WWDC is returning as an online-only event, June 6-10

Apple this morning confirmed that its annual developer conference WWDC will be returning as only-event June 6 to 10. This will mark the third all-virtual version of the show, which has traditionally been held in-person at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose.

The news follows Google’s recent announcement that its own I/O will return as a hybrid event in May — albeit with a dramatically scaled down in-person presence. Apple has gone online only since the outset of the pandemic and has since held all of its events in an online-only format. The company is opening limited space to developers and students for a keynote viewing party at Apple Park in Cupertino.

“At its heart, WWDC has always been a forum to create connection and build community,” VP Susan Prescott said in a release. “In that spirit, WWDC22 invites developers from around the world to come together to explore how to bring their best ideas to life and push the envelope of what’s possible. We love connecting with our developers, and we hope all of our participants come away feeling energized by their experience.”

As ever, the opening of the event will serve as a launching pad for the latest versions of Apple’s operating systems, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS. The event has traditionally been a bit hit and miss on the hardware front, though many expect the company to announce at very least a new version of the Mac Pro at the event.

The remainder of the event, meanwhile, will be focused on the standard developer panels for the above mentioned ecosystems. The show will also once again feature a Swift challenge encouraging students to develop apps using the programming language.