Apple confirmed Tuesday that the 2012 Worldwide Developer's Conference keynote address will occur on June 11 at 10 a.m. PDT. The five-day WWDC is Apple's venue for sharing its latest news and plans with product developers, as well as introducing high-profile new tech products.
The company's tagline for the June 11-15 conference declares, "it's the week we've all been waiting for." WWDC is among the year's most anticipated - and most exclusive - tech events. This year Apple offered five thousand tickets to the conference, with a limit of one ticket per individual and five tickets per organization. Even at $1,599 each, the tickets sold like hot cakes. Tickets for last year's WWDC sold out on the day the conference dates were announced, and the 2012 conference beat that record, selling out in less than two hours.
Those 5,000 attendees will receive exclusive access to the conference's proceedings. An official app, released by Apple on Tuesday to coincide with the keynote announcement, offers a conference schedule, maps of the Moscone West venue, a folder for storing even photos, and news updates - but only to attendees. Anyone can download the app on iTunes, but only WWDC attendees can access most of the content.
The June 11 keynote address is also attendees-only; Apple typically dos not webcast or otherwise share the speech with the general public. Those not attending WWDC will have to settle for media reports. Even conference attendees face some of Apple's famous secrecy; Ars Technica reports that some sessions will be announced only after the keynote address, and developers will be required to sign non-disclosure agreements.
This spring has seen eager speculation about what those sessions - especially the keynote address - might contain. Historically, the keynote address has been a forum for announcing major new Apple products. The iPhone 4 made its debut at the 2010 WWDC keynote, and Apple introduced mobile operating system iOS 5 and cloud storage service iCloud during last year's address. In 2012, keynote anticipation centers on iOS 6 and desktop operating system Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Philip Schiller said in April, "We have a great WWDC planned this year and can't wait to share the latest news about iOS and OS X Mountain Lion with developers."
Apple released a preview of Mountain Lion to developers in February, but the lack of updates since has led to speculation that the new OS X may not make a full debut at WWDC. Instead, Apple may discuss new features, pricing, or release dates.
iOS 6 is expected to run on the new iPhone, but although iOS is a probable topic at WWDC, the iPhone itself is not expected to feature in the keynote address. Much like its predecessor, the iPhone 4S, this year's model is expected to debut this fall. PCMag reported that iPhone sales have been strong enough that Apple may not need the buzz of WWDC to promote its release.
Unconfirmed reports hint that a new line of MacBook Pros, featuring Retina Display screens, might be unveiled at this year's WWDC. Other rumors have focused on photo-sharing upgrades to the iCloud service.
The 2012 Worldwide Developers Conference is the first WWDC since the death of Apple founder Steve Jobs in October of 2011. Jobs gave the 2011 keynote address despite being on "indefinite medical leave" at the time. This year, Apple CEO Tim Cook (previously the company's COO) is widely expected to continue the conference's tradition of keynote addresses by Apple's CEO, although Apple has not confirmed the keynote speaker's identity.
