With Google and Microsoft’s developer conferences out of the way, now it’s time for Apple’s WWDC. The Cupertino company is gearing up to unveil new versions (and new numbers) for all its operating systems, as well as taking a second step at convincing everyone it’s a major player in the AI industry.
Rumor has it we may also see a whole new product category from Apple, with a HomePad smart display possibly in the offering. Here’s how to catch it all live.
When is the WWDC keynote?
While WWDC itself runs all week, the keynote with all the major announcements should take just a couple hours on Monday, June 9th. It’s set to start at 1PM ET / 10AM PT.
The keynote event is taking place in person at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, but it’ll be streamed online too. The easiest place for most people to watch it will be YouTube, so we’ve embedded the livestream up above.
If you prefer, Apple will also stream the event itself on Apple.com and on the Apple TV app.
What to expect from Apple’s keynote
Bloomberg reports that Apple is renaming — or rather renumbering — all of its operating systems.
Apparently this year they’ll all make the jump to iOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, and so on, unifying version numbers while tying them to the calendar year just after they release, which should help them sound sufficiently futuristic.
Of course, macOS isn’t giving up its Californian names just yet. Alongside its new number, it’ll apparently be titled Tahoe.
To go with those new numbers, Apple is reportedly planning a design overhaul for its software, inspired by the look of the Vision Pro’s visionOS.
That will mean updated icons, menus, apps, windows, and system buttons across iPhones, Macs, and iPads, with a look that incorporates “light and transparency.” There’ll also be tweaks to toolbars, new pop-out menus that bring up extra options on a click, and larger redesigns for the Phone, Safari, and Camera apps on iPhone and iPad.
This may be Apple’s best chance to show off its long-rumored smart display, a HomePod/iPad hybrid with a speaker and smart home controls.
It had been rumored for a March 2025 release, but expectations then shifted to later this year. Still, even if the release date is still a while away, Apple might want to take WWDC as an excuse to tease what it has in the works.
Apple can’t afford to ignore AI this year, even if Apple Intelligence didn’t get off to the greatest start. We hope, though it might not, Apple brings a second look at its take on AI for iPhones (and beyond), even if some of the features announced a year ago still haven’t arrived.
Apple may have learned its lessons from last year and could focus on AI features that are a bit closer to completion, which may mean it’ll stay quiet on its plans to overhaul Siri. According to Bloomberg that’s likely to mean a focus instead on translation features, AI-powered battery optimization, and opening up Apple’s foundation AI models to third-party developers.
