Apple's WWDC starts from June 22, and will be free
Back in March, Apple had announced its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2020 would take place in an online-only format, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Now, the Cupertino giant has issued a statement that this 'virtual event' is set to kick off from June 22. And, it will be completely free for Apple developers around the world. Here's all about it.
Typically, WWDC, which runs for a week in San Jose, sees some 6,000 attendees, each one paying for a $1,600 ticket. But, this year, given that the conference is online-only and free for all Apple developers, there will be more attendees than before. Apple's SVP Phil Schiller says it will be the biggest WWDC yet, bringing together a community of over 23 million developers.
While the virtual version of WWDC is being hosted a few weeks later than it takes place under normal circumstances, it is expected to have many of the same elements of the in-person show. Apple says registered developers will be able to use its developer app/website to access the week-long conference, complete with the live-streamed keynote from Apple executives, product announcements, and developer sessions.
Apple says that the information of the programs scheduled for the event, including keynote and Platforms State of the Union details, session and lab schedules, and more, will be provided through the developer app and website as the event closes in.
As for product announcements, Apple will reportedly continue the tradition of focusing on the software side of things and announce the all-new iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 with new iMessage features, fitness app, PencilKit API as well as updates to macOS, watchOS, and the tvOS. The company also occasionally launches new hardware at the show, but there is no word on that right now.
Among other things, Apple has also announced a new Swift Student Challenge which invites student developers from around the world to create and submit a three-minute-long interactive scene in the Swift Playgrounds iPad/Mac app. Typically, the company invites the winners of this contest to WWDC, but this year they will be awarded an "exclusive WWDC20 jacket and pin set," Apple says.
