It will soon be “Christmas” for developers around the world as Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off on June 6. With the pandemic continuing to lurk, the annual developer confab will be held online and “free for all developers to attend”.

The annual conference is used to announce new features and major changes to its software in free updates typically made available the following fall. So expect to hear about iOS 16, as well as updates to iPadOS, MacOS for the company's computers and likely WatchOS for the Apple Watch as well.

The keynote invitation that has gone out features silhouettes of five people in the colours of the Apple logo, along with the words “Swiftly Approaching.” Some consider this to be a riff on the Swift programming language developers used to build things for Apple’s various software programmes.

All eyes are on whether there will mentions of the long-rumoured Apple AR/VR headset. One of the most followed names when it comes to Apple rumours is Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who is hoping on the mention. It’s said that the company is preparing new software, reportedly called rOS or RealityOS. Though it’s unconfirmed, the new software will help to power the company's eventual augmented reality and virtual reality headsets, which have reportedly been in development for years.

A glimpse of the WWDC invitation that has gone out

Meanwhile, two App Store rule changes are coming into effect on June 30. One requires that apps offering paid online group services use its in-app payment system. Second, a requirement mandating that developers offer easy account deletions (including stored personal data) within any app that allows users to create an account. The policy around online group services predates WWDC 2021 but has been delayed a few times. On January 22, the deadline was pushed to June 30 to allow developers more time to update their apps.

In case new hardware is shown at WWDC, it will likely be in the Mac family. New hardware hasn’t been a part of past two events but WWDC 2020 showed Apple’s intentions of transitioning from Intel to its own M1 processors. Before that, Apple announced the new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR, and in 2017, it revealed the iMac Pro, alongside refreshes of the iMac, MacBook, and MacBook Pro.

The best thing about Apple events is that the company can handle secrets and manages to keep things under wraps, making every event worth tuning into. You just don’t know what gets announced. There is always the hope of “one more thing”.

WWDC will kick off on June 6 at 10.30pm IST and you can watch the keynote live.