WWDC 2019 kicks off tonight at 8 PM local time EAT and there’s a lot to expect from Apple’s now 30th conference. We expect to see iOS 13, macOS 10.15, watchOS 6, TVOS 13 and some new Mac Pro news too. Apple is also expected to talk about its upcoming game subscription service and the company’s plans on digital privacy.
iOS 13 features
The new major iPhone and iPad OS will reportedly feature system-wide dark mode plus including a high contrast version. Dark mode will come in handy for iPad apps that run on the Mac using Marzipan. On the iPad, we expect to see multiple window feature with iOS 13. Other significant features to see include undo gesture, Safari improvements such as will automatically ask for a desktop version of websites when necessary on the iPad)
https://twitter.com/backlon/status/1134905327835439104
Font management is coming in that they’ll be no need to install a profile to get new fonts into the system anymore.
https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1120447708215554049
Apple will also unify the “Find My Friends” and “Find My iPhone” apps into a new one called “Find My” (yes, just Find My)
A new Volume HUD and a redesigned Reminders app, smarter Mail, improved multiple item selection for increased productivity conclude the list.
tvOS 13
Details are scarce but we expect Apple execs to walk to the stage and go over the recent developments on the all-new TV app and TV+. Nobody is sure, we’ll have to wait and see.
watchOS 6
Apple will reportedly add the App Store directly to the watch making it easier for users to download their favorite apps. The current process is through the Watch Companion on the iPhone.
New apps will be brought to watchOS including the Voice Memos app, Apple Books app and a Calculator app. Health apps will be included too – Dose for pill reminders and Cycles to help women track their menstrual cycles.
New face “Complications” will be added too to provide more snippets of information beyond showing the time such as the status of audiobooks, the battery life of hearing aids plus others that measure external noise and rain data.
Gradient faces are expected too.
macOS 10.15
macOS will finally support iOS but mainly iPad apps using Marzipan that porting iPad apps to the Mac much easier.
A huge change is the replacement of iTunes. It will still be there but alongside the new separate new Music, TV, and Podcasts apps.
Other features expected include: the new Screen Time, Shortcuts, additional Apple Watch authentication and the new “Find My” app.
Mac Pro
We expect to see a third gen Mac Pro although details are unknown. It will likely be modular with Pro Display(31.6-inch 6K external monitor) to allow for easy upgrades but the what constitutes as the upgrade is questionable.
For external displays we expect a simple menu accessed by hovering over the green traffic light button on any window to provide the ability for both full screen and titling plus window management options.
Developers
Apple will offer developer betas of tvOS 13, iOS 13, macOS 10.15 after the keynote. Public betas will wait till later in the year except for watchOS. The new iOS 13 is slated to launch with the iPhone 11.
Gaming
Early this year, Apple unveiled plans for venturing into the game subscription market with Apple Arcade but didn’t say how much it’s going to cost and the company might reveal the details today.
Apple has already partnered with game developers like Sega, Konami, and Disney.
Privacy
This will be talked about too especially with how Apple prides itself as a company that takes consumer privacy seriously but not with the recent ongoings of iPhone apps harvesting user data and sending it to thir parties.
https://twitter.com/geoffreyfowler/status/1133411432869928960
https://twitter.com/pierce/status/1134498690897305600
Apple had recently proposed a new advertising model where marketers could know when an ad was clicked without tracking the user’s activity. This new feature is experimental at the moment on Safari and hopefully, the whole ad industry adopts this new model, fingers crossed.
