by Dan Moren
Apple takes the wraps off WWDC 2020 schedule
Now in its 31st year, WWDC20 will be the biggest WWDC to date, bringing together the global Apple developer community of more than 23 million in an unprecedented, virtual way, from June 22 to 26. Apple today shared the WWDC20 lineup, including keynote and Platforms State of the Union timing, and information on how developers can learn about the future of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS, and engage with Apple engineers.
There’s nothing too surprising in here: Apple will be streaming its keynote live from Apple Park on Monday June 22, at 1pm Eastern/10am Pacific.
Further events, such as the Platforms State of the Union and sessions will be available via the Apple Developer app on iOS and Apple Developer website. Sessions will be posted at 10am Pacific each day.
If there is a big surprise, it’s that the Apple Developer Forums are getting a revamp, with anybody able to search and view them and, perhaps most surprisingly, with responses from Apple engineers. However, only Apple Developer Program members will be allowed to post on the site.
Similarly, the labs—which were the big question going into WWDC—will be available only to Developer Program members, and will offer one-on-one opportunities to talk to Apple engineers, presumably via a video chat mechanism, though Apple hasn’t spelled that out explicitly. Space, however, is limited.
As Apple’s first virtual WWDC, it’ll be interesting to see how this shakes out, since this model may certainly be used in years forward. Expect some problems to crop up, for sure. But overall, it seems as though Apple is attempting to be proactive about addressing the biggest pain points in the switch to an online conference.