In context: Last month, Apple set a date of June 22 for its WWDC20 event. However, it did not have much more information, such as a presentation schedule or how long the normally five-date conference would run. It released the lineup today, and it looks like it's not much different other than being online.
On Thursday, Apple updated us with more information, as promised, on its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) scheduled for later this month. In brief, the tech giant says that it will hold a keynote address and a "Platforms State of the Union." There will also be more than 100 engineering sessions, new developer forums, 1-on-1 labs with Apple engineers, and a lot more.
Apple says the 31st annual WWDC will be the biggest one yet, even though it is online only this year. There were some concerns that the conference would be shorter than those in the past because of the hands-off format. However, the event will still be a five-day affair beginning June 22 at 10am PDT and running through June 26.
The first day, Apple will hold its Special Event Keynote, where it will reveal some new developer tools coming later this year and updates for existing ones. The presentation will air from Apple Park in Cupertino, California.
At least there won't be any lines (image: crowd queuing up for WWDC 2016).
Day two will be Apple's Platforms State of the Union starting at 2pm PDT. Lead engineers will discuss the latest advances for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Unlike the keynote, the State of the Union will not be broadcast on YouTube. It will be available on-demand only on the Apple Developer app and the Apple Developer website.
Then from June 23 through June 26, Apple will host engineering sessions and 1-on-1 labs. The engineering sessions will focus on the latest in app design and is intended to teach developers how to take advantage of the newest tech. These will not be live. They are pre-recorded and will be posted at 10am each day. With more than 100 sessions, that's more than 33 lessons per day.
The 1-on-1 Labs are by appointment only. They will allow developers to virtually sit down with Apple engineers to get technical advice and guidance in using the latest innovations on Apple platforms. Space for these sessions is limited for obvious reasons.
Apple also mentioned that it would announce the finalists in its Swift Student Challenge on June 16. The challenge is an initiative encouraging young developers of all ages to show what they can with Apple's Swift programming language.
Developers are strongly encouraged to download the Apple Developer app because the company will be releasing further information leading up to the event exclusively through the app.
Image credit: WWDC Laptop by nikkimeel, WWDC Crowd by Peppinuzzo