Developer Conferences Changed by COVID-19... Apple WWDC to Be Online and Free on June 22

WWDC Celebrates 31st Anniversary, Held Online for a Week from June 22 Due to COVID-19
Opened Free to Millions of Developers
iOS 14, New iPad Air, Over-Ear Wireless Earphones, AirTag Expected to Be Unveiled

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Apple will hold its annual developer conference WWDC20 for a week starting from June 22 (local time) next month. Instead of the paid offline developer conference, it will be open online for millions of developers to watch for free.

On the 5th (local time), Apple announced on its developer website and application that the Worldwide Developers Conference will be held free of charge for all developers. WWDC is an event where Apple unveils new products and upcoming platforms such as iOS, marking its 31st anniversary this year.

Phil Schiller, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Global Marketing, said, "WWDC20 will be the largest ever and will bring together over 23 million global developers in an unprecedented way for a week."

This year at WWDC, Apple is expected to unveil iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7, and other updates. New products likely to be revealed include the new iPad Air, high-end wireless headphones, and the 'AirTag' for anti-loss purposes. Apple is also holding the 'Swift Student Challenge' contest for students until the 17th (local time). Participants need to create and submit a communication scene that can be experienced within 3 minutes.

The annual developer conference is a stage for unveiling new products and technologies, but it is also a place where Apple developers and third-party developers creating services on Apple platforms meet and share technology. Apple used to charge a participation fee of $1,599 (approximately 1.96 million KRW), but this year, since it is held online, it is open free of charge to all developers. Along with this, Apple has decided to donate $1 million to support the local businesses in San Jose, whose income has decreased due to the cancellation of offline events.

Not only Apple, but global ICT companies are canceling or switching large offline events such as annual developer conferences to online due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Samsung Electronics is reportedly considering holding the New York Unpacked event online in August to unveil the Galaxy Note20 and Galaxy Fold2. Microsoft will hold its global developer event 'Build' online starting from the 19th. Google did not hold its annual developer conference I/O, which is usually held every May, this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.