The Apple WWDC 2020 Keynote Live Blog (Starts at 10am PT/17:00 UTC)

While COVID may have put a crimp on the tech industry, for Apple the show must still go on. Join us at 10am Pacific/17:00 UTC for our live blog coverage of this year's Apple WorldWide Developer's Conference (WWDC), which like so many other shows is taking a uniquely virtual tack this year.

The morning keynote for the developer-focused show is typically a rapid-fire two-hour run through Apple's ecosystem, covering everything from macOS and iOS to individual Apple applications and more, and it sounds like Apple will be sticking to that strategy for their virtual show. Meanwhile there's always the lingering question over whether we'll also see a new hardware announcement this year – Apple tends to be about 50/50 with hardware at WWDC – something which has taken on an even greater significance this year as Apple is widely believed to be working on transitioning the Mac platform to its own Arm-based SoCs. Even if we don't get hardware details at this year's WWDC, even confirmation of that project and Apple's transition plans would mark the kick-off point for a huge shift in the Apple ecosystem, and an event that could reverberate into the PC ecosystem as well.

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12:58PM EDT - Welcome to this year's coverage of Apple's WWDC keynote

12:58PM EDT - Apple's keynote is expected to begin momentarily

01:00PM EDT - As with every year, the developer-focused conference is going to lean heavily into Apple's operating systems/ecosystems, including macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS

01:01PM EDT - On the macOS front, Apple is coming off the recent retirement of 32-bit applications, as well as their efforts to increase iOS/macOS application portability

01:02PM EDT - And it looks like we're starting

01:02PM EDT - As always, Tim Cook kicks things off

01:02PM EDT - "I can assure you we have a great show ahead of us"

01:04PM EDT - Cook is starting with Apple's backing of social justice initiatives, which has long been near and dear to the bay area company's heart

01:06PM EDT - Now going into the conference itself, with Cook recapping what Apple is planning on doing with the newly-virtual conference

01:06PM EDT - First up is Craig Federighi with iOS

01:06PM EDT - Who of course is here to talk about iOS 14

01:07PM EDT - Discussing the home screen

01:07PM EDT - "We've rethought some of the core elements of iOS" to reflect that iPhones are doing more than ever before

01:08PM EDT - Now rolling a short video

01:08PM EDT - The home screen is receiving a revamp

01:08PM EDT - Apple is introducing a feature called the "App Library"

01:09PM EDT - A single view that organizes all of the apps on a phone

01:09PM EDT - For helping users find apps, which Apple finds to be harder to follow after the first couple of pages

01:10PM EDT - Among the categories in the App Library: suggested apps, recently added, social, Apple arcade, etc

01:10PM EDT - Widgets are getting updated as well

01:11PM EDT - Widgets now come in variable sizes

01:11PM EDT - Widgets can now be placed on the home screen as well

01:12PM EDT - Also a new widget, called the smart stack, which can flip between multiple widgets

01:13PM EDT - Picture-in-picture mode updates

01:13PM EDT - PiP videos are becomming fairly freeform on iOS, and can be placed pretty mucn anywhere and hover over applications

01:14PM EDT - Siri updates

01:14PM EDT - Apple has redesigned the graphical elements of Siri

01:14PM EDT - Rather than a dedicated Siri screen, Siri now acts more like a notification

01:15PM EDT - Now on stage: Yael Garten, discussing more about Siri

01:15PM EDT - (Apple is decidedly trailing the AI assistant race, so the company needs to catch up)

01:16PM EDT - Apple is introducing a new translation app. Named "Translate", of course

01:17PM EDT - Voice and text translation between 11 languages, including English, Mandarin, and Russian

01:17PM EDT - Includes a conversation view for two people to use on a single device

01:17PM EDT - Now back to Craig and the Messages app

01:18PM EDT - Now on stage: Stacey Lysik

01:18PM EDT - Discussing how Apple has updated Messages and tracking conversations

