Apple developer's conference 2017: Here's what you can expect

Apple developer's conference 2017: Here's what you can expect

Apple's annual World Wide Developer's Conference (WWDC) kicks off Monday, June 5. The event will last until Friday, June 9.

According to 9t05Mac, the event will be held in McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California.

If you are as excited as I am (very few usually are) for this event, then you will know that this conference is a huge deal to Apple customers.

It is an opportunity for Apple to show that it is still a major player in the consumer electronic's market after the plethora of interesting new features announced by Google in their own developer conference.

This year's WWDC will not only announce the next version of the company's various operating systems, but there are also rumours that Apple might introduce new hardware as well.

Let us jump in to what fans can hope expect from WWDC 2017, based on chatter on the world wide web:

iOS 11

How can I start this list without first mentioning what is probably the most anticipated update to the very essence that runs our iPhones, the iOS.

An iPhone on display running iOS 10.Photo: AsiaOne / Alvin Kosasi

There has been countless rumours flying around as to what features will be included to iOS 11, the successor to iOS 10.

It is said that Apple will include a dark mode to its mobile devices, a feature that many users have been waiting for.

A concept image of dark mode on iOS.Photo: Federico Viticci/Sam Beckett

Not only will this mode provide an overall sleeker and stealthier look to your iPhone, it will probably be easier on your eyes during night time viewing as well.

There are also hopes for more "pro" features for Apple's current lineup of iPads. With every updates to iOS in recent years, there has not been much new changes to the iPad, functionality wise.

Apple's 9.7 inch iPad Pro.Photo: Apple

With increasing competition from Microsoft's line of Surface Pro products, it is perhaps time for Apple to show that its iPad Pro is a serious contender for serious work as well.

Lastly, there are also talks about major improvements to Apple's Siri, the company's digital assistant which first debuted at 2011 with the iPhone 4s.

Despite being the first to introduce the concept of digital assistant to the consumer market, it has lost out to Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa in terms of functionality. Its competitors are simply more responsive and smarter when it comes to handling your questions and instructions.

Apple may be just playing catch up here but maybe they have some suprises for Siri? We'll just have to wait and watch.

MacOS

Dropping the OS X branding from last year's WWDC, this year's MacOS will most likely aim to improve the seamless integration between Apple devices, making its entire ecosystem more cohesive and united.

Photo: Apple

Last year's MacOS Sierra introduced being able to unlock your Macbooks with an Apple watch, the voice assistant Siri as well as the ability to pay for web purchases using Apple Pay.

watchOS and tvOS

These next two updates might not be as well known, because not as many people own the devices (Apple Watch and Apple TV).

The Apple watch has always been marketed as a health companion device, so expect more health related features from watchOS 4 like a glucose monitors or sleep tracking.

Photo: The Straits Times

The Apple TV has been criticised by many for its lacklustre features, such as the inability to stream digital contents in 4K resolution or the lack of video streaming services.

The Apple TV needs to do more than it currently can now.Photo: Apple

tvOS 11 will hopefully integrate more content partners such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Vudu.

Hardware announcement

Apple has not done this for awhile, as WWDC is typically seen as a platform reserved for software announcements.

However, this year things might change as Apple is rumored to be announcing not just one, but a plethora of new products:

  • A new 10.5-inch iPad Pro which will have an entirely new design.
  • New Macbook models updated with Intel's latest processors.
  • Apple's very own Siri-powered smart speaker to challenge the likes of Amazon Echo and Google Home.

There you have it, the things you can expect from WWDC 2017. However, do take note that these are merely rumors and speculation from websites and forums, so they might not come true (although I do wish they will).

You can watch the announcements live on Apple's website, but due to the time differences between Singapore and USA, it will only be streamed at an ungodly hour of 1am on Tuesday morning.

I will be watching it myself, and hopefully still make it through the work day.

akosasi@sph.com.sg

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