WWDC 2026 starts next week, where we will all get a first look at iOS 27, MacOS 27, iPadOS 27, and whatever else Apple is cooking up on the software side of things for us. To get into the spirit, Apple has provided a nifty WWDC 2026 wallpaper under a tagline that says “Glow All ... Read More

WWDC is set to start on Monday, June 8, and ahead of the keynote event, Apple has announced the winners of its annual Apple Design Awards. The Apple Design Awards recognize apps and games for their innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement.


Apple chose one app and one game for each of the six award categories.

• Delight and Fun - Grug (App) and Is This Seat Taken? (Game)


• Innovation - NBA: Live Games and Scores (App) and Blue Prince (Game)


• Interaction - Moonlitt: Moon Phase Tracker (App) and Sago Mini Jinja's Garden (Game)


• Inclusivity - Guitar Wiz (App) and Pine Hearts (Game)


• Social Impact - Primary: News in Depth (App) and Consume Me (Game)


• Visuals and Graphics - Tide Guide: Charts and Tables (App) and Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition (Game)

More details on the winning apps and games and the developers behind them can be found on Apple's website. Apple also has a selection of apps and games that were selected as finalists before the winners were chosen.

WWDC will begin on Monday, June 8 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
This article, "Apple Announces This Year's App Design Award Winners Ahead of WWDC 2026" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Every year heading into WWDC, one thought on many Mac fans' minds is what Apple will choose as the name for the next version of macOS. The tradition dates all the way back to the beginning of Mac OS X with big cat names like Leopard, and Apple eventually shifted to California-themed names with the unveiling of OS X Mavericks.


Apple has yet to announce the name for macOS 27, but macOS Emerald and macOS Big Bear have emerged as two speculative possibilities.

While it will have a new Siri app and other Apple Intelligence enhancements, macOS 27 will reportedly be focused on bug fixes and stability improvements. In other words, it will be a refined version of macOS Tahoe. For this reason, macOS Emerald could be a fitting name for macOS 27, given that Emerald Bay is part of Lake Tahoe. This would be similar to how macOS High Sierra was a refined version of macOS Sierra.

macOS Big Bear is another speculated name, as MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered that the filename for Apple's WWDC 2026 hashtag graphic on X mentions "Project Big Bear." macOS Big Bear would refer to Big Bear Lake in California. However, the filename could obviously end up being unrelated to macOS 27 naming.

Back in 2014, we discovered more than 20 California-themed trademark applications filed by various limited-liability companies, which were all but certain to be shell companies created by Apple to hide its identity. Over time, some of the trademarks like Yosemite, Sierra, Mojave, Monterey, Mojave, Ventura, Sonoma, and Sequoia were indeed used as macOS names, while trademark applications for other names were abandoned.

Apple has still proceeded to use some of the names with abandoned trademark filings as macOS names, such as Big Sur in 2020. So, there is still a possibility that macOS 27 will use one of the names that Apple had filed to protect many years ago.

Here is a list of the remaining words that Apple had filed:

• California


• Condor


• Diablo


• Farallon


• Grizzly


• Mammoth


• Miramar


• Pacific


• Redtail


• Redwood


• Rincon


• Shasta


• Skyline


• Tiburon

Of course, there is no guarantee that Apple will ever use any of these names. It is simply fun to think about the possibilities each year.

Apple will unveil macOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on Monday, June 8.
This article, "macOS Emerald to macOS Big Bear: What Will Apple Name macOS 27?" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Developers that have been invited to watch the WWDC 2026 keynote at Apple Park are also able to attend a special screening of The Mandalorian and Grogu.


The screening will take place at 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday, June 9 at the Steve Jobs Theater. Apple says that a "special guest" will be in attendance, with the doors set to open at 7:00 p.m. There is no word on the special guest, but the movie stars Pedro Pascal as the Mandalorian and Jon Favreau directed. Favreau reportedly used the Apple Vision Pro headset to preview the IMAX version of the film while working on it, which explains why Apple is planning to screen the movie.


Apple says that theater capacity is limited, and developers can RSVP to attend on Thursday, June 4 on a first-come, first-served basis on the event site.

Developers were able to enter a lottery to attend an in-person WWDC event in Cupertino, California. Apple picked lottery winners earlier this year. Attendees will also be able to watch the keynote and Platforms State of the Union, plus meet with Apple experts one-on-one and in group labs.

The Mandalorian and Grogu came out in the U.S. on May 22, and it is the latest film in Disney's Star Wars franchise.
This article, "Apple Invites WWDC 2026 Attendees to 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' Screening at Apple Park" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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We're just a week out from the 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference, and Apple's keynote will take place on Monday, June 8 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time or 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Ahead of the event, Apple has launched its WWDC 2026 YouTube event placeholder.


Apple's YouTube page has a "Notify me" button that lets you set a reminder for the keynote in your local time. It's a useful way to make sure you're ready to watch when the event happens because you'll get a notification ahead of when the livestream begins.

The ‌WWDC 2026‌ keynote will be streamed on YouTube, on the Apple Events page, and in the Apple TV app. We'll also have coverage on MacRumors.com for those who are unable to watch.

At this year's event, Apple will introduce the latest versions of its software, including iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27. The main focus will be on Siri and the major AI updates coming to Apple's personal assistant.

‌Siri‌ is going to be much smarter, with chatbot-like capabilities and a dedicated ‌Siri‌ app. We have details on what to expect in our iOS 27 roundup.
This article, "One Week to Go: Apple Gets Ready for WWDC 2026 With YouTube Placeholder" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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