Technologies

How To Watch Apple’s WWDC Keynote

We expect Apple to announce an AR/VR headset, iOS 17, new Macs and more. The developers conference kicks off with a keynote on Monday June 5 at 10 a.m. PT.

Apple’s WWDC is set for Monday. Traditionally, the big developer-focused event has been where the company gives us a first look at new software for iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macs. But occasionally we get some new hardware, too.

This year seems set to be the latter, with plenty of rumors circulating around the tech giant’s mysterious augmented reality headset, a new 15-inch MacBook Air and the long-teased Apple Silicon-powered Mac Pro.

Although there’s still a little bit of time until Tim Cook pops up on stage and makes things official, here’s what we expect at the keynote address on June 5.

Apple’s icon for SwiftUI.

Apple

When is WWDC?

This year’s WWDC runs June 5 to 9. The opening keynote speech is set for 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) on Monday.

As with past years, Apple will be streaming the keynote on its website and Apple’s YouTube page.

What do we expect?

Apple headset

The biggest rumor heading into this year’s WWDC is, of course, the Apple headset. Rumored to be running on a new «XROS,» the device could utilize mixed reality, a combination of virtual reality and augmented reality. There may be eye and hand tracking, high-resolution displays and… a potential $3,000 price tag.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently detailed how Apple plans to incorporate sports, gaming, workouts and iPad apps into the headset to show off what the new platform can do. Whether that’s enough to excite consumers and persuade them to drop three grand or for developers to commit to building apps for it remains to be seen.

MacBook Air 15

The MacBook Air has long been one of Apple’s most popular laptops. Frequently sold with a 13-inch screen, Apple has experimented with different sizes of Airs in the past, including offering an 11-inch model for years. Rumors these days, however, suggest that the company has a larger, 15-inch M2-powered Air raring to go. That once again comes from Bloomberg’s Gurman, who expects the new laptop to be announced at this year’s event. It’s about time.

While rumors point to an imminent announcement, it’s unclear how much Apple might charge for the new Air or how it might fit into the company’s existing MacBook lineup. The 2020 M1-powered 13.3-inch MacBook Air is still sold for $999, while the updated M2-powered 2022 13.6-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,199. A 16-inch MacBook Pro, meanwhile, starts at $2,499. Might the 15-inch Air fit somewhere in the middle?

Apple M-Series Mac Pro

Oh, the Mac Pro. Apple last updated the Mac Pro at WWDC in 2019. Despite some teases that confirmed it’s working on a new one powered by its Apple Silicon chips, the company has largely been quiet about the super powerful computer. Might the «another day» be June 5? It’s possible and Mac Pro fans may want to tune in, but with tempered expectations.

In an April appearance on The MacRumors Show, Gurman, the Apple savant, suggests that it still may arrive this year but not at WWDC.

New software: iOS 17, WatchOS 10 and more

In addition to all the hardware rumors, we can expect Apple to detail the latest updates coming this year to its iOS, iPadOS, WatchOS and TVOS platforms.

Among the bigger iOS changes, Apple might finally add support for installing apps not downloaded from the App Store. The iPhone maker has long resisted opening up its mobile software to allow for sideloading, but new European regulations may have forced its hand.

Read: iOS 17: Everything We Want Apple to Add to the iPhone

Other software changes Apple might unveil include a new mental health app as well as widgets returning to the Apple Watch. Bloomberg has also reported on Apple possibly turning locked iPhones into smart displays with iOS 17.

For more, check out our expectations for WatchOS 10 and iOS 17. Plus, every feature we think Apple should steal from Android 14.

Watch this: Why Apple Needs a 15-inch MacBook Air

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Oct. 31

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 31.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Happy Halloween! Today’s NYT Mini Crossword features the word «BOO!» in a square on the last line of the grid. That’s not just a Halloween greeting, it’s part of the answer that spans both 9-Across and 10-Across, so read the answers to both those with the «boo» in the middle to solve it. And then, the puzzle-makers use that «BOO!» again, to help make the answer to 3-Down. Read on for all the answers, complete with added boos. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Buffalo hockey player
Answer: SABRE

6A clue: «I’ll have the ___» (frequent customer’s order)
Answer: USUAL

7A clue: Contents of a volcano
Answer: MAGMA

8A clue: Adjust to a new environment
Answer: ADAPT

9A clue: With 10-Across, last car on a train
Answer: CA

10A clue: See 9-Across
Answer: SE

(The «Boo!» shown in the grid helps make the word CABOOSE)

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: «Poison» shrub
Answer: SUMAC

2D clue: Carne ___
Answer: ASADA

3D clue: Imaginary cause of fear
Answer: BUGA

(The «Boo!» shown in the grid helps make the word BUGABOO)

4D clue: Accessible alternatives to staircases
Answer: RAMPS

5D clue: Make extremely happy
Answer: ELATE

Technologies

Live-Action ‘Call of Duty’ Movie Reportedly Being Co-Written by Taylor Sheridan

The Yellowstone co-creator will reportedly team up with Peter Berg on the Paramount film.

Yellowstone, Landman and, now, Call of Duty. Taylor Sheridan, co-creator of the aforementioned hit shows, will co-write Paramount and Activision’s upcoming live-action video game adaptation, according to a report from Variety on Thursday.

Peter Berg will also co-write and direct the movie, which was announced last month. Berg previously directed films including 2018’s Mile 22, 2012’s Battleship and 2013’s Lone Survivor, while Sheridan’s movie credits include 2016’s Hell or High Water and 2017’s Wind River. Berg, Sheridan and David Glasser will produce the Call of Duty film.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Call of Duty is a first-person shooter military video game series that debuted in 2003. CNET senior writer David Lumb calls it «arguably the biggest shooter franchise in gaming, with millions of players picking up every year’s new entry to the series.»

Lumb said the franchise is known for its bombastic single-player campaigns, which feature globe-spanning plots that rival those of the Mission Impossible films. «A Call of Duty movie has a lot of material to draw from,» Lumb said.

He also noted that Berg’s direction of Lone Survivor would fit the grim military heroism of Call of Duty, while Taylor Sheridan’s spate of neo-Western films and shows could lend a frontier adventurism to the film.

«Their collective works seemingly harmonize with the jingoistic pro-military tune of Activision’s shooter franchise — which is probably a good thing for Call of Duty fans,» Lumb concluded.

A release announcing Paramount and Activision’s film deal teased that it’ll be «designed to thrill its massive global fan base by delivering on the hallmarks of what fans love about the iconic series, while boldly expanding the franchise to entirely new audiences.» It didn’t include cast or plot information.

The update follows recent news that Sheridan is leaving Paramount for NBCUniversal. Paramount did not immediately respond to a request for comment.