Why you shouldn’t expect any new products at next week’s Apple event

Apple’s annual WWDC keynote is just around the corner. The event is best known as the place where Apple unveils what’s next for its software and operating systems. After all, WWDC is a developer conference. Even so, every year there’s hope that we’ll see new hardware unveiled at the event, and Apple has delivered from time to time.

This year, however, the story is different. Although there has been no official confirmation from Apple, there’s strong evidence that the company won’t introduce any new products until this fall. The reason? A combination of a shifting roadmap, delayed features, and RAM shortages.

At first glance, that may sound disappointing. But once you look at Apple’s current product lineup, the timing of recent releases, and the company’s roadmap for the rest of the year, the strategy actually makes perfect sense.

History of recent hardware at WWDC

WWDC is essentially a software event. Every year, Apple announces a new version of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and, more recently, visionOS, and releases new tools, APIs, and betas to developers.

Occasionally, the event also serves as an opportunity to introduce new hardware. That’s because new products usually come with new software or features that require some attention from developers. And WWDC has been the stage for major announcements in the past.

In 2023, Apple unveiled the Vision Pro at WWDC. The product didn’t hit stores until the following February, but developers were able to get their hands on the visionOS operating system well in advance. The HomePod was also first unveiled at WWDC 2021, more than six months ahead of its release.

WWDC has also been a place for Apple to unveil new Macs. Most notably, products such as the first 15-inch MacBook Air, the transition from Intel to Apple Silicon Macs, and the redesigned cylindrical Mac Pro were unveiled at the event. And Apple unveiled the M2 Ultra processor and the first Apple silicon Mac Pro at the event in 2023 as well.

So, even though it’s a software event, Apple has no qualms about using it to showcase some of its new products to the world.

Apple has already released a lot this year

One of the biggest reasons Apple likely won’t announce hardware at WWDC is simple: it has already updated most of its important devices over the last few months.

The year kicked off with the AirTag 2, followed by the updated iPhone 17e featuring the A19 chip and MagSafe. The company then updated the iPad Air with the M4 chip, and the M5 MacBook Air and M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro. 

The Studio Display got a much-awaited upgrade with mini-LED and 120Hz, and the long-rumored MacBook Neo finally saw the light of day. Even the AirPods Max got a March update with an H2 chip to enhance ANC and other smart features.

That already leaves little room for major announcements at this year’s WWDC. As always, Apple isn’t expected to announce new iPhones or iPads until this fall, and the remaining Macs could be due for a longer-than-usual wait.

Component shortages are the biggest issue

Pro users have also been waiting for new Mac desktops, especially now that the Mac Pro has been officially discontinued. Both the Mac mini and Mac Studio haven’t been updated in a while and don’t feature Apple’s latest chips. 

However, given the global shortage of RAM, Apple may be forced to wait a little longer before releasing any new Macs. Because of the RAM shortage, Apple has already had to discontinue several configuration options for both of these Macs, including the entry-level Mac mini model with 256GB of storage. And the models that are remaining have extremely long delivery windows.

IDG

Given that the RAM shortage isn’t expected to ease anytime soon, it’s unlikely we’ll see new Macs at this year’s WWDC.

As for iPads, the iPad Air was recently updated, while the iPad Pro was refreshed with the M5 chip less than a year ago. The entry-level iPad and the iPad mini have yet to be updated, but we expect this to happen this fall alongside the new iPhones rather than at WWDC.

In line with our expectations, Apple CFO Kevan Parekh hinted during a conference call with investors earlier this month that there wouldn’t be an iPad product announcement this quarter, reporting that it would be a “difficult comparison” for the iPad segment with the same quarter last year. Notably, Apple introduced the M3 iPad Air and A16 iPad during this quarter in 2025.

Of course, Apple has reportedly been working on other new products that could theoretically be announced at WWDC 2026. But evidence suggests that these products aren’t yet ready for shipment for various reasons.

One of them has been dubbed HomePad, rumored to be a smart speaker that combines a HomePod with a screen the size of an iPad mini. According to analysts, the hardware has been ready for quite some time, but Apple has been holding off on the launch because the product relies heavily on the new version of Siri with Apple Intelligence, which has yet to be released to the public.

It’s possible that Apple uses WWDC to preview the device ahead of shipment later this year, as it has in the past, but all signs point to a software-only show this year.

Apple

AI is now the priority

More than just a software event, this year’s WWDC is expected to be something of a reboot for Apple Intelligence. Apple’s AI features were first announced in 2024, but the company has yet to deliver on its biggest promise: an AI-powered, revamped Siri.

According to the latest rumors, Apple is indeed focusing all its efforts on delivering a bunch of new Apple Intelligence features, with the software set to be announced at WWDC 2026.

And that’s a great thing. Much of the hardware Apple has been working on will rely heavily on AI. Not just the HomePad, but also things like the rumored smart glasses, smart home accessories, and AirPods with cameras. For these products to become a reality, Apple needs to improve Apple Intelligence first.

So while you might not be able to buy anything now, WWDC 2026 may end up being remembered not as the year Apple introduced a major new platform, but as the year it quietly prepared its ecosystem for what comes next.