While we wait for the official WWDC 2021 announcement, Apple's open source WebKit code was recently updated to include references to the upcoming iOS 15 and macOS 12 software updates.
WebKit code usually refers to future releases as "TBA" to hide their actual version numbers. But in this case, that's not the case. The US blog 9to5Mac was able to confirmthat mentions of iOS 15 and macOS 12 were added to the open-source WebKit repository last month. It was added with the comment "Update WKWebView getUserMedia delegate to latest proposal," by an Apple employee working on WebKit technology. While the official name of the future operating systems was indirectly confirmed, no hints of features were included. However, the discovery can be considered the first official confirmation that Apple will maintain its tradition with iOS—but then again, it was to be expected.
iOS 15 & Co.: WWDC 2021 announcement still pending
The naming of macOS, on the other hand, is more interesting, as Apple has jumped from macOS 10.15 Catalina to macOS 11 Big Sur. According to this, the company plans to follow the iPhone operating system in terms of macOS naming conventions. The discovery thus confirms previous speculation. Apple has not yet announced any details about WWDC 2021. In recent years, announcements have sometimes even been made earlier. Here is an overview:
- 2016: April 18th
- 2017: February 16th
- 2018: March 13th
- 2019: March 14th
- 2020: March 13th
WWDC 2021 will likely be held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Apple is expected to unveil iOS 15, iPadOS 15, tvOS 15, watchOS 8, and macOS 12. (Photo by Denys Prykhodov / Bigstockphoto)
