WWDC 2026: See everything Apple announced at the keynote.
Right, it is happening. WWDC 2026 kicks off today, and Apple’s opening keynote lands at 10am Pacific. That is the one you set an alarm for, because it is where Apple shows off iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27 and visionOS 27 all at once.
Here is the thing though. A keynote can be two hours of polite applause and feature lists, or it can quietly tell you exactly where Apple is heading for the next year. This one might be the most interesting in ages, and not entirely for the reasons Apple would like. Here are the five things I am actually watching for.
1. New hardware? Maybe. But do not get your hopes up.
The rumour mill reckons Apple has a couple of new devices “ready to go” for this conference. Notice the careful wording there, because “ready to go” and “actually launching today” are very different sentences.
My read: keep your expectations low. Apple looks like it is sitting on new hardware until the revamped Siri and the wider Apple Intelligence upgrades are actually out in the wild later this year. There is no point dropping shiny new kit if the headline software feature is not ready to sell it. On top of that, the global memory shortage is making Mac refreshes a harder sell right now, so do not bank on a surprise MacBook moment. If we get hardware, brilliant. If we do not, that is the reason why.
2. Siri is the whole ballgame, and it might launch behind a waitlist
This is the big one. Apple has been promising a properly smart Siri for ages, and iOS 27 in September is meant to be where it finally turns up.
Except there are two warning signs flashing. First, Apple is reportedly still labelling the new Siri as a “beta” internally, which tells you everything about how confident they are. Second, there is talk that access could be gated behind a waitlist when iOS 27 ships, exactly like the original Apple Intelligence rollout two years ago. So even when it “launches,” you might be queueing to use it.
What I want from today is honesty. Today’s preview should show us what works, what is still half-baked, and roughly when normal people will get their hands on it. If Apple glosses over the timing and just shows a sizzle reel, that is a tell.
3. If you are on an Intel Mac, today is the goodbye
Bit of a gut punch for some of you. macOS 26 Tahoe was the last major macOS to support Intel Macs, which Apple confirmed at last year’s WWDC. That means macOS 27 is Apple silicon only.
In plain English: to install this year’s update you will need an M-series Mac, or a MacBook Neo running the A18 Pro chip. If your Mac still has an Intel chip in it, the train has left without you. The upside, and there is one, is that cutting the legacy chips loose lets Apple build features purely for Apple silicon without dragging old hardware along. Cleaner platform, faster progress, but yes, an awkward day if your machine just got left behind.
4. Tim Cook’s last keynote as the main man
This is the bit that makes WWDC 2026 a proper moment in Apple history. Tim Cook has opened every single WWDC keynote since 2012. This is his last one in that chair.
Cook is stepping down as CEO, with hardware boss John Ternus taking over on 1 September. Word from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is that Cook will still kick things off today, but expect software chief Craig Federighi to carry the bulk of the show as he walks through all the new AI features. So watch the body language and the handovers. This is the start of a genuine changing of the guard at Apple, and today is the first public step of it.
5. The fun stuff: a new macOS name and the return of Little Finder Guy
Not everything has to be deadly serious. Apple still has not told us what macOS 27 is actually called, and the current betting is split between macOS Emerald and macOS Big Bear. We will likely find out today.
And the one I am quietly delighted about: Little Finder Guy is back. The tiny anthropomorphised Finder icon that went viral after Apple’s MacBook Neo campaign earlier this year has reportedly turned up in the WWDC 2026 swag bags. So there is a decent chance the little chap makes an appearance during the macOS 27 preview. Daft? Completely. Will I cheer if he shows up on stage? Also completely.
So, what should you actually take away from today?
Strip out the noise and this keynote comes down to one question: is Apple’s AI story finally real, or is it still a promise with a “beta” label slapped on it? Everything else, the hardware teasers, the macOS name, the Intel cutoff, sits around that.
The keynote starts at 10am Pacific. We will be covering every announcement that lands, so check back for the full breakdown once Apple has actually shown its hand.
