Beta site down but store still up
With about 20 minutes to go until the keynote begins, Apple has taken down its Beta Software Program site to add all the new links, but its webstore is still live. That probably means we’re not getting any hardware this year, which isn’t much of a surprise.
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Apple
One hour to go!
It’s 9am PT, and we’ve got just one hour until the WWDC keynote kicks off. You can watch it using the embedded YouTube link above or follow along with us right here. So go get your snacks and meet us back here at 10am PT!
How will Apple open the show?
WWDC is Craig Federighi’s opportunity to unfurl his comedic muscles. Last year he opened WWDC with a skit in honor of the F1 movie, driving a racecar around the rooftop of Apple Park and then revealing history’s worst ever case of helmet hair. In 2024 the show began with Apple’s software chief skydiving out of a plane piloted by Phil Schiller. In 2023 and 2022 respectively he played a triple-necked electric guitar and ran around in slow motion like David Hasselhoff in Baywatch. (These, admittedly, were mid-event skits rather than the openers, which in those days were a little more sensible.) The man loves to have fun.
How will Apple open this year’s WWDC? If last year’s pattern holds good we may see something related to the FIFA World Cup, which begins later this week; Apple recently announced a range of features related to the event on Apple Sports. The chances of a soccer-themed opener get higher still if we remember that Apple TV smash hit Ted Lasso, which came to an end back in 2023, is set to return for a fourth season in August.
The smart money, then, is on Craig Federighi appearing in an A.F.C. Richmond kit and kicking a football over Apple Park, before Jason Sudeikis delivers a moving speech about the importance of self-belief and the exciting new features coming this year to watchOS. Over to you, David.
Apple
All in on WWDC
You need to do something with your time as you wait for the WWDC keynote to start, right? So, let’s check out the WWDC predictions and odds on Polymarket. In case you’re not familiar, Polymarket is a marketplace where people bet on stuff to happen. Polymarket calls it buying and selling “shares” on a prediction, but it’s betting like you would on a game.
I don’t encourage you to make bets (or buy/sell shares) on Polymarket, and I’m not offering betting advice. But it’s fun to see where the “action” is, and it’s an indicator of what people are thinking will happen.
95 percent of people are betting on Apple to announce a stand-alone Siri app. 94 percent think Apple will reveal an “AI-charged Siri,” and 91 percent think that Apple will announce “All six OS 27 versions.” These are all as close to “sure thing” bets as you can get.
Just 2 percent think the iPhone 18 will be announced, and 19 percent think Apple with announce a “Foldable iPhone.” Apparently, these people are not familiar with Apple’s annual iPhone event that’s about three months away.
The more entertaining bets are the ones on what Tim Cook and John Ternus will actually say at WWDC. 89 percent believe that Tim will say he’s “Excited” and 73 percent are betting he’ll say “Amazing.” We already know he’s going to say, “Good morning,” so that’s not on the betting board. Interestingly, most of the bets on what Ternus will say are at about 50 percent across the board–48 percent think he’ll say, “Open Source” and 51 percent are betting on Ternus uttering the word “Tool” (Polymarket does not offer betting on whether the context Ternus uses “Tool” is the literal, figurative, or insulting sense.)
Goood morning!
Tim Cook has posted on X what is likely his last pre-keynote this morning with the help of some celebrity friends, saying “Good morning”: Jimmy Fallon, Jessica Williams, Brett Goldstein, Harrison Ford, Druski, and others. It’s going to be a bittersweet day for Tim as he hands the reins of Apple to incoming CEO John Ternus, but he’ll still be a large presence at the company, even if he might not be part of Apple events anymore.
Will there be a big surprise today?
I’ve covered a lot of WWDC keynotes, and this one has a strange calmness to it. As they say, it’s a little too quiet. Leakers and fans alike are all acting as if we know everything that’s coming, aren’t expecting any hardware at all, and assume Siri will be a big part of the show. But it feels like Apple has a trick up its sleeve. Maybe Ternus gets to preview the new home hub with Siri? Or a sneak preview of the folding phone? I just have a feeling something bigger than just OS previews is coming.
You can buy a Finder Guy pin—but it’s not cheap
One of the WWDC developers who visited Apple Park last night has put their Finder Guy pin up on eBay, and it’s generating a lot of attention. With two and a half days left to go, it’s already over $200 with 29 bids and 42 watchers. The same seller is also offering the rest of the items in the swag bag, if you have some extra money burning a hole in your pocket.
Last-minute WWDC rumors
With mere hours to go until the keynote starts, expect floods of rumors about the new software features Apple is about to announce. It’s going to get seriously frenetic, and we’ll be with you all the way.
We’ve collected a batch of the most interesting last-minute WWDC rumors, which run the gamut from Finder Guy and changes to Liquid Glass to a cool new Siri concept video. We’re also hearing that Siri is about to evolve “from completely subpar to adequate.” Exciting stuff!
WWDC: Who cares?
While playing board games with a friend yesterday–a programmer, someone who is thoroughly plugged into the world of technology–I asked if he was aware of WWDC. He described his awareness as “pretty much zero,” which I found shocking.
