with a new look and feel, and overall, there were refinements to the services Apple creates.

This year, there has not been too many expectations about what Apple will release, something I find suspicious. It will once again be online only, and the fanboy in me is excited for the transitions. The expected OS update announcements will be: iOS 15, iPadOS 15, watchOS 8, and MacOS 12(?).

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has stated ideas about an updated Lock Screen and some new privacy features, but not much more is known other than that. You can expect small features added to Apple's service such as Health and Music, too. A redesigned notifications centre similar to Android will be a welcome addition too.

Here are some of the expected announcements in the event.

iMessage
Source: Apple

There are some rumours of iMessage becoming more of a social media, with features meant to rival WhatsApp and Messenger. The app will not go full Facebook with a news feed, but I could see status messages come to iMessage, along with a history that could tell you a person's recent workouts through the Health app and more customisable profiles.

Food logging

Something that I definitely could see coming to Apple's Health service is smarter food tracking, with a possible database that will be easier and quicker to use than entering everything manually. This could be useful to people who do not want to switch apps when logging food and using other software such as MyFitnessPal.

HomeOS

Recently, Apple posted a job listing mentioning a so-called HomeOS, which does not exist. The listing was quickly removed and changed to "HomePod and tvOS", which could show that Apple is making its smart home work closer together and encompass HomeKit, tvOS and HomePod.

Source: Apple
New MacBook Pro models

Whilst it is uncommon for Apple to release hardware at WWDC, it does not mean it will not happen. The last time hardware was released at this event was 2017, when the HomePod was announced.

Jon Prosser has said that the new models will be announced at the event, with sizes coming in at 14 and 16 inches. He, along with a few other sources, have stated that these new models will come with more ports, a HDMI port and SD Card reader, but one of the most important things is the return of MagSafe to the Mac. The port is magnetic and was released in 2006, then was phased out with the fourth generation laptop, using USB-C instead.

Source: Apple

The guts of the laptop will be new too - with a redesigned, more powerful chip and better thermal systems to incorporate it. The CPU is said to have ten cores instead of eight, and can be configurable with up to 64GB of RAM and 16 or 32 core GPUs. The computer will not have a Touch Bar - instead opting to use a traditional function row - and there is a possibility that it will have more colour options, but I doubt it.

There is also evidence, according to MacRumours, that the battery of the new 16 inch MacBook was found in regulatory databases. Apple supplier Sunwoda Electronics have used Apple-style model codes when referring to a battery rated at 8,693 mAh, similar to the current larger MacBook Pro (8,790 mAh)

There have been reports that the MacBook may not release until later this year, but I think that Apple will come out with new laptops at this event due to them primarily being focused towards developers and professionals.

There is a possibility that a higher end desktop will be released, but it is not likely.

In conclusion...

I think it will be a small event on the software side, as many improvements were made last year, but if MacBook Pro models are released, I cannot wait. I guess we'll see. I am mostly excited for the transitions, though.