The opening keynote address for Apple’s 32nd Worldwide Developer Conference, also known by the abbreviation WWDC, will be livestreamed on the company’s website and is set to start at 1 p.m. ET today.
According to a blog post previewing the event written by Shelly Palmer of The Palmer Group, it is expected the company may announce new iPad OS features, particularly for those with Apple’s M1 chips, new AirPods, and updates to iMessage as the company may be seeking to compete with WhatsApp by transforming its messaging platform into more of a social platform.
Palmer also predicts that Apple will discuss security and the court case between Apple and Epic Games, and that the company may share plans for a redesigned MacBook Pro.
Not everyone believes this will occur, though according to research from Stephen Hackett at Six Colors, Apple has made at least one hardware announcement at 65% of its WWDC keynotes during the past two decades, and Macrumors is reporting that it has discovered references to possible batteries for next-generation MacBook Pro models in a Chinese regulatory database.
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It appears that Apple Music Spatial Audio will also be introduced at or shortly following the event, according to a June 6 tweet from @kuromikenny that Macrumors said was the original source of this information. Apple had previously shared that Spatial Audio for Apple Music would launch later this month, including what Macrumors said is “higher-quality lossless streaming.”
Over the weekend, Macrumors also reported a leak in the App Store that suggests the company may announce a new application across its platforms, known as “Mind,” and the possibility of stand-alone Tips or Contacts apps for the Apple Watch, which may also be receiving an update to the watchOS 8 platform, according to reporting from Sami Fathi.
Apple said in April that it would construct an East Coast technology campus in the Triangle, creating thousands of jobs in the process, after the state’s Economic Investment Committee awarded the company nearly $1 billion in incentives over 39 years, contingent on the company meeting its job creation objectives.
