Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference Will Start On June 13

There’s been a good deal of speculation of late around when Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, or WWDC as it’s more commonly known, will return for 2016. After Siri accidentally leaked the dates for this year’s conference, Apple has been forced to confirm those dates. Apple’s WWDC 2016 will run from June 13 for a week through to June 17 and like usual will take place in San Francisco and will be used by Apple to showcase their new technologies and software to developers.

According to the Verge, Apple’s method of officially announcing the dates for this year’s WWDC was a little unconventional. The company launched a section of their website dedicated to WWDC 2016 and with it a particularly awkward poem detailing the event. For developers, though, the page offers the opportunity to register for the chance to attend the event, but with only 5,000 developers permitted to attend the event, Apple stresses that the opportunity to buy tickets will be offered by random selection. Just 10 years ago the event was attracting around 2,000 attendees, a number which Steve Jobs saw was quickly growing before taking the decision to cap the San Francisco event at 5,000 attendees only.

Held traditionally in the summer season, for 25 years WWDC has provided a platform for Apple to announce many of their new products. 2015’s event was no exception, with Apple’s CEO Tim Cook taking to the stage to announce Apple Music, alongside new versions of both OSX and iOS. However, spanning across a week, the event is usually padded out with a number of smaller announcements and guest speakers, many of whom are developers for Apple platforms themselves.

As reported by Gizmodo, Apple’s 2016 WWDC event is now less than two months away. With that in mind, speculation is already growing around exactly what Apple will announce at this year’s event. There’s a good chance that Apple will again announce a new version of OSX for their desktop computers, but there could be a surprise renaming for the software to MacOS again. Along with that new version of OSX will likely be the 10th iteration of iOS, as has become tradition at these events. WWDC isn’t always just about the software, though, and there’s a good chance that Apple will use the event as a platform to show off some new hardware. With the Apple Watch now over a year old, there’s a good chance that Apple will be looking to give the hardware an upgrade, with a new and possibly thinner iteration of their wrist piece.

A number of commentators have also pointed out that Apple is lagging behind in terms of the hardware used within their MacBook range. With that in mind, it’d come as no surprise to see an internal and possibly external refresh of the MacBook line.

Siri reveals Apple's WWDC event will begin June 13th https://t.co/uf2wsQmHgx pic.twitter.com/Ayq1rGzUIp

— Engadget (@engadget) April 18, 2016

That being said, there’s no saying for certain exactly what will be announced at WWDC. Apple usually likes to remain as tight-lipped as possible when it comes to the build-up to these events. However, Apple does typically make the biggest of their announcements in their keynote address at the beginning of the conference, while the rest of the week will see talks from developers with the opportunity to go hands-on with some of Apple’s latest products. The conference is, of course, targeted at developers, so Apple’s focus is typically to introduce the technology to developers on a technical level in preparation for use in development.

Apple’s WWDC isn’t just an event reserved for attendees in San Francisco, however. 2016’s keynote address will be live streamed online for developers and Apple fans alike to catch a glimpse of Apple’s latest product announcements before anyone else.

[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]