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Apple’s 2022 World Developers Conference is just around the corner. That’s what you’d probably expect to see Apple introduce, and probably not.
Each year, Apple takes a week in June to describe what to expect from the company to help developers create the best possible software for their different platforms. This year, WWDC begins June 6 and runs through June 10.
Of the various presentations, the most important for the general public is Monday, with the keynote used by Apple to announce its major updates. While the main focus is on operating system changes, the main note is often used to describe technological changes and other initiatives, and sometimes even new products and services that are on the way.
In the run-up to the presentation, the rumor goes on, like other Apple events where products are officially launched.
The following is a list of areas that Apple will likely discuss during the conference, based on previous master events and the ever-growing rumors and speculation.
Please note that nothing mentioned in the rumors is guaranteed until Apple introduces or mentions it during its presentation. It is also quite plausible that a rumor is correct, but Apple is backtracking or expecting a product event later this year.
Just don’t believe your hopes for specific releases, especially if it’s something you don’t normally think about during a regular WWDC presentation.
Operating system updates: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS
The most obvious thing Apple will use for its developer-based event is to show upcoming changes to its operating systems. This is the most consistent element of WWDC, as Apple will unveil the upcoming major releases of its software platforms, including upcoming features and other significant changes.
The reason for this is simple: developers need to know what to keep in mind when coding applications or application updates for future releases. Available resources and features are constantly changing, so it is essential that developers can digest them.
However, unlike physical products used by operating systems, rumors about operating system versions tend to be much lower.
iOS 16 and iPadOS 16
The main platform that Apple is always talking about is iOS, and 2022 is no exception.
The easiest and most obvious thing to determine is the name, which, unless Apple changes its system, should be iOS 16, along with iPadOS 16.
As for what to expect from iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, the main rumor is that it will retain much of the look of iOS 15, but will get several usability changes. As to what that might be, a May 15 report by Mark Gurman was not compromised, describing it as providing “new ways to interact and some new applications.”
On May 29, Gurman offered more details, such as how a software feature will allow an ever-active display on the iPhone 14 Pro line, reducing the refresh rate to 1 Hz. He also added that there would be changes to the Messages and Health apps, with the possibility that the former would have “similar features to social media” and changes to audio messages.
The lock screen is also seemingly a target for change, with promises of “widgets that have widget-like capabilities.”
I know better than to get excited about the improvements to the iPad, because we’ve been burned so many times
But WebKit has just added an infrastructure for a “multitasking mode” to iOS that seems to be a system switch that allows free-sized windows https://t.co/NBNGhHiaxB
– Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) May 26, 2022
Multitasking changes are also coming, with Steve Troughton-Smith on Twitter detecting the WebKit infrastructure for a “multitasking mode” that allows “free-sized windows.” While less useful for iPhones, a change like this could be beneficial for larger screens, such as iPads with iPadOS.
Since the iPad Pro uses the M1 chip, there may be some alterations to make the most of it.
Unusually, we know some of the features that will come as part of iOS 16 related to accessibility, because Apple has already announced. On May 17, Apple unveiled features that used machine learning to help with door detection, physical and motor accessibility, and live captions, among others.
macOS 13
Since Apple has adopted the iOS incremental numbering system after years of staying with version 10, it seems very likely that the next iteration of macOS will be version 13.
As for her full name, we don’t know which location will inspire her, but a strong candidate would be Mammoth. Following the California theme and referring to the Mammoth Lakes, Apple reportedly renewed a trademark in December.
We know little about what macOS will include in terms of new features. However, polite specs include perfecting the interface to make it more in line with its mobile counterparts and a greater crossover with iOS and iPadOS with more improvements based on Apple Silicon.
tvOS 16
While other Apple operating systems tend to get significant changes in features, the same cannot be said of tvOS. It doesn’t usually have the same level of feature changes as other platforms, but they do show up from time to time.
One piece of speculation is that Apple is introducing some more HomeKit-related items, although information on this is minimal.
Other than that, a good bet of what to expect for tvOS 16 is that it maintains the parity of numbers with iOS 16 and possibly adds new screensavers.
watchOS 9
Moving on to the watchOS 8 generation, it is rumored that watchOS 9 has an “important” update, although again no details were provided from that May 15 report on the importance of the changes.
An earlier April rumor had it that Apple would include a new low-power mode. While the current system’s power reserve will minimize features except time for the last 10% load, a new mode will provide a little more functionality.
Power reserve on the Apple Watch
Potentially grabbing elements of the iPhone’s low-power feature, which includes a reduction in screen brightness, it’s plausible that the Apple Watch equivalent may allow some applications to continue running at a minimum charge.
Monitoring of atrial fibrillation can also be updated, changing the way the user’s heart is controlled to measure it during specific periods. More training types and additional career metrics are also expected.
Apple Silicon – The Introduction of M2
Apple first introduced Apple Silicon to the world during WWDC 2020, with a plan to abandon Intel chips with a very aggressive two-year calendar. Considering Apple’s Mac and MacBook line, almost everything has made the switch to Apple Silicon.
After M1, which was followed by M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra, Apple is expected to start the cycle once again with what is believed to be the M2. Given the typical naming conventions of Apple, M2 is quite likely to be the name of the generation.
Current speculation indicates that the M2 will be a 5 nm chip with an eight-core CPU, similar to the M1 but supposedly with a modest clock speed. There is expected to be more movement at the front of the GPU, moving from the 7-core and 8-core versions to the M1 in favor of the 9- and 10-core variants.
Hardware owners using M1 Max and M1 Ultra should not worry about generational change, as the M2 is believed to be the entry-level chip in the range, presumably to be followed by the Pro, Max and Pro variants. Ultra again.
There is no word on whether memory capacity options will grow or whether advanced features such as M2 video encoders will appear. However, there should still be an improvement in M1 aging.
A hardware release in the second half of 2022 will no doubt be tracked based on historical releases, as it would be nearly two years after Apple launched the MacBook Air M1, the 13-inch MacBook Pro and the Mac mini.
New Macs: MacBook Air, Mac Pro
While Apple is developing at least nine Macs that run on some sort of M2 chip, Apple doesn’t usually use WWDC to introduce hardware. It has done so in the past, but it is never guaranteed, so there is every possibility that nothing will be thrown apart from the M2 itself.
If Apple showed the new Mac hardware, there are two more likely candidates.
M2 MacBook Air
The first is what is often rumored to be the new MacBook Air. Aside from the amount of rumors, it is also one of the most likely candidates to be revealed simply because it was one of the first three hardware releases under Apple Silicon.
Early speculation and renderings proposed a MacBook Air with a very up-to-date design, which eliminates the conical look in favor of a flatter chassis, but simultaneously incorporates color into the mix.
A representation of what a new MacBook Air might look like.
In March, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo offered that the MacBook Air could get a new form factor and color options, and arrive sometime in the third quarter of 2022. The analyst added that it would not have a mini screen. LED, but curiously proposed at the time that it would have an M1 chip.
A second report in March continued the MacBook Air rumor of a late 2022 release, but this time it includes the M2 chip.
Later in the month, Ross Young of DSCC stated that the MacBook Air could be offered in different sizes, including a 15-inch version in 2023 and a 13-inch upgrade, as well as a 12-inch model. Later that month, Young reiterated the 2023 release for the 15-inch, but that the 13-inch would have a slightly larger 13.6-inch screen.
As for the WWDC release, Mark Gurman offered in April and late May that an upgrade of the MacBook Air would be made during WWDC 2022. He also said that some developers had detected Apple …