WWDC 2025 is simply across the nook. The occasion is taken into account one of the vital essential within the tech world, as Apple reveals its plans for the way forward for every of its machine platforms.
WWDC has by no means simply been about new options. It’s the place Apple units the course for its platforms and, typically, the whole trade. These bulletins proceed to outline how we work together with expertise. Whereas we look forward to the keynote to kick off on June 9, let’s look again at 10 of the most important software program bulletins Apple made at its developer convention.
1. Mac OS X Jaguar (WWDC 2002)
Jaguar was the second main replace launched for the Mac working system after Apple transitioned from the basic Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X. Introduced at WWDC 2002, the replace stood out not just for its enhancements but in addition for its large cat-inspired identify.
In case you’ve been following Apple for a very long time, you in all probability know that every model of Mac OS X was named after a feline, akin to Leopard and Lion. This started with Apple engineers giving the inner codenames “Cheetah” and “Puma” to Mac OS X 10.0 and 10.1, respectively, however the public didn’t know that.
Apparently, Steve Jobs appreciated the inner names a lot that Apple determined to make use of them to advertise Mac OS X, with Mac OS X 10.2 “Jaguar” the primary to be introduced with feline branding. It wasn’t simply the identify, although. Jaguar was additionally a serious improve when it got here to options, because it launched GPU-accelerated graphics for the primary time with Quartz Excessive, which additionally allowed Apple to refine the system interface with smoother animations.
Apple
2. Highlight (WWDC 2004)
Trying to find one thing with Highlight on an Apple machine appears so apparent these days, however looking for your information on a pc years in the past may very well be an extended and troublesome process.
At WWDC 2004, Apple unveiled Highlight as one among Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger’s marquee options. In contrast to different search strategies that existed earlier than, Highlight listed all the info on the pc in order that customers may simply and shortly discover something they wanted. Jobs wowed the whole viewers with a stay demo of Highlight, because it not solely situated information, but in addition looked for paperwork, emails, contacts, and extra, with customers with the ability to refine their search by specifying a date or file kind.
Highlight has turn into a reference for the whole trade, and 21 years later, the characteristic continues to be current throughout all of Apple’s units.
3. Dashboard (WWDC 2004)
Additionally unveiled as a part of Mac OS X Tiger, Dashboard launched a wholly new secondary desktop that supplied fast entry to widgets. On the time, the concept of getting widgets was a novel one. Customers may do issues like shortly test the climate forecast and the inventory market at a look with out having to open a selected app.
The devoted Dashboard characteristic was finally discontinued by Apple, however widgets stay on not solely in macOS, but in addition in iOS. In actual fact, the primary variations of Apple’s iPhone apps, akin to Climate and Shares, had been impressed by these authentic Dashboard widgets.
Foundry
4. Time Machine (WWDC 2006)
Introduced at WWDC 2006 as a part of Mac OS X Leopard, Time Machine was Apple’s answer to make information backup a lot simpler. Whereas up to now customers needed to again up their information and apps manually, Time Machine got here with the promise of doing all of it routinely and periodically.
Greater than that, Apple has additionally launched a cool interface that lets customers “journey again in time” to retrieve earlier variations of information, emails, and settings in the event that they lose one thing. Time Machine is basically a sensible backup that customers don’t even have to consider.
Time Machine stays one among my favourite Mac options to at the present time. All you must do is plug in an exterior disk to your Mac and allow Time Machine in Settings.
5. iPhone SDK (WWDC 2008)
The primary iPhone was unveiled at Macworld San Francisco in 2007, however do you know that it didn’t have an App Retailer? The one strategy to create apps for the iPhone on the time was to construct net apps suitable with the cellular model of Safari.
Apple shortly realized that wasn’t the very best technique, and at WWDC a yr later, Jobs introduced the primary iPhone SDK (the iOS identify got here a couple of years later). With the SDK, builders had been lastly in a position to create native apps for the iPhone, opening up a complete new world of potentialities. The accompanying iPhone OS 2.0 launch additionally included the App Retailer, and the remainder is historical past.
