Superimposed directions and landmarks in a map app on your iPhone screen? New filters for photo apps? Some other possibility we haven't even begun to think about? Potentially, an ARKit update can give us a lot of clues. Should ARKit get any extensive stage time at WWDC, that could provide some insight into Apple's hopes for what it's new iPhones will be able to pull off. That likely means improved portrait effects on photos, but a LiDAR sensor can also help AR apps be more immersive.

Reportedly, the iPhone 12 Pro models are adding a LiDAR sensor to their rear camera arrays, just like the sensor on this year's iPad Pro. Why? Because any ARKit update might offer a hint as to what's coming with this fall's iPhone 12 update. But what I want to hear about is an update that end users never really get to see - a new version of ARKit, Apple's developer toolkit for building augmented reality apps. WWDC will give us our first official looks at iOS14, watchOS 7 and the next version of macOS, revealing the features we'll be able to use when those software updates arrive later in the year. WWDC 2020 question 3: What's Apple planning for ARKit in iOS 14? These cans would vie for a spot on our best noise cancelling headphones list and will reportedly offer swappable earpads. There’s also a chance that Apple could unveil its AirPods Studio, a new pair of over-ear headphones that would compete directly with the likes of the Bose 700. Apart from some tweaks here and there, the iMac has kept the same look since 2012, so we're eager to see how aggressively Apple changes things up. Think thinner bezels and new hardware such as AMD's Navi GPU. Instead, Apple is reportedly a redesign that draws on the iPad Pro for inspiration. The rumored iMac update wouldn't be a mere refresh. But rumors suggest a new iMac 2020 could be on the way, and rumors point to it getting some stage time at WWDC 2020. This time around, we're not going to see the bounty of hardware debuts we were treated to three years ago. Clearly, someone in Cupertino didn't get the memo about this being a software-only affair.

Two of the last three WWDCs have featured hardware releases, with the Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR appearing last year and 2017 introducing new iMacs, a MacBook and an iPad Pro. That's still true, though in recent years, Apple has shaken things up. I've been attending Apple developer conferences for the better part of two decades, and when someone asks me what new hardware to expect, my rote response is to shake my head and mutter something along the lines of 'WWDC is primarily for software announcements.' WWDC 2020 question 2: What hardware might Apple announce? But how many apps will need to be converted, and will some of the older apps we depend on wll work just fine? We can guess at some of those answers, but it will be good to hear some definitive ones straight from Apple.

Obviously, there will be speed and power efficiency improvements. And for those of us who've never learned to code, WWDC is a chance to outline the benefits of the MacBook ARM. WWDC will give Apple a platform to make the case for the switch, explaining to app makers what they'll need to do to ready their software. What we're still waiting to hear is Apple outlining how the transition will work. One tipster has suggested that an ARM-based MacBook may even arrive this year, but that seems too soon to be believable. Reportedly, Apple will make the announcement at this year's WWDC to give developers a year's head start on reworking their apps for this brave new world the MacBook ARM would then debut in 2021. (Basically, Apple's hoping to repeat what it did with the iPhone, where the A13 Bionic has set the standard for mobile processing.) One WWDC announcement that leaked out prior to the show involves Apple's plans to ditch Intel chips in favor of its own ARM-based processors for laptops and desktops.

No new hardware wwdc 2020