Partly this is explained by my friend being more on the Windows and Android side of the fence, but he isn’t by any means anti-Apple; he was soon grilling me for information about when the next iPad Pro will appear and whether he should buy a MacBook Neo. The simple fact is that, whereas iPhone launches have broken through into mainstream awareness, and devices such as iPads and AirPods are culturally significant enough that regular folk are interested in their release cycle, WWDC is strictly for the fans.
Just to confirm this, I checked the Guardian’s U.K. home page and searched for any relevant mentions. At time of writing, “WWDC” doesn’t appear at all, while the word “apple” is confined to a recipe for a tasty salad. That’s what regular people’s priorities are on a rainy Monday, not the latest updates coming to Apple’s software ecosystem.
The Craig Federighi Show
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Craig Federighi “will take the virtual microphone for the vast majority of the presentation” during Monday’s keynote:
He is the company’s software chief and de facto head of AI, so expect him to be prominent throughout the keynote. We’re also likely to see a range of Federighi lieutenants and other executives working on Apple’s AI and software efforts, including Jeff Norris for visionOS and David Clark for watchOS.
But the real question is: Will he be part of the intro skit?
Apple
WWDC feature spotlight: Wallet pass creation
Your iPhone’s Wallet app is already a place for credit cards, loyalty cards, and tickets, but iOS 27 will reportedly make it even more like a real wallet. Rumors say you’ll be able to turn any ticket, pass, or membership card into a digital card that can be stored in Apple Wallet even if it’s not officially supported. So you’ll be able to cram your digital wallet with just as much useless junk as your actual wallet.
Ugh, AI
It’s pretty much inevitable that Apple will focus on AI at tomorrow’s WWDC keynote. The usually secretive company explicitly mentioned “AI advancements” in its announcement of the event. That’s never happened before, not even ahead of WWDC 2024 when Apple Intelligence made its debut.
AI is… divisive, shall we say. Personally I can’t stand it. The environmental cost; the effect on critical thinking; the devastating impact on the jobs market; all that dreadful sepia-filter artwork. So the keynote is going to be an ordeal for me. Hopefully Apple will manage to speak to the anti-AI crowd as well as its buzzword-hungry shareholders.
The Siri-shaped elephant in the room
Apple will talk about many things tomorrow, but the one that will make the biggest difference to the most customers is Siri. Namely, finding a way to make it a voice assistant we can rely on.
Siri is baked into almost every Apple device, and varies in importance from incidental (on iPad and Mac) to absolutely essential (CarPlay and HomePod). But wherever you use Siri, it’s liable to disappoint by failing to respond, responding when it’s not wanted, misunderstanding commands, and then ploughing ahead with the wrong action. It’s a really bad voice assistant.
The difficult thing will be for Apple to acknowledge the problem. The company has occasionally admitted fault in the past, such as when apologising for the early failings of Apple Maps. But that wasn’t at an event. WWDC is all about hype for the coming year, not admitting that one of the company’s biggest software products isn’t fit for purpose.
So if we get any mea culpas, expect them to be more subtle. New Siri’s accuracy will be praised; Old Siri’s accuracy will be condemned only by implicit comparison. A little humility would be nice, given how long Siri has been in this egregious state, but let’s not be fussy. As long as it gets fixed, we’ll count this one as a win.
WWDC feature spotlight: Sharper Writing Tools
Writing Tools was one of the earliest Apple Intelligence features to arrive on the iPhone, but I’m willing to bet most people don’t use it. That might change with iOS 27. According to reports, Writing Tools will be getting a major upgrade to make it more discoverable and functional, with a grammar check.
Rock out to WWDC all weekend
While we wait for the big event to kick off on Monday, check out Apple’s official WWDC playlist on Apple Music, including tracks by BTS, sombr, Teddy Swims, and Harry Styles.
Tim Cook’s last hurrah
Back in April, Tim Cook announced he will step down as Apple CEO on September 1. (He isn’t leaving, by the way. His new duties as chairman of the board are likely to include a certain amount of political wrangling.) This timing means new CEO John Ternus will be in place for the iPhone 18 Pro launch in early September, and Monday’s WWDC26 keynote will be Cook’s swansong: his last Apple event as host and compere.
This will surely be acknowledged in some way. Perhaps Ternus will be invited on stage for a symbolic passing of the torch: a handshake, a hug, a high five. Expect Cook to thank the colleagues and customers who’ve supported him for the past 15 years, much as he did in this letter to the Apple community.
And here’s a trip down memory lane. A video of Cook’s very first event in charge, back in October 2011. “This is my first product launch since being named CEO,” he says. “It is a pleasure to host you today.” The pleasure was all ours, Tim.
WWDC preview podcast: macOS 27 and Mac hardware
A couple of weeks ago, Michael, Jason, and I talked about WWDC and what could happen with macOS 27 and Mac hardware. You can check out that episode of the Macworld Podcast in this YouTube video. Skip to the 12-minute mark if you don’t want to hear us talk about the Ferrari Luce.
Apple’s first search engine may power Siri
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple will use “an in-house web search product” to power Siri’s upgraded knowledge base without leaning on Google or ChatGPT. If true, that’s a major step toward replacing Google in Safari, a rumor we’ve been tracking for years.
