Apple WWDC 2014 Keynote: What to expect

Live blog: Apple’s WWDC 2014 keynote

TORONTO – Apple CEO Tim Cook and other executives will take to the stage Monday to give users a first look at Apple’s next wave of software and features at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

The company is expected to unveil the latest rendition of its mobile operating system iOS 8, as well as a number of other software updates that will have Apple fans chomping at the bit for their next software update.

WWDC is an event for developers, but Apple will be streaming the keynote speech for the public.

You can watch the keynote event on Apple’s website starting live at 1p.m. ET.

Though the software updates unveiled Monday won’t actually be available to the public for a few months, WWDC is Apple’s first major press event since it launched the iPad Air last fall. So what can you expect to see announced?

iOS 8

The biggest buzz surrounding Monday’s event is the update to Apple’s recently redesigned mobile operating system.

The iOS 8 announcement has already been confirmed thanks to photos taken at the WWDC venue in San Francisco.

Though iOS 8 won’t be as big as an update as last year’s move to iOS 7, which completely overhauled the OS, the update is expected to include a slew of new apps and features. iOS 8 is also expected to include improvements to Apple Maps, which became infamous for its unreliable directions after it was released in 2012, and improvements to its voice assistant Siri.

Healthbook App

Apple is rumoured to be jumping on the fitness-tracking bandwagon with the introduction of the Healthbook App, which would be included on iOS 8.

According to a report from 9to5Mac, the app will allow users to track steps taken, heart rate, hydration, nutrition levels, blood-sugar levels and more. Many reports have suggested that the app would go hand in hand with the rumored Apple iWatch.

OSX 10.10

Apple is also expected to unveil an update to it’s desktop operating system that could include a design overhaul. Some have speculated that the new OS could be called “Yosemite” or “El Cap,” thanks to images of the banners inside the WWDC venue.

Will we see an iWatch?

Unlikely. Though there has been much speculation that Apple will finally unveil it’s long-rumoured iWatch this year, it’s unlikely that WWDC will be the venue for it. In the past, WWDC has not been a big event for Apple to announce new hardware – however, the new Mac Pro and the Macbook Pro with Retina Display were announced in past years.