WWDC 2018 could be all about software: Report

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2018) is set to kick off on June 4, 2018 in San Jose. There has been a lot of talk around what Apple will launch and initially there were rumours swirling around suggesting that the Cupertino based tech giant would be unveiling a new line-up of MacBooks and iPads.

The latest leak from ‘people familiar with the plans’ claim Apple will focus the entire keynote on software related announcements and give hardware a miss.

The announcement that is expected to take centre stage is the launch of Apple’s next generation mobile and tablet OS – iOS 12. After iOS 11 was launched with a plethora of bugs and issues which Apple is still ironing out, the next generation software will focus on performance issues and features that were previously not prevalent in iOS.

Although no announcements have been yet made, the main feature which is expected to be released is touted as a Digital Health initiative. A main focus here will be a tool that will help users monitor how much time they spend on their iOS devices. Once available, users can expect to find these settings nestled in the Settings app in iOS 12.

People have been complaining to virtually deaf ears about how addictive smartphone usage can be. This initiative from Apple, if made available, will follow in the footsteps of Google with their upcoming Android OS – Android P.

Other features of iOS 12 are said to be a new brand new version of their augmented reality software in the form of ARKit 2.0. This update will enable users to play AR games in a multiplayer manner in the very same virtual environment.

Other features that are said to be making its way with iOS 12 are snooze notifications, improvements for video calls and sending of Animojis. As stated earlier, the upgrades are expected to feature responsiveness and overall quality.

Apart from iOS 12, Apple is expected to unveil a new version of MacOS and WatchOS.

Apple was expected to refresh their iPad with support for Face ID line-up as well as launch new versions of the MacBook and MacBook Pro along with the successor to the MacBook Air. These products are believed to not be ready and instead could make its way later on this year.

These are all merely rumours though and Apple could surprise us all with the launch of some hardware in a few days time.

Disclaimer: The above report is completely based on online rumours and leaks from the respective sources. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Deccan Chronicle and/or other staff and contributors to this website.

(source)