We're just a few days away from Apple's WWDC 2024 (Worldwide Developers Conference) event and we're looking forward to learning about macOS 15, iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, Apple's AI innovations for products like Siri (possibly in collaboration with companies such as OpenAI or Google for its Gemini technology), and developments for Apple's star apps such as Photos, Notes, Maps, Calculator and others.
The WWDC keynote presentation will begin at 10am PT, 1pm ET / 6pm BST, which is 3am AEST on June 11 for those in Australia. Check out our guide on how to watch WWDC 2024.
You'll have to tweak it to know exactly what features and changes macOS 15 will include and what its official name will be, but we strongly suspect it will have a substantial number of AI-related updates. This would bring Apple closer to peers like Microsoft, which has been pushing in this direction for more than a year by adding artificial intelligence features to its rival Windows 11 operating system.
Ahead of WWDC 2024, we've compiled all the news and rumors so far about macOS 15, and if you haven't updated to the latest version of the Mac operating system, check out our guide on how to install macOS 14.
All about AI
iOS is expected to be one of the biggest focal points at WWDC, and its digital assistant, Siri, is rumored to be getting a big AI boost that will improve conversation, understanding, and personalization. This is likely due to Apple's recently reported partnership with OpenAI to integrate its technology, including ChatGPT, which is expected to be integrated into iOS 18.
This isn't the only Apple operating system that's slated to get AI capabilities, as iPadOS and macOS 15 will also reportedly receive some sort of AI boost. According to MacRumors, these new AI features will be voluntary and users will only have to adopt them if they wish. Additionally, if iPadOS and macOS users want to be able to use AI features, their devices will need to have at least M1 chips. This could mean that macOS 15 will be the first exclusive version of Apple silicon Macs, which would certainly disappoint people who are still using older Intel-based Macs.
OpenAI tools and technology are rumored to be used to power new and existing features of Apple products, but there is also talk of Apple's ChatGPT-like chatbot created in partnership with OpenAI. We look forward to finding out exactly what this will look like at WWDC.
Apple is reportedly preparing several AI-powered cross-platform features, as reported by MacRumors, including:
- AI-generated Apple Music playlists
- AI-assisted writing in Pages
- Creating AI-assisted slideshows in Keynote
- AI code writing features in Xcode
We expect to see Apple's first big move into consumer AI products in general, and it will take up about half of the WWDC keynote, so there will be a lot to look forward to.
macOS 15 release date
Based on previous macOS releases, we think it's a pretty safe bet that Apple will announce macOS 15 at WWDC 2024, including its release date, and make a developer beta available very soon after the reveal (possibly the same day ). You'll have to pay a fee to try it out, or you can wait until later in the year, possibly July, to try a public beta for free. Then later in 2024, either in September or early October, we expect the full public release of macOS 15, again based on what Apple has done with previous versions of macOS.
If you're a particularly enthusiastic or early adopter, or a Mac app developer, a beta might be especially interesting for you. However, you should be aware that beta versions of software are generally more prone to bugs and instability, possible rollbacks of changes and features by Apple, and hardware risks. We recommend only installing a beta version if you are using a spare Mac device or if you are comfortable troubleshooting your device.
For everyone else, we recommend that you wait for the public stable release. Also, be sure to check back here as we will update you the moment we know more about the macOS 15 release date.
macOS 15 name
We hope to discover the official name of macOS at WWDC 2024, and the trend of macOS names since 2013 has been names of iconic California places. Many of these have already been trademarked by Apple over the last decade, although not all have been used yet. Trademark possibilities include: Redwood, Grizzly, Sequoia, Mammoth, Pacific, Rincon, Farallon, Miramar, Condor, Diablo and Shasta.
Alternatively, Apple could opt for a non-trademarked name, as it has done before.
Previous versions of macOS named after California landmarks include: Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, and Sonoma.
macOS 15 availability
If the reports are correct, you'll need to make sure your Mac has an Apple M1 or newer silicon chip to take advantage of Apple's new AI features.
However, it is possible that some older Macs will be able to run macOS 15, probably without the AI features, and we hope Apple will clarify this point at WWDC. The Mac models capable of running what is currently the latest version of macOS, Sonoma, are:
- iMac 2019 or later
- iMac Pro 2017
- Mac Pro 2019 or later
- Mac Studio 2022 or later
- MacBook Air 2018 or later
- Mac mini 2018 or later
- MacBook Pro 2018 or later
macOS 15 Features
Apple hasn't always been the “first” to introduce a product or feature, but it is known for methodically working on products while competitors rush to be the first across the line. Then, when Apple finally releases its version, it often achieves widespread success.
These are some of the features we expect and would like to see:
- A renewal of the system configuration: This is one of the most anticipated developments for macOS 15 and will hopefully offer a redesign of the operating system's menus and applications. Many users are hoping to see a refreshed design that can bring a sense of newness while preserving what makes macOS intuitive.
- A smarter Siri for Mac devices: Once the smarter and updated Siri comes to iOS devices, we could also see a new version of the desktop digital assistant. It may not have all the features and capabilities of the mobile version, but there is still room for improvement that users would like to see.
- Enhanced gaming capabilities for Mac: If Apple wanted to make its devices more suitable for gaming and use its newer M3 and M4 chips, it could introduce advancements that would make it more lucrative for game developers to create versions of games for macOS.