Many apps that everyone knows and love right now had been born due to the iPhone OS SDK. This contains WhatsApp and Instagram, each created by unbiased builders who needed to showcase the potential of the iPhone and the App Retailer.
6. iCloud (WWDC 2011)
After many issues with MobileMe, Apple got here up with a brand new on-line service known as iCloud – a brand new platform that got here with the promise of not solely fixing what the corporate had finished flawed up to now, but in addition seamlessly syncing information between iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Earlier than iCloud, customers nonetheless wanted a Mac or PC to switch information to an iPhone or iPad, or vice versa. Now, all our information is on the market on each machine, and every thing occurs routinely within the background. iCloud additionally paved the way in which for companies like iCloud Drive, iCloud Images, and Household Sharing.
It’s notable that iCloud was the final Apple product personally launched by Steve Jobs. The Apple co-founder didn’t have a lot stage time at WWDC 2011 because of his well being situation, and he handed away in October.
Apple
7. iOS 7 (WWDC 2013)
iOS 7 represented essentially the most dramatic visible change within the historical past of Apple’s cellular working system so far. At WWDC 2013, Apple unveiled a brand new, fully flat interface beneath the course of Jony Ive. Skeuomorphic components with textures imitating real-life objects gave strategy to stable colours and white backgrounds.
The brand new interface didn’t simply remodel the look of the iPhone. It led many different builders to additionally undertake the flat interface of their apps and web sites, creating a brand new development not just for Apple platforms however for the whole trade. However along with the brand new interface, iOS 7 additionally launched many options which have turn into important for iPhone and iPad customers. These embody AirDrop, Management Middle, and improved multitasking.
Since then, Apple has made different adjustments to iOS, however the fundamentals of the design language launched with iOS 7 are nonetheless current all through the system. In keeping with rumors, Apple will lastly introduce one other main replace to the iOS interface this yr with iOS 19—so perhaps we’ll have a brand new addition to this record.
8. iPadOS (WWDC 2019)
In a transfer to handle the rising divergence between the iPhone and iPad, Apple cut up iOS into two at WWDC 2019 and launched a standalone OS only for the pill. Whereas nonetheless primarily based on iOS, iPadOS added particular and long-awaited options to reap the benefits of the iPad’s bigger display screen and superior {hardware}.
With iPadOS updates through the years, Apple launched multi-windows for a similar app, a desktop-class Safari shopping expertise, help for exterior storage within the Recordsdata app, Image-in-Image, mouse and trackpad help, and the flexibility to make use of the iPad as a Mac show with Sidecar. Reviews say this yr’s iPadOS replace will carry higher multitasking and a extra Mac-like expertise.
Foundry
9. Discover My (WWDC 2019)
It didn’t get fairly the eye as iPadOS, however at WWDC 2019, Apple additionally launched a big enchancment to its Discover My service: offline machine monitoring. Based mostly on an end-to-end encrypted Bluetooth sign, the brand new Discover My community permits customers to find iPhones, iPads, and even Macs once they’re not linked to the web.
The iPhone, iPad, or Mac sends its location to different Apple units close by, in order that the proprietor can see the place their units are by way of the Discover My app. This not solely improved Discover My and helped folks recuperate their misplaced units extra simply, but in addition paved the way in which for the launch of AirTag, a tiny Bluetooth tracker primarily based on the identical expertise.
10. App Monitoring Transparency (WWDC 2020)
This may not be as memorable as iOS 7 or Dashboard, however App Monitoring Transparency was an essential addition to iOS that had a huge effect on the trade.
Introduced as a part of iOS 14 at WWDC 2020, Apple’s first pre-recorded occasion throughout the pandemic, App Monitoring Transparency (ATT) is a privateness characteristic that requires apps to ask for the consumer’s consent earlier than monitoring them throughout different apps and web sites. ATT has dramatically impacted the internet marketing market and information assortment.
Whereas Apple has stood up for consumer privateness with App Monitoring Transparency, the characteristic was broadly criticized by corporations, together with Meta, whose essential income comes from commercials reliant on consumer information.
