Tech Tip — A Recap From Apple’s WWDC

Every June, Apple hosts their Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) for their developer community. At this event, they share the new system updates and how developers can best use Apple’s systems tool to make experiences and applications for Apple device users. The conference covers all of Apple’s operating systems. If there was a theme to this year, I would call it alignment. There won’t be a lot of flashy new features for many users when the updated operating systems come out in September, but there will be alignment between them all.

Naming Convention

Prior to this year’s WWDC, each operating system had its own version number. The iPhone’s system was iOS 18, the iPad was iPadOS 18, the Watch was watchOS 11. It could get confusing, and you also had no reference to how old a version was if you didn’t know the current release date. This year, Apple changed to align the naming convention across all operating systems for the upcoming year. The new releases we will all see in September and October of this year will be iOS 26, iPad 26, macOS 26 etc. This gives a clear year reference and will be the same for the different operating systems. Not a huge deal, and most people will not care, but it is nice to have the alignment and reference point for any device you have.

The next announcement also lines up with the theme. It is not just a name, it is a look and feel as well.

Liquid Glass

Liquid Glass is the name of the new look at feel of all of Apple’s operating systems. This is the first time the aesthetics of all their devices is aligned and looks the same. This is a positive change. I am sure there will be a lot of second guessing it and people saying it is not innovative enough, but the real point here is that it gives the operating systems a fresh and unified look. Whether you use only an iPhone, or have the entire collection from phone, to watch, to iPad, and a Mac, your user experience will look and feel more aligned than ever. I see this as a welcome change for users across the board.

A Phone Everywhere

Sticking with the alignment theme, Apple also announced a more seamless way to be able to use your phone across all devices as well. For the most part, you could do this to some degree before. And with FaceTime, you can make or receive calls on any of the devices. But, with this update, you will have a ‘phone’ application on every device, and it will work seamlessly with, well…your phone. It may seem weird that your Mac has a ‘phone’ app, but it also makes sense. We spend a lot of time now using our computers to make calls, whether through Zoom, Microsoft Teams or others, so any device is now a full spectrum communicator. Having a dedicated phone application on any device can help align the feel of that experience.

Apple Intelligence

Last year Apple spent most of the presentation talking about AI. Not that AI, the AI as in, Apple Intelligence. A year later, they basically have very little to show for that beyond a lot of text and editing features that come with common AI. The promise of working across applications and knowing your life contextually has not materialized yet. Apple has been harshly criticized for their lack of delivery on last year’s promises, and rightly so.

They painted an exciting future that we are still waiting for. In many ways, almost any other ‘smart assistant’ is better than Siri, Apple’s device assistant that was to be at the heart of this transition. Apple clearly learned that this will be harder than expected to create the experience they are after. I think their goal is the right one, and I do think it will take time. Don’t expect to see Apple Intelligence to get a lot smarter in the coming months. I think it will be OS 27 and beyond before we see what they can really do.

The iPad Finally Gets A Real Operating System

Probably the most exciting announcement for this year’s WWDC was the change to iPadOS. For years, Apple has tried to make the iPad more than a tablet. They have even implied that it is the traditional computer replacement. People still talk about their marketing campaign, “what’s a computer?” several years after that aired. With that in mind, Apple has introduced at least two updated multitasking systems in the past four years to make the iPad more ‘computer-like.’ I still think the iPad is a great device, and people who claim that it doesn’t do enough or why can’t this be more like my Mac laptop don’t understand the space a tablet fits into. I have never tried to have my iPad be a full-time replacement for my laptop computer. I think that is why I have enjoyed it as much as I do. And generally, I think it has been able to fill in wherever I needed for different occasions. Almost every time I travel, my iPad will be the only device I need beyond my phone. Do I wish it could do some things a litter better? Yes. File system, I am looking at you.

Well, with iPadOS 26, two things help make the iPad leap forward. First, a true windowing system. People call this multitasking. That’s a bad way of looking at it, but having multiple windows that you can size exactly the way you want on the screen is now available. This is VERY computer-like. I do think this will be much more like what people, both power users and everyday users, will want and be familiar with.

Second, they have improved the Files app which will make the iPad filling system much easier to work with and, again, be more computer-like. This is a better step up.

There are other changes coming too, mostly the same as what we get with iOS 26, but the window adjustments and filing updates will make the iPad more of a powerhouse device than it's ever been. I look forward to seeing how these work in real-life and sharing as part of my annual iPad update later this year.

Other Items

Apple announced several other smaller enhancements to the operating system. There are updates for messages and the backgrounds you can use for each message string you have. That will be helpful for quick identification. The iPad can now handle background tasks, meaning a large file can be downloading, and you can move on to a different application. Something many people don’t think about, but it is a handy function to have built in. There are more security and privacy options, plus better control over notifications across the operating systems, which are always welcome as well.

I am sure all the systems will evolve slightly over the summer testing and beta phases. Overall, this wasn’t a huge year for new updates, unless you are a heavy iPad user. So for me, I am very excited about the changes coming to iPadOS. The rest all are nice to have. I do think the Liquid Glass will be more of an improvement than initially believed from early reporters. The interface will look refreshed and new, and that is a good thing. I’ll be interested to see how stable the public beta is when it releases in July. I may just be tempted to jump into that group this year and begin playing with the new look and feel. Either way, later this fall I will have a full update on both the iOS and iPadOS system updates and how they can help you be a more productive leader.

What are you most excited about from the WWDC announcements?

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