Apple preps up for 30th anniversary of WWDC

Dubai - Tech giant's biggest gathering to give insights to future of Apple's platforms

iPhone launches in September are the most awaited from Apple, but there's actually an even bigger event they have that definitely complements the over 1.4 billion devices from the company being used worldwide - and it's going to turn 30 this year.
Apple on Thursday announced it will host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California, from June 3 to June 7, which will also mark the 30th anniversary of the signature event.
The tech giant's biggest gathering will once again bring together the world's most innovative and creative developers. Attendees will be given insight into the future of Apple's platforms and work alongside the Apple engineers behind the technologies and frameworks developers rely on.
Throughout the decades, the WWDC has been a very important event on the Apple calendar. The late Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder, gained further fame for his keynotes at the WWDC from 1998 to 2011, which was dubbed the 'Stevenotes'.
Among the most notable unveils and happenings at the gathering:
- 1991: First public demonstration of QuickTime media player
- 1997: The return of Jobs as a consultant
- 2001: First release of the Mac OS X server
- 2003: First demonstration of the Power Mac G5, plus launch of the Safari Web browser and iApps
- 2006: Mac Pro announced, replacing the Power Mac G5
- 2007: Development kit unveiled for what would become the iPhone
- 2008: WWDC sold out for the first time
- 2009: New MacBook Pros and iPhone 3G demonstrated
- 2010: WWDC sold out within eight days; iPhone 4 announced
- 2011: Event sold out within 12 hours
- 2012: Tickets sell out in less than two hours; Apple Maps introduced
- 2013: iTunes Radio unveiled; tickets sell out in over a minute
- 2014: Swift programming language announced
- 2015: Apple Music debuts
- 2017: WWDC returns to San Jose after 14 years; top-end iMac Pro unveiled
WWDC 2019 will deliver the latest Apple news from the keynote stage and celebrate the breakthrough work of developers who are creating new experiences in areas including machine learning, augmented reality, health and fitness and more.
This year's programme will feature technical sessions, hands-on labs and guest speakers to provide Apple's existing developer community and the next generation of app developers.
And while Apple normally uses the event mainly for software, it won't be surprising if it unveils some hardware, just like what it did in 2017 when it introduced a slew of products, including the high-end iMac Pro.
"The WWDC is Apple's biggest event of the year. It brings thousands of the most creative and dedicated developers from around the world together with over a thousand Apple engineers to learn about our latest platform innovations and to connect as a community," said Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice-president of worldwide marketing.
"Our developers are incredibly passionate about creating the next generation of mind-blowing experiences for the world through apps. We can't wait to get together with them and share what's next."
Developers can apply for tickets from today through March 20 through the WWDC website. Tickets are issued through a random selection process, and developers will be notified of their application status by March 21.
At last year's edition, students - an 'integral part' of the Apple developer community - spanned from 41 countries. Up to 350 WWDC scholarships are available this year. Details on how to apply also on the WWDC website. 
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com