Scheduled for the middle of the year, Apple’s big developer conference will likely show off what’s coming in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and even what the company has in store for AI.
It may well only be three months into 2024, but we already have a gauge of what’s coming, even if some of it will be iterative.
Apple launched iOS 17 last year, and this year, you can expect iOS 18 to roll around in time for a new set of iPhones in September.
Before that happens, however, we need to start playing with the beta, and even before that, we’ll find out what Apple is planning for the next version of its phone and tablet operating system. And the place where that will happen is WWDC, Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference, a big mid-year shindig where Apple typically makes announcements for coders using Xcode and its Swift development system, while also talking up what everyone can expect for the new versions.
Right now, everything is just rumours, but the current expectation is we’ll see Apple integrate some form of AI, possibly in Xcode for development and its operating systems as well, including iOS 18 and likely the next version of macOS, which will also be announced at WWDC.
It’s worth keeping in mind that while 2024 may well be the year of the AI PC, every Apple Silicon-based Mac sold for the past four years has also been an AI PC, as Apple Silicon has incorporated Neural Cores since the first M1 chip was launched. That’ll give Apple the ability to switch on some AI on the Mac, while Neural Cores have also been found in the iPhone chips for a while, as well.
From a developer standpoint, we’ll be keen to see if Apple adds an AI component to the Xcode development editor, as it might help it keep up with the paid AI coding service “Copilot” on Github, and could even assist those learning to code in Swift.
We’re also expecting to see an M3 Mac Mini, though it’s entirely possible Apple could keep the M2 Mac Mini around much like it did with the M2 MacBook Air.
We may even see an upgrade to both the M2 Mac Studio and the M2 Mac Pro to more powerful versions of the M3 chip. Currently, the M3 Max MacBook Pro is among the most powerful of Macs you can find, and we can only imagine folks with a need for raw power are keen to see an “ultra” edition of the M3 chip.
Some surprises are also expected, mind you. We anticipate we’ll see a new generation or two of classic earbud-styled AirPods this year, while Australia may see a launch of the Vision Pro, which itself could also see a less expensive model make its way to retail at one point in time.
One thing’s for sure: we’ll know what’s coming on June 10, though more likely June 11. Apple’s WWDC takes place in California, which means Australians might not get the news until the day after on June 11. In between now and then, we’re also expecting to see a few new iPads, largely because the iPad rumour mill is ramping up in a big way, and that usually suggests new gear is on the way.