01:18PM EDT - Conversations can now be pinned

01:18PM EDT - Memojis are back

01:19PM EDT - Hair, face coverings, and more customization options

01:19PM EDT - Messages is getting inline replies for group conversations

01:20PM EDT - And Mentions as well. Type their name to direct a message

01:20PM EDT - New visual indicators for group chats as well

01:20PM EDT - Back to Craig

01:21PM EDT - Now on to Maps

01:21PM EDT - Recapping Apple's recent updates to their underlying map, which launched this last year

01:22PM EDT - The new map base is coming to more countries, including the UK, Ireland, and Canada

01:22PM EDT - Now on stage: Meg Frost

01:22PM EDT - Discussing new Maps features in iOS 14

01:22PM EDT - Focusing right now on discoverability and recommendations

01:23PM EDT - iOS 14 Maps is adding support for cycling directions

01:24PM EDT - Lets users know about hazards such as stairs, large hills, etc

01:24PM EDT - Cycling will start with the major cities, and be added to more locations from there

01:24PM EDT - iOS 14 Maps is also getting more information for electric vehicles, with "EV routing" to take into account EV charger access

01:25PM EDT - Congestion zone and green zone info is being added as well

01:25PM EDT - Back to Craig with Carplay

01:25PM EDT - Now available on 97% of new cars sold in the US, and 80% worldwide

01:26PM EDT - Now on stage: Emily Schubert

01:26PM EDT - Discussing using Apple tech to replace car keys

01:27PM EDT - Open and start your car with your iPhone

01:27PM EDT - These digitial keys are kept in the iPhone's secure element

01:28PM EDT - And can be integrated with things like parental controls to limit access

01:28PM EDT - And this is being added to iOS 13 as well

01:28PM EDT - Expecting to see support for the new standard in cars starting next year

01:28PM EDT - Now on to the App Store

01:28PM EDT - Rolling a video

01:29PM EDT - New feature: App Clip

01:30PM EDT - "A small part of an app" that's light and fast, and easy to discover

01:30PM EDT - It sounds like fast micro-apps for specific purposes

01:30PM EDT - App Clips are mostly contextual based, but can also be launched from the App Library

01:31PM EDT - App Clips can be discovered and launched from the web

01:31PM EDT - Apple is making their own QR code system to indicate/trigger App Clip support, which they're calling an App Clip code

01:32PM EDT - App Clips need to be less than 10MB in size to launch quickly, but have full SDK access

01:32PM EDT - And that's iOS 14

01:32PM EDT - Now quickly recapping the new iOS 14 features

01:32PM EDT - Switching gears to iOS's sibling, iPadOS

01:33PM EDT - iPadOS 14

01:34PM EDT - Continued emphasis on making better use of the iPad's large display and other unique features

01:34PM EDT - Now on stage: Josh Shaffer

01:34PM EDT - Discussing iPadOS 14 enhancement

01:35PM EDT - Demonstrating the latest version of the Photos app

01:35PM EDT - Photos is getting a sidebar to access the core functionality of the app

01:35PM EDT - The sidebar has been added to other apps as well, such as Notes and Files

01:36PM EDT - Also some UI tweaks, such as moving some controls to the top of apps

01:36PM EDT - Back to Craig

01:36PM EDT - Discussing Siri updates for iPadOS

01:37PM EDT - Meanwhile the calls interface is being updated as well

01:37PM EDT - Incoming calls are displayed as notifications instead of full-screen events

01:37PM EDT - This change is coming to iOS as well

01:37PM EDT - And works for native calls, Facetime, and third-party apps

01:38PM EDT - Search has been rebuilt "from the ground up"

01:38PM EDT - Demonstrating using the updated search to launch apps, find contacts, etc

01:39PM EDT - And of course, iPadOS 14 will include all of iOS 14's updates

01:39PM EDT - Now on to Apple Pencil

01:39PM EDT - Craig is recapping the benefits of freely inked text and drawings

01:40PM EDT - For this year, Apple is improving written text support

01:40PM EDT - Now on stage: Jenny Cheng

01:40PM EDT - Demonstrating the new pencil feature updates

01:40PM EDT - Auto shapes when drawing

01:41PM EDT - Handwriting recognition

01:41PM EDT - And scribble to use handwriting to fill in a text field that can be typed in

