WWDC22 Bingo
This Bingo board encapsulates my hopes and predictions about what we might see from Apple at this year's WWDC.
Presenting my WWDC22 Bingo Board, a list of some of my predictions and hopes I wish to see manifest at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference.
I have created similar Bingo boards in the past, including WWDC21 & Apple's September 2021 event. Making these boards has been a great way of getting excited for WWDC and a fun game to play along during the keynote itself. All credit for inspiring me to make my own Bingo board for Apple Events goes to Dylan McDonald, who has been making these boards for Apple events for quite a while now.
Board
Here is my WWDC22 Bingo board, which you can download as a PNG or PDF for your WWDC playing pleasure! This list represents my picks as of Friday, June 3, and things could always change between then and Monday with any last-minute leaks.
Picks Explained
watchOS Notes App: Apple Watch will get a new Notes app. I haven't seen any rumours to this effect, so this one is a complete shot in the dark.
macOS 13 Mammoth: My bet is on the next version of macOS being named macOS Mammoth since there have been trademarks suggesting Apple has an interest in the name. Personally, I would like to see macOS Sequoia; I think it's a lovely-sounding name and a beautiful part of California.
Keynote Runtime (>120 minutes): WWDC21 ran just shy of 107 minutes last year, while WWDC20 clocked in at 109 minutes. There certainly have been WWDC keynotes longer than 120-minute, but none since COVID. Given the mix of product and software updates rumoured and the potential mix of a live audience watching the video, I'm predicting that this year's keynote will extend beyond the 2-hour mark.
Enhancements to Passwords and/or Private Relay: Apple's privacy stance is one of its most attractive attributes, and WWDC is a perfect time for Apple to expand on that commitment. I'd love to see more done to enhance security and limit tracking through Private Relay and/or an even friendlier app for users to store and manage their passwords.
Mail is Significantly Updated: Apple usually picks an app or two each year that it tries to give a little extra TLC to, and this year my prediction is Mail. The app is trailing behind third-party clients for managing newsletters, spam detection, search, etc. And while I don't expect complete feature parity with some of these power-user email apps, a lot of work can be done to bring some speed and feature enhancements to Mail across Apple's platforms.
System Preferences Overhauled and becomes Settings: I am predicting/manifesting that System Preferences on macOS is renamed Settings and overhauled to look & function more like settings on iPadOS. I posted a mockup back in February highlighting a few of the key changes and gripes I have with an app that has resisted modernization for over two decades.
Apple Watch gets Low Battery Mode: With the current watchOS, you get two things: the whole watchOS experience, or when your battery falls below 10%, a Power Reserve mode that disables every single feature save for the time when you hold the digital crown for 3-seconds. There is no middle ground. There should be.
A Sports-Related Feature is Announced: I would love to see Apple develop more in the sports arena, whether that represents enhancements to how sports are displayed on AppleTV, scoreboard widgets on iOS, or Apple announcing their rumoured NFL Sunday Ticket partnership.
Desktop Widgets in macOS: Widgets in the Notification Center on macOS are a disservice to both widgets and notifications alike. I would like to see a Dashboard-like experience for widgets return to the Mac.
Enhancements to Fitness+: Anything that represents some expansion of the Fitness+ service, including more workout types, workout programs (e.g. a 10-week core challenge), new trainers, or multiple-user support.
A Portion of the Keynote is Live: While I expect most of the presentation to be prerecorded, I have a hunch that some part of the keynote (even if it's just the introductory 'Good Morning' from Tim) will be broadcast live. Apple bringing in media and select developers to Apple Park hints that recognizing their presence could occur during the keynote address.
The Next Mac Pro is Previewed: Apple left us hanging during their March event about where and when the Mac Pro will debut. You have to think that an announcement must be around the corner, and the developer's conference is the perfect place to preview Apple's top-tier Mac. I'd be surprised to see an announcement come later than WWDC, given that Apple is likely to begin rolling with the first M2 Macs later this year. I don't see Apple leading the M2 refresh with a Mac Pro, just as I'd be surprised to see an M1-based Mac Pro come in the middle of the M2 transition.
