Apple announces WWDC 2020, and it's all going to be online

Apple has just announced that its WWDC 2020 conference will take place in June in a new all-online format.

In a press release Apple said:

Cupertino, California — Apple today announced it will host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Now in its 31st year, WWDC 2020 will take on an entirely new online format packed with content for consumers, press and developers alike. The online event will be an opportunity for millions of creative and innovative developers to get early access to the future of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS, and engage with Apple engineers as they work to build app experiences that enrich the lives of Apple customers around the globe.

The WWDC 2020 program will provide Apple's entire global developer community — which now includes more than 23 million registered developers in more than 155 countries and regions — and the next generation of app developers with the insights and tools needed to turn their ideas into a reality. Additional program information will be shared between now and June by email, in the Apple Developer app and on the Apple Developer website. Apple also announced it will commit $1 million to local San Jose organizations to offset associated revenue loss as a result of WWDC 2020's new online format.

The move has been forced due to the ongoing cornavirus pandemic, on the change of format to an all-online setup Phil Schiller stated:

"We are delivering WWDC 2020 this June in an innovative way to millions of developers around the world, bringing the entire developer community together with a new experience... The current health situation has required that we create a new WWDC 2020 format that delivers a full program with an online keynote and sessions, offering a great learning experience for our entire developer community, all around the world. We will be sharing all of the details in the weeks ahead."

Apple's Craig Federighi said:

"With all of the new products and technologies we've been working on, WWDC 2020 is going to be big... "I look forward to our developers getting their hands on the new code and interacting in entirely new ways with the Apple engineers building the technologies and frameworks that will shape the future across all Apple platforms."

Apple has not indicated a specific date for the event beyond "June", and has said that further information will be released via email between now and June, on the developer app and on the Apple Developer Website. No doubt Apple is still working out the details regarding the schedule for the event, given the short notice Apple has had to prepare for this.

Whilst Apple has pledged $1 million to San Jose organizations that will be impacted by the lack of a physical WWDC, a report suggests that the boost brought by the conference is usually closer to $10 million.