WWDC 2024 is just one week away. We’re expecting major changes from iOS 18, especially AI-centric features, as well as the first major software update for Vision Pro, and new OS versions for all of Apple’s other platforms.
In what’s expected to be a jam-packed software event, is there room for Apple to debut new hardware too? According to one report, the answer is no.
Hardware announcements at WWDC
Historically, WWDC has always centered around software. It’s a developer conference, so Apple spends most of its time highlighting upcoming software releases and all the ways developers can adopt the latest APIs to make their apps ready for those releases.
However, it’s not uncommon for Apple to use the conference as an opportunity to debut new hardware, too. Here’s a recent history of WWDC hardware announcements:
- 2023: Vision Pro, 15-inch MacBook Air, Mac Pro, Mac Studio
- 2022: MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro
- 2021: none
Last year’s WWDC came with a major hardware story, with the Vision Pro’s first unveiling but also a trio of new Mac releases. 2022 introduced new Macs as well. So 2021 was the last time no new hardware was debuted at WWDC.
No new hardware at WWDC 2024
According to Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, the recent growth of hardware announcements at WWDC stops this year. He does not expect any hardware to be announced, with the focus being entirely on software.
Gurman writes:
There’s no hardware slated to be announced at WWDC, unless Apple unexpectedly previews a new device launching later (to be clear: I don’t expect that). The company updated the iPad in May, and the new iPhones, AirPods and Apple Watches aren’t arriving until September. There’s also no new Vision Pro coming anytime soon, and the AirTag 2 isn’t due to arrive until next year. A new Apple TV isn’t imminent either, and the M4 Mac range isn’t coming until the fall.
Anyone hoping for new hardware any time soon will need to wait until September and Apple’s annual iPhone event.
9to5Mac’s Take
It was rare for us to receive new hardware in May, but the M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air’s introductions perhaps cleared the way for an especially packed roster of WWDC software news. Gurman has said iOS 18 will be one of the biggest iOS updates ever, and with another new OS in the roster this year—visionOS—Apple should have plenty of announcements to still make a software-only WWDC special.
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