X

Apple WWDC 2022: Looks Like iOS 16 Will Be Revealed June 6

Apple's developers conference has been held entirely online the past two years. The tech giant will stick with that again this year.

Ian Sherr Contributor and Former Editor at Large / News
Ian Sherr (he/him/his) grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, so he's always had a connection to the tech world. As an editor at large at CNET, he wrote about Apple, Microsoft, VR, video games and internet troubles. Aside from writing, he tinkers with tech at home, is a longtime fencer -- the kind with swords -- and began woodworking during the pandemic.
Ian Sherr
2 min read
Mac Studio and Mac Studio Display

Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference is typically when it shows off new software.

Dan Ackerman/CNET

Apple's annual developer confab is officially on the books for June. The iPhone maker on Tuesday announced plans to hold its Worldwide Developers Conference June 6 through 10, during which it's expected to show off the next versions of its iOS, iPadOS, WatchOS, MacOS and other software efforts. The company may also announce new hardware, like its highly anticipated, newly remade Mac Pro performance-focused desktop.

Although Apple's summer developer event isn't as closely watched as its iPhone releases in the fall, WWDC typically brings more than 5,000 attendees to Silicon Valley for a weeklong series of announcements, coding marathons and meetups. For the past two years, Apple has held its event entirely online amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Read more: iOS 16 Wish List: New iPhone Features We Hope Apple Debuts at WWDC

This year, Apple said it intends to stick with the online format, offering free access to all developers as the company prepares for another year filled with the rumored iPhone 14, new iPad Pros and Apple Watch Series 8. It will hold a "special day for developers and students" at its Apple Park headquarters to watch the keynote address videos "together, along with the online community." Apple said space will be limited.

"WWDC22 invites developers from around the world to come together to explore how to bring their best ideas to life and push the envelope of what's possible," said Susan Prescott, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations and Enterprise and Education Marketing, in a statement. "We hope all of our participants come away feeling energized by their experience." 

Apple is expected to show off updates to its iOS 16 and WatchOS 9 software, both of which will likely be released in the fall. The company is also putting the finishing touches on an initiative to change the microprocessing brains of its computers, switching from those made by Intel to technology designed by its own in-house teams that also make chips for its iPhones, iPads and other devices. 

Apple's moves have been well received by its customers, who helped push the company's sales to a record $123.94 billion during the holiday shopping season last year. Much of Apple's success has come from the iPhone, but its newly revamped computers and iPads have also sparked record-setting demand, the company's executives have said. 

"Customer satisfaction is off the charts," Apple CEO Tim Cook said during a conference call in January. 

Apple's developers conference will come after Google's planned I/O 2022, which will be held partially in person on May 11 and 12, and Microsoft's Build, which will also be held online May 24 through 26.

Watch this: Everything We Hope Apple Will Add to iOS 16