Although the opportunity for a Spring event from Apple may have come and gone, the company has still launched new iPads, the Clips app and announced new Mac Pros in the past few weeks. Now, all eyes have turned to the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) that will take place in June.
There are a number of rumors circulating about what we could expect to see from the WWDC and one in particular is in regards to macOS. In the past, Apple have been predictable when it comes to macOS updates, it’s last version was announced at the June WWDC last year where Siri made its debut on the Mac. This year, we’re expecting to see SDK integration for app support on the desktop.
Another rumor is that Apple are working on a standalone speaker for Siri, probably to rival the likes of Amazon Echo and Google Home, so what may be announced is a hands-free ‘Hey Siri’ feature that would combine with HomeKit support. This seems like the ideal next step for Mac and would allow us to use our devices hands-free at work or at home. Group FaceTime calls are rumored to be in the works for iOS 11 so they may be brought to Mac, too.
Users have complained time and time again about the layout of iTunes even though Apple have, in recent years, attempted to tidy it up a lot. The addition of Apple Music features such as Beats 1 and radio have both made the app cluttered and perhaps the only way to solve this is with separate apps for the two. The new TV app which debuted last year for iOS and Apple TV is still not available on Mac either.
In terms of user’s content experience with macOS, both Podcasts and Apple News are still missing although the recent statement from Eddy Cue that Apple were working on “new features for podcasts” might suggest that we’ll see an improvement in this area.
The Apple File System (AFPS) is set to make its debut on Mac this year, after its launch on iOS 10.3 this month which will change and improve your device when it comes to security, privacy and functionality.
These are only a few of the features that have been rumored, and that users are hoping to see in the coming WWDC, but there are bound to be a lot more specifics if we’ve learnt anything from Apple in the past.