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                 Apple's Second Virtual WWDC Set for June 7-11

   Josh Centers

   Despite the increasing availability of effective vaccines, the COVID-19
   pandemic rages on, so it's no surprise that [1]Apple is once again
   taking this year's Worldwide Developer Conference virtual from 7 June
   to 11 June 2021. Expect announcements about iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS
   12, watchOS 8, tvOS 15, and perhaps a few surprises.

   While other tech giants struggled with virtual events last year,
   Apple's first virtual WWDC was a hit. The pre-recorded operating system
   announcements were fun and extremely polished, and every Apple
   developer got the full benefit of the event rather than only a few
   winning lottery tickets to attend in person. We're certain Apple will
   eventually hold an in-person event again in some form, but we also
   expect that many virtual elements of WWDC are here to stay. Not to
   downplay the massive negative impacts of the pandemic, but this is one
   of those situations where being forced to adjust resulted in a better
   overall outcome.

   While everyone looks forward to seeing what features Apple unveils in
   the keynote, developers will appreciate the State of the Union address,
   online sessions covering new technologies in depth, and one-on-one
   sessions with Apple engineers to ask questions and get help with their
   projects.

   Apple will have yet another [2]Swift Student Challenge this year, in
   which students are encouraged to create interactive scenes with Swift
   Playgrounds that take 3 minutes or less to play through. Students have
   until 18 April 2021 to submit their entries. Winners will receive a pin
   set and 'exclusive outerwear.'

   To help make up for the loss of the economic benefits an event brings
   to the area, Apple will donate $1 million to [3]SJ Aspires, 'an
   education and equity initiative launched by the City of San José.'

   The adjoining [4]AltConf event is also back in a new form. The
   organizers took a pause last year due to the pandemic, but they'll be
   hosting online community discussions around WWDC, including the
   audio-only rooms they experimented with last year.

References

   Visible links
   1. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/03/apples-worldwide-developers-conference-is-back-in-its-all-online-format/
   2. https://developer.apple.com/wwdc21/swift-student-challenge/
   3. https://www.sjpl.org/sj-aspires
   4. https://medium.com/altconf/altconf-2021-a7a19b3fbc04

   Hidden links:
   5. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2021/03/Apple_wwdc21_newsroom_article_tile_033021.jpg

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