Last Updated on May 31, 2022 by srinivas
For those dedicated to Apple and the Mac, WWDC is: the event to watch. Even more than its annual fall event, the WWDC keynote is where Apple often makes important announcements that impact developers, users, and the industry. The WWDC keynote showcases the next versions of macOS, and Apple often reveals major Mac hardware developments that go hand-in-hand with the latest software features.
WWDC as we know it started in 1990; in previous years it was a smaller event called DevCon or Apple World. With WWDC 2022 in a few days, we thought we’d cover the most important Mac moments in WWDC keynote history (in chronological order, except for the last one, and you’ll see why). In general, these moments have a theme: change is inevitable.
WWDC 1997: Steve Jobs Returns, OS X Origins
The WWDC 1997 keynote was not the highly produced presentation Apple is known for. This was a question-and-answer session between Jobs and the developer audience, and Jobs is quite candid with his thoughts. At one point, he says, “Apple suffered from lousy technical management for years,” and “Focusing is about saying no.” He spoke about his vision of cloud computing, the “holy war” with Microsoft, and putting customer needs ahead of technological wizardry. Towards the end of the conversation, Jobs even posits a technological implementation that could be interpreted as his vision for the iPhone.
It was an important moment. When Apple bought Next Computer in December 1996 and Steve Jobs returned to Apple, Apple decided to use Next’s technology as the core of the upcoming Mac operating system. It was a decision that caused a lot of tension in the developer community. Much of the work developers put into previous plans for the Mac operating system was basically useless. And as the Mac’s market share dwindled year on year, there were questions about whether the market was viable enough to withstand the technology shift.
This keynote is a fascinating watch, especially with the retrospective we have now. Being vaguely familiar with Jobs and his role at Apple will help you understand why he is so revered.
WWDC 2002: RIP Mac OS 9
With the introduction of OS X, Apple decided to end development of the “classic” Mac OS (the version before OS X). Steve Jobs marked the occasion with a eulogy on Mac OS 9 during the keynote address. I actually find it a bit chilling now, but it was all just a joke and a reminder that Apple is always looking ahead and not wasting time on technologies of the past.
WWDC 2003: The 3GHz Promise
Some of the items on this list are entire keynotes, others are large parts of keynotes. But 2003 is a truly memorable moment in a WWDC keynote. In 2003, Steve Jobs unveiled the Power Mac G5, which used a PowerPC G5 processor, and towards the end he makes it a point to say that this Mac will have a 3GHz CPU within a year. It didn’t, leading us to the next memorable WWDC keynote moment.
WWDC 2005: The Intel Transition Begins
At the time of WWDC 2005, 3GHz was the holy grail of CPU speed, and the Mac’s PowerPC chips couldn’t get there. Apple hit a ceiling, making the move from PowerPC chips to Intel silicon a critical step for the future of the Mac.
Apple understood that this move would be historic in two ways: a successful business decision that could become a standard for the way it’s done, or a choice so poorly executed that it practically kills the Mac. The company had to find a way to bridge the gap between the PowerPC implementation and the new Intel-based Macs. No other platform had done such a big job, and this would be an industry first. Everyone would watch.
In the keynote, Steve Jobs takes the time to explain why the switch was necessary and how it will happen. Paul Otellini, the CEO of Intel, talks about the relationship between Apple and Intel, even poking fun at an Apple commercial that mocks Intel’s famous rabbit man. The keynote helped reassure Mac users and developers that Apple had a plan — and it turned out that the plan worked so well that a similar plan was used 15 years later for the next transition.
WWDC 2020: The Apple Silicon Transition Begins
Apple’s current Mac renaissance began years ago and was formally announced at the WWDC 2022 keynote. The company would replace the Intel chips in the Mac with its own silicon over the next two years. At that point, it was clear that the CISC-based technology used in Intel chips is about to hit a wall in terms of performance unless drastic changes are made. Apple had success with its own A-series processors in the iPhone and iPad, so it made sense to make its ARM-based chips work for the Mac.
It was an announcement that was equally exciting and worrying. It was exciting to think that the Mac, stuck in a rut, might find a new life. But there were real concerns about Apple doing well. Two years later, the Mac is reaching new peaks previously only imagined.
WWDC 2021: Universal Control
WWDC 2020 featured the first pre-recorded keynote with a fully virtual audience, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WWDC 2021 followed, as the pandemic was still in full swing. While the energy of a live event is lacking, it has been replaced by a slew of new features for each operating system, one after the other at breakneck speed.
In the 2021 keynote, after 81 jaw-dropping minutes of announcements for iOS, AirPods, iPadOS, privacy, iCloud, health, watchOS, and home, Apple took a breath to demonstrate Universal Control, a new feature in macOS Monterey that lets you use one Mac. to control an iPad or another Mac. It was such a cool demonstration that people watched it over and over until the feature finally arrived eight months later.
WWDC 2006, 2013, 2019 (and maybe 2022): Mac Pro
The Mac Pro is especially interesting for developers, who need the horsepower to make software. So the company is making it a point to unveil its most powerful Mac at WWDC. Apple unveiled three different Mac Pros at WWDC, and it seems appropriate to collect them all as one “moment”.
However, each disclosure is significant in its own right. 2006 was the first Mac Pro, an Intel-based tower that replaced the Power Mac G5. It had an aluminum “cheese grater” design that became iconic, but was eventually replaced by a less-than-ideal “trash can” design in 2013. Apple finally took ownership of the shortcomings of the 2013 Mac Pro and released a new one in 2019. . Mac Pro with a modern aluminum tower design that harks back to the cheese grater.
The Mac Pro is due for another monumental upgrade, and it’s expected to be unveiled at this year’s WWDC. It’s one of the last Macs to be upgraded to Apple Silicon, and users are raving about the potential of Apple’s premium Mac. It will certainly be a memorial moment for the WWDC keynote.