WWDC 2020 is going online-only, Apple confirms

Apple has confirmed that its annual Worldwide Developers Conference – also known as WWDC – will go ahead this year, but with an “all-new online format” that Apple says is essential amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. But despite the online-only format, the company has said it’ll deliver a full program, complete with online keynote and developer sessions. 

“The current health situation has required that we create a new WWDC 2020 format that delivers a full program with an online keynote and sessions, offering a great learning experience for our entire developer community, all around the world.” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior VP of Worldwide Marketing. 

The news comes amidst questions surrounding the feasibility of WWDC during the Coronavirus pandemic, and considering Apple has allegedly scrapped its planned March event, many assumed WWDC would follow suit. 

Apple has also pledged $1 million to local San Jose organisations to help with the loss of business that comes with the switch to an online format. 

While the company has announced that WWDC 2020 will take place in June, as usual, there’s no word on specific dates just yet. “We’ll be sharing all the details in the weeks ahead.” Schiller promised in a press release sent to Tech Advisor. It’s likely it’ll take place around the beginning of the month, as with previous years, with our sister site Macworld UK predicting that WWDC 2020 will run from 8-12 June 2020.

It’s great news for Apple fans around the world, with WWDC being one of the biggest events in the Apple calendar. The annual opening keynote provides the first look at the company’s next major software updates – iOS 14, watchOS 7, tvOS 14 and macOS 10.16 in this case – and is watched by millions of fans around the globe, not just developers.