Old Apple Watch Faces Updated: There have been rumblings about this, but I would love to see Apple revisit their older watch faces and give their design and complications the update they deserve.
Interactive Widgets: We're heading into our third year of widgets, and it's about time that we got the capability to interact with them. Simple interactions like setting timers, pausing a song, or marking off a todo would be the perfect role for widgets.
M2 Announced: I have a hard time squaring how I'm expecting Apple to preview a possible M1-based Mac Pro while also announcing the M2, but here we are. The next chip, M2, is expected to be an incremental update to M1, enhancing but keeping the same 8-CPU cores and improving the number of base GPU cores from 8-to-10. I'm predicting the first recipient of the new M2 to be the MacBook Air, also announced at WWDC.
External Display Support for iPad: Insanity could also be defined as wishing for the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. I have wanted proper, scalable monitor support for the iPad for years now, to no avail. But now that Apple finally has the Studio Display and some iPads have Thunderbolt connectors, 2022 may finally be the year my fever dream comes true.
Oh Craig, you can wake me from sleep anyday…
A Memeable Federighi Appearance: Do I really need to explain this one?
A Secret Location is Accessed Via Whimsical Transition: Whether via a keyhole, secret tunnel, or a secret corridor at the bottom of the fountain at Apple Park, I expect we'll continue to see at least one such whimsical transition during the Keynote.
Apple's AR Headset isn't Previewed: I am not expecting any preview or mention of Apple's rumoured AR headset at WWDC. Apple may introduce new AR features, but all will be referenced as features for their existing hardware.
A Minimum of 5 Graphs are Presented: Apple can't resist showing a good ol' Performance v. Power graph whenever it can. If there is any hardware or new silicon talk, I expect at least five charts.
New MacBook Airs Announced: For the first time since 2017, I am expecting Apple to release new hardware at WWDC. Apple has previewed hardware at previous WWDC events (Mac Pro in 2019, HomePod & iMac Pro in 2017), but its last hardware announcement was the 10.5" iPad in 2017. And I am putting my hopes on Apple announcing a refresh of the MacBook Air. Based on the rumour mill, I am expecting this new Air to come in multiple colours, feature a redesigned chassis with reduced bezels, and be powered by the M2. For this pick to be correct, I anticipate the Air to be available for preorder within a month of WWDC.
Update: A report released Friday evening by Mark Gurman is now tempering the number of colours the MacBook Air will come in, though there is a chance we’ll see a new MacBook Air come in more than the three colours currently available.
Apple Classical is Announced: There have been rumours that Apple will introduce some classical app/service for Apple Music. Whether that becomes a separate app or an enhancement to the Music app, I'm not sure, but I expect I'll make finding and curating classical collection far more manageable than asking, "Hey Siri, play: Cantata No. 89 Was Soll Ich Aus Dir Machen, Ephraim?, BWV 89: V. Aria - ‘Gerechter Gott, Ach, Rechnest Du?’ [Soprano] by Ad Mater, Gustav Leonhardt & Monteverdi Choir Hamburg"
More Memoji in More Places (e.g. Message Stickers): Whether that means Memoji tapbacks in iMessage or new Memoji features or accessories - I predict we'll see Apple making some enhancements in this space.
iOS Lockscreen Redesigned: Apple won't preview anything that would explicitly suggest an always-on display, but I imagine we see some enhancement to how notifications are displayed or the ability to see more information on the lock screen (e.g., local weather, activity ring progress, etc.)
BONUS: Apple Increases base iCloud Storage from 5GB: If Apple announces an increase to its base 5GB iCloud storage (even if that change comes in the form of 5GB per device), then an instant BINGO is declared.
These are just some of the many predictions that could be made ahead of WWDC. There have been rumblings of improvements to iPadOS multi-tasking, and there are probably more watchOS or tvOS enhancements that I haven't thought of. And there's still tons more stuff regarding improvements in Swift, HomeKit, updated Catalyst apps, and updates to the iOS/macOS ecosystem that will undoubtedly be announced. We have hints of some things, but this year's WWDC is still very much shrouded in mystery, which makes it all the more exciting!
I am wishing everyone a fun and exciting WWDC! And for those that are attending: Have a fantastic time!