01:42PM EDT - Scribble recognizes English as well as Chinese characters

01:43PM EDT - Apple's come a long way from the days of Eat Up Martha

01:43PM EDT - Now on to AirPods

01:43PM EDT - Now on stage: Mary-Ann Ionascu

01:43PM EDT - AirPods can now seamlessly move between Apple devices

01:44PM EDT - So Mac to iPad to iPhone and back again

01:44PM EDT - Spatial audio is coming to AirPods Pro

01:44PM EDT - Sounds like Apple is adding audio virtualization/HRTF support

01:46PM EDT - Apple is using the gyro and accelerometer to allow the audio field to shift with the user's head

01:46PM EDT - Spatial audio works with 5.1, 7.1, and Dolby Atmos content

01:46PM EDT - Now on stage: Kevin Lynch

01:46PM EDT - Discussing Apple Watch

01:47PM EDT - Now over 20,000 watchOS apps in the App Store

01:47PM EDT - In watchOS 7, apps can support multiple complications

01:47PM EDT - So displaying several complications on a watch face

01:48PM EDT - New feature: watch face sharing

01:48PM EDT - Quickly demoing the feature

01:49PM EDT - Developers can offer pre-configured watch faces from their apps

01:49PM EDT - Now to Maps on watchOS

01:49PM EDT - Cycling directions is coming to this version of Maps as well

01:50PM EDT - Now on stage: Julz Arney

01:50PM EDT - Discussing workout enhancements for watchOS 7

01:50PM EDT - The workout app now tracks dancing

01:51PM EDT - Dance uses both accel and gyro data as well as heartrate data to try to keep better track of motions and calories burnt

01:51PM EDT - All of which can be tracked in the Activity app

01:51PM EDT - The app has been renamed to Fitness

01:52PM EDT - Another new watchOS 7 feature: sleep tracking

01:52PM EDT - New feature: Wind Down

01:53PM EDT - To help users transition towards going to bed

01:53PM EDT - Can turn on do not disturb mode on the phone, putting an Apple Watch into sleep mode, etc

01:54PM EDT - All of these sleep enhancements are also available on iOS 14, without a watch

01:54PM EDT - watchOS 7 is adding hand washing detection

01:55PM EDT - Figure out if the user is washing their hands based on motions and audio

01:56PM EDT - Back to Craig

01:56PM EDT - Next subject: Privacy

01:57PM EDT - Apple has taken a very strict tack on maintaining user privacy, and they are keeping this going

01:57PM EDT - Quickly recapping Apple's privacy stance on data collection, control, and where it's stored

01:57PM EDT - Also recapping Sign In With Apple, which was launched last year. 200mil accounts created thus far

01:58PM EDT - Now on stage: Katie Skinner

01:59PM EDT - Adding the ability to share your approximate location with apps, instead of just the precise location

01:59PM EDT - New tracking control features for apps

01:59PM EDT - Apple is going to require developers to self-report their privacy practices to the App Store

01:59PM EDT - The info will be published on App Store product pages

02:00PM EDT - Now on to Home technology

02:00PM EDT - Which has taken on a new importance with so many people stuck at home

02:01PM EDT - Apple's Home focus: ease of use, private, and working together seamlessly

02:01PM EDT - Now on stage: Yah Cason with HomeKit

02:02PM EDT - Apple has partnered with Google, Amazon, and others to create a new home automation standard

02:02PM EDT - iOS 14 is adding suggested automations when adding a new IoT device

02:03PM EDT - iOS 14 is adding Adaptive Lighting for RGB lightbulbs; changing the color over the day

02:03PM EDT - HomeKit cameras will get activity zones and face recognition

02:04PM EDT - HomeKit camera integration with tvOS 14 as well

02:04PM EDT - Now on stage: Cindy Lin with tvOS

02:04PM EDT - "Apple TV goes beyond video"