WWDC feature spotlight: New home for Visual Intelligence
As we get ready for the keynote kicking off on Monday at 10am PT, we’re going to spotlight rumored features that we’re excited about. Here’s one that I think people will love: Apple is reportedly moving Visual Intelligence from the Camera Control button to the camera to give it more, ahem, visibility. According to reports, there will be a new “Siri” option in the Camera app that will take you straight into Visual Intelligence to get information about something you see.
Visual Intelligence is an underappreciated feature that works quite well, but I fear most iPhone users don’t even know it exists. Moving it to a place where people will see it every day will be a great way to advertise it. And now that it’ll be using a smarter Siri rather than ChatGPT for most requests, it could be the killer feature of iOS 27.
Foundry
WWDC preview: Top 5 most wanted
WWDC is going to be filled with small changes and big features coming to your Apple devices later this year. We’ll be highlighting a few of them throughout the weekend, but to get started, here’s Filipe Esposito with a list of the top 5 things he hopes to see on Monday, including a tease for the folding iPhone. Will it happen? We’ll know in just a few more days.
More changes in store for notifications
Mark Gurman’s WWDC preview for Bloomberg doesn’t include much that we haven’t already heard, but we did spot this tidbit: “Notifications across iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 have a new effect for when alerts arrive. They now slide in from the left side of the screen, aligning with the new gesture system: Users swipe down from the left to open the Notification Center because swiping down from the center now opens the Search or Ask AI panel.”
So it sounds like notifications are changing yet again. Someday Apple will settle on a system it likes, but for now, we’ll be summoning Siri more often than we want until our fingers get used to the new system.
What exactly is “coming bright up”?
Apple loves a good clue, and the marketing materials for WWDC26 are no exception. Invites feature the tagline “Coming bright up,” while the company’s developer portal uses the phrase “All systems glow.” Nice puns, but what do they mean?
The most likely explanation is that these are references to an upcoming interface redesign. Once iOS 27 is here, Siri is going to look very different, and this will include a glow in the Dynamic Island to indicate that it’s been activated.
We discuss the WWDC taglines in more depth here.
Apple
New merch at Apple Park!
If you happen to be in Cupertino and want to stop by the store at Apple Park, there is some special new gear. According to Mr. Macintosh on X, Apple has started selling new rainbow hats and crewnecks, and stainless steel water bottles. Of course, they could be for Pride Month, but we think Apple is just really excited for the show Monday,
Google and Nvidia will play a major role in the new Siri
When Apple announces the new Siri next week, you’ll hear a lot about what it can do, how smart it is, how much more capable it is, and how cool the new interface looks. What you might not hear much about is that at least part of it will run on Google servers, which are powered by Nvidia chips. The burning question is: How will Apple play up the privacy angle, and how does Private Cloud Compute fit into all this?
iOS 27 already has a game-changing feature
In late May, Apple announced a couple of iOS 27 features early as part of a spotlight on Accessibility. Among them is a huge upgrade to Voice Control, which will use natural language to control all sorts of things on your phone. That’s cool on its own, but it also speaks to a much more capable and contextual Siri that could change everything about how we use and interact with our iPhones.
Save $100 on the Apple Watch Series 11
Along with iOS 27, we’ll also get a look at watchOS 27 during Monday’s keynote. If you want to make sure you can get all the latest features, pick up an Apple Watch Series 11 for just $299, a savings of $100 and matching the lowest price we’ve ever seen.
Fix the iPhone camera please!
I’m a pretty casual iPhone photo taker, but Filipe Esposito made me realize just how underpowered the iPhone camera is. I don’t hate using it like he does, but I also don’t seek out many features because they’re just too hard to find. Filipe is hopeful that iOS 27 will fix things.
Macworld’s WWDC Preview podcast: iOS 27 and more!
Roman, Jason, and myself spend an hour talking about what we expect next week from iOS 27, Siri, and Apple Intelligence—plus a few predictions on how Apple will start the show. Join us and send us a comment at [email protected] with your thoughts.
You might hate iOS 27
If there’s one thing we’re sure of next week, it’s that iOS 27 will feature a lot of AI. As AI skeptic Jason Cross explains, there’s a bit of a backlash against AI right now. There are hallucinations, confidently wrong answers, inappropriate images, bias—the list goes on. What kind of AI will iOS 27 bring? And more importantly, will iPhone users embrace the new Siri or turn against it?
Will Apple bring any new Macs to the show?
While WWDC is primarily a software show, we’ve gotten our share of Apple hardware announcements at the event, including Vision Pro, HomePod, and the 15-inch MacBook Air. However, much like last year, this year’s show looks to be entirely focused on software. That’s a bummer, but Filipe Esposito explains why there’s still plenty of time for new hardware this year.
Welcome to the WWDC 2026 live blog!
Come on in, everyone! We’re starting this year’s live blog a little early this year to make sure you don’t miss a thing. We’ll have full coverage of every leak, rumor, and announcement leading up to the keynote at 10 am on Monday, followed by minute-by-minute reporting of everything announced as it happens. So keep coming back!
