Some things Apple just killed at WWDC 2021

Apple Wwdc21 Newsroom Article Tile (Image credit: Apple)

Now that Apple's WWDC21 opening keynote is done we're waiting for all of the dust to settle. As is always the case when multiple huge updates are announced there's a ton to get through, and as ever, some things have been chopped as a result of the new announcements. But, so far at least, it doesn't look like that much has been culled.

With iOS 15, iPadOS 15, watchOS 8, macOS Monterey, and tvOS 15 all now announced there are some obvious deaths to note, though. Can you guess what they are?

Yes, it's pretty obvious but it's worth noting. We're still seeing new beta builds of those releases arrive in the hands of developers and public beta testers and that's unlikely to change for a few weeks yet. But soon, all of those releases will be dead and buried, and depending on how you've found them that might not be a bad thing at all.

One unexpected loss might actually come in the form of VPNs, though. Apple announced iCloud+ with one of its features being, essentially, a VPN service. Apple will route your encrypted data through two of its internet relays so that third parties can't see what you're up to, it says. If that sounds like a VPN it's because that's exactly what it is. Assuming the speeds are up to snuff, I see little reason for iCloud+ users to bother paying for a third-party VPN service. I'll need to try iCloud+ out to know for sure, though.

iCloud+ combines everything users love about iCloud with new premium features, including Hide My Email, expanded HomeKit Secure Video support, and an innovative new internet privacy service, iCloud Private Relay, at no additional cost. Current iCloud subscribers will be upgraded to iCloud+ automatically this fall. All iCloud+ plans can be shared with people in the same Family Sharing group, so everyone can enjoy the new features, storage, and elevated experience that comes with the service.

I'm still combing through everything but so far, it looks like we haven't seen many if any features die this year. And we didn't see any hardware announcements so that kept the slaughter contained somewhat!

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.