02:05PM EDT - Expanding multi-user support for games on Apple TV

02:05PM EDT - Adding support for Xbox Elite 2 and Xbox adaptive controllers

02:05PM EDT - tvOS is getting the same Picture-in-Picture enhancements from iOS 14

02:06PM EDT - Now pitching Apple's TV streaming service

02:06PM EDT - Apple+ coming to Sony and Vizio TVs this summer

02:06PM EDT - And of course, Apple will be adding new content

02:07PM EDT - (We're AnandTech, not AnandTV. But when you say Foundation, you have my attention)

02:08PM EDT - Apple's Foundation adaption is coming out next year

02:09PM EDT - Now on to what's likely to be the big subject of the day: macOS

02:09PM EDT - "What should we call [the next version of macOS]?"

02:10PM EDT - macOS Big Sur

02:10PM EDT - New designs and major updates to many of the apps on the platform

02:10PM EDT - Design: making the biggest change since the introduction of Mac OS X

02:10PM EDT - Rolling a video

02:11PM EDT - "Our goal was to bring even more clarity to the software"

02:12PM EDT - Focusing on consistency, clarity, and simplicity

02:12PM EDT - (This video is sure making Big Sur look a lot like Big iOS)

02:13PM EDT - Craig is back to demo the new macOS

02:13PM EDT - Starting with the Dock

02:13PM EDT - New/refined icons for a lot of apps

02:14PM EDT - Quickly flipping through Finder, Mail, and Photos

02:14PM EDT - Refreshed the designs of all of the apps

02:14PM EDT - The Menu Bar is now translucent

02:14PM EDT - macOS gets Control Center

02:15PM EDT - Display brightness, volume, dark mode, etc

02:15PM EDT - Items from Control Center can be added to the Menu Bar as well

02:15PM EDT - iOS 14's redesigned widgets are coming to macOS as well

02:16PM EDT - Now on to individual app updates for the Mac

02:16PM EDT - Messages is getting new features such as search and a redesigned photo picker

02:17PM EDT - Memoji can now be created/edited on the Mac as well

02:17PM EDT - So it's reaching parity with the iOS version of Messages

02:17PM EDT - macOS is getting a new version of the Maps app

02:18PM EDT - It looks like a fresh port of the iOS version

02:18PM EDT - On to Mac Catalyst

02:19PM EDT - Latest version of Catalyst will give developers more options to use the full real estate of the Mac desktop

02:19PM EDT - And confirming that the new version of macOS Maps is a Catalyst app

02:19PM EDT - And Messages

02:20PM EDT - Now for Safari

02:20PM EDT - "The biggest update to Safari since it was first introduced"

02:20PM EDT - Apple has continued to work on improving Safari's JS execution speed

02:20PM EDT - And they're claiming 50% faster page loading than Chrome

02:21PM EDT - Safari is adding more privacy reporting info to help inform users

02:21PM EDT - And is checking saved passwords against known compromised passwords/sites

02:22PM EDT - Apple is adding more fine-grained controls for extensions as well, so that they don't need such wide-ranging access

02:22PM EDT - Now on stage: Beth Dakin

02:23PM EDT - New feature: customizable start page

02:23PM EDT - iCloud tabs and reading lists can be added to the start page

02:23PM EDT - Demonstrating Web Extension support

02:24PM EDT - Allow extensions to be enabled for just a day, just for a site, etc

02:25PM EDT - (Google is undoubtedly thankful that most desktop users don't use Safari)

02:25PM EDT - Getting improved tab control as well. Very Firefox-like

02:26PM EDT - And that's macOS Big Sur

02:26PM EDT - "But these changes are just the beginning"

02:26PM EDT - Back to Tim Cook

02:27PM EDT - "Today is going to be a truly historic day for the Mac"

02:27PM EDT - The Mac has had 3 major transitions in its history: PPC, Mac OS X, and then Intel/x86

