That’s a wrap—the WWDC keynote has concluded for the year.

Once again, this was a fully online event, starting with an almost overwhelming presence of Memoji characters. While a little humor is always welcome, Apple still seems oblivious to the fact that these quirky avatars don’t resonate with anyone outside their corporate campus.

They were everywhere, from the pre-show video loops to the rather bizarre moment when Tim Cook entered the Steve Jobs theater to a chorus of animated Memojis cheering. It felt odd. Apple often embraces such eccentricities; they’re like the dad trying to be cool by joining his kids' Netflix binge, complete with outdated cultural references. All they needed was a cozy sweater and some dad shoes.

This quirky vibe was epitomized by Craig Federighi, who spent much of the keynote tossing iPads and making unexpected appearances. At least there were no whales this time!

Now, let’s tackle the obvious question.

Where Was the Hardware? Those who truly understand WWDC’s purpose—primarily software developers—might be frustrated to see the mention of ‘hardware’ in the title of this post. They’ll remind you that this is a software development conference, where hardware is never on the agenda.

They are indeed correct. And I certainly misjudged the situation, which serves as a lesson against indulging in speculation.

If you’re subscribed to my weekly newsletter (a free link is available at the end of this article), you likely chuckled at my predictions about hardware announcements. I had anticipated a plethora of new devices at what I thought would be “the most hardware-focused WWDC in years.” Instead, the only hardware showcased were existing models of the iMac, MacBook, and AirPods. There was no sign of a 14-inch MacBook Pro or any new Mac mini.

Classic Apple; they were never going to showcase hardware at this event, were they?

Nevertheless, I’m relieved I advised my readers to hold off on purchasing a new MacBook, as they can now select the model they want without worrying it will soon be outdated. It seems unlikely we’ll see anything resembling a new MacBook until later this year.

What follows are my initial reactions to the major announcements. Expect more comprehensive analysis once everything settles down.

iOS 15 If I had one critique about this year's keynote, it would be the constant references to remote communication and the implications of “not being face-to-face.” Regardless of how the pandemic unfolds, I’m not comfortable with the notion that its effects could shape Apple’s future development.

On a brighter note, one could argue that the updates to Apple’s operating systems reflect our evolving communication habits, pandemic or not. That perspective is somewhat reassuring, but I still find it concerning that Apple seems to promote a future with less personal interaction.

iOS 15 exemplifies this trend. The 2021 update prioritizes digital connectivity, reminiscing over past photographs, eliminating the need for physical wallets, and enhancing focus for remote work.

However, the highlight was FaceTime, which is evolving into a Zoom-like platform. Features like portrait mode (which blurs backgrounds), grid view, and voice isolation have been adapted from the popular video conferencing tool. The ability to share FaceTime call links accessible on Android and PCs is particularly significant. How often will people choose Zoom when they can use a privacy-focused version easily available on their iPhones?

Moreover, later this year, FaceTime will introduce features allowing users to watch movies together, listen to music in sync, and share screens, all through a function called SharePlay. This feature is poised to become integral to Apple’s remote experiences across its product range.

Apple also added spatial audio to FaceTime, enhancing the experience by placing voices within a sound stage relative to each participant's position on-screen. I’m eager to experience this.

Oh, and the Weather app is getting a visual update.

iPadOS 15 This was the moment every M1 iPad owner had been eagerly awaiting. Would we finally see substantial improvements in UI and file management, making the iPad a true Mac alternative?

Not quite. Instead, we received updates to widgets.

Listeners of my podcast will know what I mean.

The new widget functionality mirrors that of the iPhone, an expected update but not a standout feature.

There were some enhancements to multitasking, including a more user-friendly window alignment and a new menu with keyboard shortcuts. A ‘shelf’ feature was introduced, gathering app components conveniently at the bottom of the screen.

New translation functionalities were also added (I missed that part while joking about Craig’s latest quip on Discord), along with improvements to Notes, such as tagging, mentioning, viewing edit history, and accessing ‘QuickNotes’ from anywhere within iPadOS.

