Apple Unveils Details for WWDC 2020
Today Apple unveiled the some details about their annual World Wide Developer Conference, or WWDC. Previously, Apple announced that the conference would be all digital. At the time, the did not provide many details except that there would be a Keynote and a State of the Union. Today we received some more details. Let us look at a few different areas, including Keynote, Videos, Labs, and Developer Forums.
Keynote
As expected there will be a keynote streaming at 10:00 am Pacific Time on Monday, June 22nd. This will be streaming from Apple Park, instead of the San Jose convention center. You will be able to stream it via the Apple Developer app, the Apple Developer website, the Apple TV app, and YouTube. If you are within China, you will be able to stream it via China, the keynote will also stream on Tencent, iQIYI, Bilibili, and Youku.
Platforms State of the Union
While the main WWDC Keynote is done at a developer-focused conference, it is also designed to be a main-stream announcement. The main keynote does not go in-depth. That is reserved for the Platforms State of the Union. If you have not watched or attended the Platforms State of the Union keynote, you can think of it as the developer-focused keynote. This will be available on-demand at 2pm pacific time on June 22nd. This keynote will be streamed via the Apple Developer app and the Apple Developer website. For those within China, you can get the video from encent, iQIYI, Bilibili, and YouKu.
Session Videos
Because WWDC 2020 is virtual conference, you may be wondering how the sessions will be handled. When WWDC is held in-person, these are presented throughout each day of the conference. These sessions are recorded and typically available the next day. Because of the virtual nature of this year's WWDC, all of the day's videos will be available starting at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. There will be over 100 session videos, and these will be available using the Apple Developer app on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, as well as on the Apple Developer website.
Developer Labs
One of the big reasons to attend WWDC is to be able to talk one-on-one with Apple's developers in one of the labs. This is important for some because they are able to talk directly to the engineers who build the frameworks and they can help you figure out a knotty problem and you can help them find bugs in the frameworks. These will be available by appointment only and will be open to Apple Developer Program members as space is available.
Developer Forums
One of the resources that developers have, but may not utilize as much are the developer forums. These forums are vital during a beta period because developers can work with other developers to try and figure out problems, or get clarifications, with Apple's software. From the announcement:
The all-new Apple Developer Forums will connect the developer community with more than 1,000 Apple engineers to answer questions and engage in technical discussions. Starting the first day of WWDC, anyone can search and view the forum discussions to follow along, and Apple Developer Program members will be able to post their own questions and learn directly from Apple experts.
The new developers forms will be coming on June 18th.
Closing Thoughts
For a vast majority of developers the only difference between this year's WWDC and previous years is that the videos will be dropping all at once. I do feel bad for those who were really looking forward to attending WWDC in person, as it is a time for people to get together, and create relationships with other Apple developers.
It has been said quite often as of late, but we live in interesting times and I think Apple is doing the best it can with the present situation. You can keep up with announcements via the Apple Developer App and the Apple Developer Website. I will try to do a predictions/hopes post before the Keynote. I will also have a recap about what Apple announces at WWDC 2020.
Source: Apple