02:28PM EDT - Confirmed: the Mac is transitioning to Apple's silicon (Arm)

02:28PM EDT - And so it begins

02:28PM EDT - Tim is talking up the advantages of being vertically integrated

02:29PM EDT - (Apple gets to control it all. Software, the hardware, the app ecosystem)

02:29PM EDT - First up: talking about the history of Apple's SoC development

02:29PM EDT - Apple's teams have delivered 10 generations of A-series SoCs

02:30PM EDT - Apple reckons CPU performance has improved 100x over that period

02:30PM EDT - And Apple's side-family of AX-series of SoCs for the iPad as well

02:30PM EDT - "The iPad core is faster than the vast majority of PC laptops"

02:31PM EDT - No new information quite yet; Apple is laying out the case for why their hardware engineering is so solid, and why it will enable them to pull this switch off

02:31PM EDT - "Will give a whole new level of performance"

02:32PM EDT - Apple wants to deliver desktop performance with notebook-level power consumption

02:32PM EDT - And they believe they can do it with their own SoCs

02:32PM EDT - Especially with the help of their highly integrated power management tech

02:33PM EDT - This also moves various A-series features like the ISP and neural engine to first-class status in the Mac ecosystem

02:33PM EDT - Apple is making a series of SoCs specifically for the Mac

02:33PM EDT - Which will have a common architecture with the other Apple SoCs

02:34PM EDT - Now back to Craig to talk about the tech in macOS Big Sur to help with the transition

02:34PM EDT - Apple has made sure all of their own apps are up and running as Arm apps

02:35PM EDT - Ideally, developers will be able to get apps up and running in days

02:35PM EDT - Apple has introduced a new binary format, Universal 2, to include both x86 and Arm binaries (fat binary's revenge)

02:36PM EDT - The Apple Development Platform is using the A12Z

02:36PM EDT - All of the Big Sur features demonstrated earlier were being run on the development platform

02:36PM EDT - Now showing an Arm build of Microsoft Word

02:36PM EDT - And Excel

02:37PM EDT - Basically confirming that Apple's most critical application developers are on-board with the ISA change

02:37PM EDT - And here's Photoshop

02:38PM EDT - Final Cut Pro is running on the dev platform, too

02:38PM EDT - Craig is showing off several features and emphasizing how smooth the performance is

02:40PM EDT - Apple is also taking steps to ensure the transition is seamless, even for apps that haven't been updated

02:40PM EDT - App translation at installation, and support for dynamic JIT

02:41PM EDT - Docker support as well

02:41PM EDT - Now on stage: Andreas Wendker

02:41PM EDT - Running Maya

02:41PM EDT - Running via Rosetta 2

02:42PM EDT - And running the Mac App Store release of Shadow of the Tomb Raider

02:42PM EDT - (I'm curious what this means for games using Wine)

02:42PM EDT - Now showing off a Linux VM using Parallels Desktop

02:43PM EDT - And because they're Apple SoCs, iPad and iPhone apps can be run directly on macOS

02:44PM EDT - Most iOS apps will just work without any further work from developers

02:44PM EDT - Now recapping everything: Universal 2, Rosetta 2, and Virtualization tech

02:45PM EDT - Apple is launching a quick start program to help developers get started on the Arm transition right away

02:45PM EDT - Documentation, forums access, and a DTK dev box with an A12Z in a Mac Mini chassis

02:45PM EDT - 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD

02:45PM EDT - Developers can begin applying to the program today

02:46PM EDT - Back to Tim

02:46PM EDT - "What's the timeline?"

02:47PM EDT - Shipping the first customer Mac with Apple silicon by the end of this year

02:47PM EDT - Apple expects to transition their products over the next 2 years

02:47PM EDT - Plenty of ongoing x86 Mac support to come, with some new Intel-based Macs yet to come

02:48PM EDT - As for software, developer betas today. Public betas in July. Launching in the fall

02:48PM EDT - And that's a wrap. Thanks for joining us. Now to dig more into the Arm announcement