You don’t have to be an iPhone user to be interested in the upcoming WWDC 2024 developer conference kicking off on June 10th. That’s when Apple will preview iOS 18. In addition to the new AI features for the operating system and (fingers crossed) Siri, other changes are making this the biggest update in iOS history. Besides the AI features designed to make everyday life easier for users, some of what we can expect from iOS 18 was laid out today by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter.
Gurman writes that Apple will be overhauling many of its own apps on iOS 18 including Mail, Notes, Photos, and Fitness. And since Apple is reportedly working hard to deliver spectacular operating system updates, iPadOS 18 is expected to include (perhaps you should be sitting down) a native calculator app for the iPad. Now it might not be as weird as BlackBerry not including an email client with its PlayBook tablet all those years ago (especially since BlackBerry was known for its push email capabilities) but iPad users are probably very excited to finally have a calculator app that will be pre-installed on their tablets.
Apple will preview iOS 18 at WWDC 2024 starting June 10th
With iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, users should be able to pin app icons anywhere on the homescreen, even if it means that they are placed outside of the usual grid. Gurman might have iPhone and iPad users salivating but he does temper the enthusiasm a bit by warning iOS and iPadOS users not to expect an overhaul at the same level as the one Apple pulled off with iOS 7. Before releasing that version of iOS, Apple fired software chief Scot Forstall thanks to the Apple Maps fiasco and gave design head Jony Ive the task of redesigning iOS.
Forstall failed to sign the official apology that Apple and Tim Cook released after it became apparent that Apple Maps was a mess. Ive got rid of all of the skeuomorphic designs which used real-life designs for app icons. For example, the YouTube app icon, which resembled a late 1950’s television set, was replaced. Gurman says that you should not expect iOS 18 to include the same amount of design changes as seen in iOS 7.