A few weeks ago, we headed to Mountain View, CA for Google's annual developer conference. Next week, it's Apple's turn. Starting Monday in San Francisco, Apple will be giving developers (and the rest of us!) a sneak peek at what new things we'll get to start using this fall.
Because it's a developer-focused event, we're not really expecting anything major on the hardware front — Apple will save that for its big iPhone event in September. Instead, keynote announcements will circle around the iPhone and iPad, the Mac, and the Apple Watch. What sort of announcements, you ask? Here are the most notable things we're expecting to see on Monday.
Venmo-Style Payments in iMessage
Now that you can pay your friends through Facebook Messenger, it's time for Apple to step up and let us do the same in its native messaging app. Your phone already has Apple Pay, which safely stores your credit or debit card information, and Touch ID, for added security when you make a purchase. It's not a stretch to imagine Apple integrating a payment feature into iMessage, and it's a feature that's been rumored for more than a year now.
Now that you can pay your friends through Facebook Messenger, it's time for Apple to step up and let us do the same in its native messaging app. Your phone already has Apple Pay, which safely stores your credit or debit card information, and Touch ID, for added security when you make a purchase. It's not a stretch to imagine Apple integrating a payment feature into iMessage, and it's a feature that's been rumored for more than a year now.
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Siri Hits The Big Time
With each update since Apple first introduced her, Siri has gotten more and more useful. Now, it looks like she may finally make the jump from your phone to your desktop as part of Mac OS X 10.12. Instead of using a button (the home button on your phone and the digital crown on an Apple Watch), you'd activate Siri with an icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen, according to 9to5Mac (likely next to, or in place of the current magnifying glass icon that signifies Spotlight). Ideally, the voice-activated, "Hey Siri" will also be enabled so you can make quick voice queries without having to tap anything at all. But then… Will your phone and your MacBook both respond? We'll let Apple's engineers figure out that dilemma. We could also finally see Apple open up the Siri SDK to developers, so we can use Siri's voice-activated smarts in third-party apps. (But if you ask her about it… Her lips are sealed.)
An Apple Music Overhaul
At last year's WWDC, Apple introduced its new music streaming app, Apple Music. This year, Apple Music may get a redesign that makes it feel more Spotify-like. Hopefully Apple will also address some of the bugs and quirks that make Apple Music, at times, frustrating to use. A redesign will definitely help with some of those issues, like hopefully making its terrific customized playlists a focus when you first open the app. More Closely Tied Mac and iPhone Ecosystems
Our phones almost never leave our sides, so it makes sense that Apple would try to make information sharing (and more) between the two devices as seamless as possible. One way that could be furthered: by being able to unlock your Mac using your iPhone's Touch ID button. Also, you may be able to use Touch ID to authenticate payments you make on the desktop, in lieu of filling out credit card payment forms or remembering passwords. It's possible, too, that we could also see OS X get a rebrand. We've got iOS, tvOS, and watchOS, for the iPhone, Apple TV, and Apple Watch, respectively. Perhaps Mac OS X will simply become MacOS… Apple Watch Updates
And speaking of watchOS, we'd be surprised if we didn't hear some big news on the Apple Watch front. Back in April, reports circled that we'd actually see a new, thinner Apple Watch introduced at WWDC. While it's possible Apple could introduce some new hardware, it's definitely likely that the company will expound on the new and improved capabilities the watch will be able to do in watchOS version 3. That could include stronger, better Siri integration and more efficient heart-rate tracking, but likely it will also include new opportunities for developers to make their apps more useful for the watch experience, too. To find out if our expectations come true, check back here at Refinery29 on Monday. Apple's WWDC keynote starts at 10 a.m. PDT/1 p.m. EDT.
With each update since Apple first introduced her, Siri has gotten more and more useful. Now, it looks like she may finally make the jump from your phone to your desktop as part of Mac OS X 10.12. Instead of using a button (the home button on your phone and the digital crown on an Apple Watch), you'd activate Siri with an icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen, according to 9to5Mac (likely next to, or in place of the current magnifying glass icon that signifies Spotlight). Ideally, the voice-activated, "Hey Siri" will also be enabled so you can make quick voice queries without having to tap anything at all. But then… Will your phone and your MacBook both respond? We'll let Apple's engineers figure out that dilemma. We could also finally see Apple open up the Siri SDK to developers, so we can use Siri's voice-activated smarts in third-party apps. (But if you ask her about it… Her lips are sealed.)
An Apple Music Overhaul
At last year's WWDC, Apple introduced its new music streaming app, Apple Music. This year, Apple Music may get a redesign that makes it feel more Spotify-like. Hopefully Apple will also address some of the bugs and quirks that make Apple Music, at times, frustrating to use. A redesign will definitely help with some of those issues, like hopefully making its terrific customized playlists a focus when you first open the app. More Closely Tied Mac and iPhone Ecosystems
Our phones almost never leave our sides, so it makes sense that Apple would try to make information sharing (and more) between the two devices as seamless as possible. One way that could be furthered: by being able to unlock your Mac using your iPhone's Touch ID button. Also, you may be able to use Touch ID to authenticate payments you make on the desktop, in lieu of filling out credit card payment forms or remembering passwords. It's possible, too, that we could also see OS X get a rebrand. We've got iOS, tvOS, and watchOS, for the iPhone, Apple TV, and Apple Watch, respectively. Perhaps Mac OS X will simply become MacOS… Apple Watch Updates
And speaking of watchOS, we'd be surprised if we didn't hear some big news on the Apple Watch front. Back in April, reports circled that we'd actually see a new, thinner Apple Watch introduced at WWDC. While it's possible Apple could introduce some new hardware, it's definitely likely that the company will expound on the new and improved capabilities the watch will be able to do in watchOS version 3. That could include stronger, better Siri integration and more efficient heart-rate tracking, but likely it will also include new opportunities for developers to make their apps more useful for the watch experience, too. To find out if our expectations come true, check back here at Refinery29 on Monday. Apple's WWDC keynote starts at 10 a.m. PDT/1 p.m. EDT.