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WWDC 2022 officially begins Monday with Apple’s opening keynote at 10:00 a.m. PT. During this keynote, Apple will officially unveil updates including iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and macOS 13. Ahead of the start of WWDC, we’re seeing some last-minute rumors about what to expect, including the possibility of a new MacBook Air, big ones Updates to the multitasking capabilities of iPadOS 16 and beyond.
Keep going below as we round up some of the last minute rumors about what’s coming at WWDC 2022…
Details on WWDC 2022
As a quick refresher, WWDC is a week-long event consisting of Apple’s opening keynote, the State of the Union with more technical details, the Apple Design Awards, and hundreds of developer sessions, labs, one-on-ones, and more.
- WWDC Keynote: June 6, 10 a.m. PDT
- Platforms State of the Union: June 6, 2 p.m. PDT
- Apple Design Awards: June 6, 5 p.m. PDT
This year, WWDC 2022 includes a small personal component in addition to the online options. A small group of developers and members of the press were invited to Apple Park for the keynote, associated labs, interviews and more. We’ll of course be covering everything that’s happening throughout the week here on 9to5Mac.
AR/VR headset not expected
While the announcement or tease of Apple’s long-rumored AR/VR headset once seemed like a guarantee of WWDC 2022, that no longer seems the case. Due to ongoing development issues, supply chain issues, and tricky integration between hardware and software, the Apple headset is now likely slated for a 2023 debut.
Bloomberg reported back in January that the Apple headset faced several development issues, including overheating issues. Apple is also reportedly struggling with proper integration between hardware and software, as well as camera hardware issues.
Last month, The information confirmed many of these details and added additional context. According to this report, Jony Ive’s decision that the Apple Headset should be a fully standalone device has proven problematic.
Apple’s early plans called for the first version of the headset to work with a base station, making the headset itself smaller and relying on that base station for things like power and battery. However, Jony Ive didn’t think such a product would be a compelling option for consumers.
This decision by Ive has reportedly led to a number of development issues, including those of Bloomberg. The team working on the Apple Headset strived to “balance battery life and performance while minimizing the heat generated so people don’t get burned while wearing the device.”
With all that said, it’s clear Apple isn’t quite ready to unveil its AR/VR headset at WWDC this year. While it’s possible we’ll get some kind of teaser, the more likely scenario is that Apple headsets won’t be announced or released until 2023.
MacBook Air possible, but not as colorful as rumored
Regarding new hardware at WWDC, rumors are a bit mixed. However, the most likely candidate seems to be a new MacBook Air. A redesigned MacBook Air has been rumored for nearly a year, but Apple has been grappling with ongoing supply chain issues across the board.
Rumors have suggested that the new MacBook Air will feature a new flat-edge design that borrows from the 24-inch iMac. While previous reports suggested that the new MacBook Air would come in similar, if not the same, colors as the iMac, that may not be the case.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman took to Twitter on Friday night to share some last-minute tidbits about this MacBook Air. Gurman says reports of MacBook Air being “multicolored” are “probably exaggerated.”
According to Gurman, we are should expect the new MacBook Air to come in the same colors as the current model. These include space grey, silver and gold. Gurman notes that the gold will be more “champagne-like” than the current color. Gurman also says the new MacBook Air could come in a blue color similar to the 24-inch iMac.
As for the release date, Gurman says the new MacBook Air was “planned to launch at WWDC.” The only thing that would prevent that would be if the supply chain issues in China “created such a supply and clearance gap that there would be no point in announcing it on Monday.”
iPadOS 16 multitasking upgrades
Finally one Bloomberg This week’s report suggested that iPadOS 16 is expected to be one of the biggest announcements at Monday’s WWDC. According to the report, iPadOS will bring a “redesigned multitasking interface that makes it easier to see which apps are open and switch between tasks.”
The update will also bring new ways to resize app windows, as well as “new ways to handle multiple apps at once.” Apple’s goal is to make iPadOS a “laptop experience” in terms of multitasking and windowing support.
Exactly what that means remains to be seen, but there actually seems to be mounting evidence that this could be the year that Apple finally gives iPadOS a major overhaul of multitasking.
There’s more to come
WWDC 2022 starts Monday, and it’s very likely that we’ll see more last-minute leaks about what’s coming for iOS 16, iPadOS 16, new hardware, and more.
What are you most looking forward to at WWDC 2022 this year? Let us know in the comments!
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