COVID-19: Apple confirms WWDC20 will be its first virtual event

With many high-profile events in 2020 already cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic companies are taking things online. Aside from CES in January and Samsung's Unpacked in February, major announcements were all done over the internet. Unlike before, wherein journalists were on hand for testing brand new technology and hardware, manufacturers are now shipping demo units to them instead. With lockdowns still in place, Apple finally confirms that the upcoming WWDC will be done virtually this time around.

If not for the coronavirus outbreak, June would have been another great month for the tech industry. The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) was a highly anticipated show that would have hosted Microsoft and Nintendo's biggest reveals after Sony pulled out from the lineup for the second year in a row. The next belongs to Apple which traditionally previews its most exciting updates to kick off the summer months.

An Apple press release states that the developer conference is slated for Monday, June 22. This marks the first time Apple is hosting a presentation without a live audience in attendance. This is understandable as public health officials have set guidelines in place to slow down the transmission of the coronavirus. Most businesses are now operating remotely as workers stay home and hold virtual meetings through various videoconferencing platforms.

The Cupertino, California-based tech outfit is yet to share more details to set expectations properly but noted that it will keep people posted next month. Apple marketing head Phil Schiller stated that "WWDC20 will be our biggest yet, bringing together our global developer community of more than 23 million in an unprecedented way for a week in June to learn about the future of Apple platforms."

Tech pundits are reportedly eager to learn more about what Apple has to unveil given that an unreleased copy of iOS 14 has already leaked several products and features ahead of time. So far, it was accurate enough to reveal information about the new 2020 iPad Pro, MacBook Air, and iPhone SE. There were many other products listed in the code and these will be likely introduced during the virtual event.