Apple AI, visionOS 2.0, iOS 18: What to expect from Apple during WWDC 2024 on June 10

WWDC 2024 logos

Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference is the company's opportunity to talk about future software and hardware changes happening to its many different platforms.

Usually held in early June, the event has pivoted from a chiefly in-person gathering to a heavily online experience. One that helps developers know what's on the horizon, and how to code apps to take advantage of the inbound new technologies.

The event is chiefly one that concentrates on software, specifically Apple's major operation system releases that will arrive in the fall alongside new iPhone models. However, it is also known to be the venue for Apple to introduce new hardware, too.

With the launch of the Apple Vision Pro earlier in 2024, as well as major changes to iOS 17 to deal with European legislation, this year's WWDC should be one that all should pay attention to.

Naturally, the rumor mill is offering expectations of what Apple will unveil during the event. This is what has been rumored by various leakers and reports, months ahead of the event itself.

When will WWDC 2024 happen?

On March 26, Apple confirmed it will be holding WWDC starting from June 10, with the event running until June 14.

The announced date pretty much follows Apple's usual pattern of holding it in early June. The exception since 2007 is 2020, which was held in late June.

Chiefly held as a virtual conference since the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple has taken steps to bring the human element back to the event. Like the last few years, Apple is holding an all-day event at Apple Park on Monday, June 10.

That in-person event will include a viewing party for the Keynote, meetings with Apple experts, and other special activities, all held at Apple Park.

Software - iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, tvOS 18, watchOS 11, visionOS 2

With software the main reason for WWDC's existence, and following Apple's previous WWDC announcements, Apple's next batch of operating systems will be the big draw for the event.

As per Apple's usual naming conventions, these should be called iOS 18, iPadOS 18, tvOS 18, and watchOS 11. While we know macOS will be version 15 this time around, we won't know the name followup to Sonoma until the main keynote.

There is one more operating system that will feature: visionOS.

The Apple Vision Pro operating system is still at version 1, and has undergone numerous changes in its relatively short lifespan so far. Apple will certainly address visionOS during the event, likely with a shift to version 2.

Apple AI and accessibility changes

Early rumors from October put forward the narrative that the release of iOS 18 will be more focused on artificial intelligence than Apple initially anticipated. This has apparently included the creation of an internal chatbot titled "Apple GPT" and trials of generative AI for internal customer care tools.

For iOS 18 specifically, there is the belief that Apple will be incorporating AI into its various services, such as helping users write in Pages or create slides in Keynote.

Siri will naturally be boosted by this work, including improvements in how Siri fields questions and how Messages auto-completes sentences.

For developers, this AI work can include assistance in the Xcode development environment, with the use of AI to predict and complete blocks of code. This could streamline coding for developers, and may even help with tedious tasks such as generating code for testing applications.

These AI changes may even spread to Apple's iWork app collection, after buying some related domains. Apple researchers have even created tools for generating images, both in static and animated forms.

There have also been rumors that Apple could be offering more than just its own AI features in its future operating systems. Various commentators believe Apple has been in talks with multiple companies in the AI field to potentially offer access to AI apps in an enhanced AI App Store.

Apple has also reportedly talked to Google and Baidu to potentially assist with its AI processing.

In March, a rumor about inbound accessibility features in iOS 18 and macOS 15 said elements such as Voice Shortcuts that map accessibility features to spoken phrases could be on the way. Live Speech and Personal Voice for Live Speech could gain categories, helping users find frequently used phrases faster.

Increased font controls across the operating systems will also help users adjust the font sizes in multiple apps at once, rather than requiring things to be changed on a per-app basis.

Apple may also introduce more customization options to the home screen in iOS 18, though exactly what that entails hasn't been proposed in rumors.

As for which devices should run iOS 18, one leaker claims that it will be identical to iOS 17. For iPad OS, it allegedly won't support the A10X Fusion chip or earlier, reducing the iPad list that will support it.

If true, iPadOS will run on iPad Pro models released in 2018 or later, the iPad Air and iPad mini from 2019, and iPad models from 2020 onward.

On the more unlikely side, there were claims that Apple was making iOS 18 look more like visionOS. A February report doubted this would happen, but that iOS changes would still be "ambitious and compelling."

Hardware - New Macs

Though chiefly software-based, Apple does make major hardware announcements that are more aimed at developers than consumers. This usually means upgrades to items like the Mac Studio and Mac Pro.

Rumors have claimed that an updated Mac Studio with the M3 Ultra will arrive in the middle of 2024, which would line up with an announcement at WWDC.

If previous iterations are anything to go by, the M3 Ultra will effectively be two M3 Max chips attached by an interconnect. That means it will have double the individual chip components than the M3 Max chip.

While there have been murmurs about the Mac Studio being updated, the same cannot be said about the Mac Pro.

One December report said Apple could bring out an update to both Mac Studio and Mac Pro toward the end of 2024, meaning they could miss WWDC entirely. However, January's report about the Mac Studio leaves out any mention of the Mac Pro at all.

Given Apple's update to the Mac Pro was considered a massive fumble by the company, Apple has both a reason to update the Mac Pro to win back users, and to leave it alone for a while and to focus on Mac Studio.

WWDC is also a venue for introducing entirely new product categories, which in 2023 consisted of the Apple Vision Pro. At this early stage, it seems unlikely that any major changes will be introduced to the headset, but it will probably be discussed at some point.