We also got a preview of Swift Playgrounds, which will allow users to build iPad and iPhone apps directly on an iPhone starting this autumn. Though I’m not a developer, this is groundbreaking and suggests a more intriguing future for the iPad concerning tasks traditionally associated with the Mac.

Thankfully, Apple wasn’t done with the iPad just yet. More on that soon.

Privacy and iCloud+ My views on ad tracking and privacy have stirred some debate, but I stand by the idea that targeted advertising can benefit both consumers and businesses.

One thing I cannot tolerate, much like the majority of the public, is the misuse of data and the harmful forms of cybercrime that negatively affect many lives.

Thus, I was pleased to see a significant portion of the keynote dedicated to privacy enhancements. These include protections against tracking in Mail (farewell to hidden pixels), ensuring your IP address remains private while using Safari, an app privacy report, and Siri's ability to perform many functions offline.

They also announced iCloud+, which will be included with existing iCloud plans at no extra charge. This new offering includes VPN features for private browsing, recovery contacts for your Apple ID, and the ability to generate random email addresses linked to your real one.

This is a substantial addition. It’s one of those obvious improvements that Apple excels at implementing, yet many of us would likely overlook. The inclusion of VPN functionality could eliminate the need for many third-party options, especially since it comes at no additional cost for iCloud subscribers. I genuinely feel for indie developers who will be affected by this, but I will definitely use it.

macOS Monterey macOS will also receive COVID-influenced features aimed at remote work, focus enhancement, and the SharePlay functionality seen across other platforms. However, two aspects of macOS Monterey deserve special mention.

The first is Shortcuts. Although I’m not a heavy user, I’m often reminded by my Discord community of the benefits I’m missing. The fact that Shortcuts will soon be available on the Mac is genuinely exciting. This feature will replace Automator and provide a wide range of productivity enhancements throughout the OS. I promise to give it a try.

The true standout was Universal Control—a new capability within Apple’s Continuity framework that allows the same mouse and keyboard to operate across Macs and iPads.

We witnessed a demo where the mouse seamlessly transitioned from a Mac to an iPad and back again. This is incredibly impressive. At one point, the pointer glided effortlessly across an iMac, onto an iPad, and then onto a MacBook.

The exciting aspect of this feature is the ability to share content between devices, elevating the universal clipboard experience and significantly boosting productivity for creators like myself. This also opens up intriguing possibilities for a device that has become my preferred tool for photo editing.

This might seem like the first instance of Apple unlocking the M1 iPad’s potential, but it’s worth noting that Universal Control is compatible with several older devices, including MacBooks from 2016 and iMacs from 2015. Interestingly, you don’t need the M1 iPad Pro for this new feature to work.

Given this reality and the minimal updates to iPadOS, one must wonder: what is the purpose of the M1 iPad?

watchOS 8 During the watchOS 8 announcements, we learned that Apple takes a keen interest in how users interact with the Apple Watch. Not surprisingly, the Breathe app saw increased usage during 2020, and the photos watch face was identified as the most popular.

Consequently, the forthcoming updates for the Apple Watch will focus on mindfulness tools, enhancements to the sleep app, and a new aesthetically pleasing photos watch face.

It appears the Apple Watch received the least attention from developers this year. However, this isn’t necessarily negative; the updates they introduced are thoughtful and address the impact of COVID on mental health through the most effective health wearable available.

Home Notably, tvOS made a brief appearance during the keynote, particularly in the Home segment, which highlighted the HomePod mini’s enhanced functionality, integrating intercom features, remote Siri access for Apple TV, and the ability for Siri to operate on third-party devices.

It seems tvOS will receive only minor updates this year, mainly incorporating the SharePlay features for shared video and music experiences.

Anyone expecting more substantial enhancements for the new Apple TV 4K may be left wanting.

More Thoughts Incoming! In the coming days, I’ll delve deeper into each new OS release, so stay tuned for my insights here and on my YouTube channel.

I also conducted a quick poll on YouTube following the keynote, and here are the results so far:

Interesting, isn’t it?

In the meantime, I would love to hear your thoughts on WWDC 2021—feel free to share in the comments!

Before You Go Join my behind-the-scenes mailing list Originally published at https://markellisreviews.com on June 7, 2021.