My Wish List for WWDC 2021

Contrary to past years, my wish list this year is quite short. Why is that? It could be that we live in a world of more mature platforms where low-hanging fruits are starting to be scarce. My wish list for WWDC 2201 is somewhat short. Let’s start with what matters most to me first.

iPadOS – iOS

• Redesigned iPad experience. That’s the most anticipated one. If Apple plays their cards well, it could mean that I get the 2021 iPad Pro (the 12.9” version with 1 TB of memory/ 16 GB of RAM) later this summer.
• Real and serious external monitor support. When I get rid of my 2017 Intel iMac, I’ll have enough room to use my Mac mini and an iPad Pro with an external monitor on my desk. Bring it, Apple!
• Bring back the loupe for text selection! Not really iPad-specific but mandatory nonetheless.
• A more robust files apps. Files.app is too basic to allow more complex file management. Adding a progress bar for large file operations would help quite a lot. Bring it closer to what the Finder is, on macOS.
• Better support for background tasks. I want to be able to launch an import operation in Adobe Lightroom without worrying to open another application in the foreground. Is it too much to (t)ask?
• Tweaked multitasking experience with better keyboard focus.
• Speaking of multitasking, allow entering in side-by-side view by “bringing together” two apps in the application switcher.
• Can we get a definitive fix for auto-correction for people who write in more than one language all the time?
• On the iPhone, allow home page reordering from the show – hide home pages view.
• Support for remote access to help other people with their devices.

watchOS

• A watch face store! I’ve been asking for this one since like watchOS 4. It seems everything is in place. Apple could make some money there, too!! Imagine that, Mr. Cook!
• Improve watch face time readability.
• What if Apple tried to create their own iconic watch face with ultimate design, unique typeface, clarity, something to remember and that would become iconic to the Apple Watch.

macOS

• Notifications center redesign (again).
• Fixes for disappearing Widgets.
• Bring back the Dashboard so we can put widgets there!
• Tweak for windows chrome, bring back some contrast to the UI.
• Bluetooth stack rewrite to fix the threaded Connection Lost – Connected nightmare with Bluetooth devices on Macs.
• Make ScreenTime actually work.

Services

• Family Photos Albums / Shared iCloud Photo Library.
• More than 5 GB of free storage for iCloud, maybe? I’m paying for 2 TB but for others who have to pay if they cross the free limit, it would close the door to alternative and less secure options.

tvOS

• Now Playing widget in the home screen. This would help have a better view of what is playing while playing music.

So, there you have it. It’s very basic stuff. Some of the things are obvious, other features a bit less or very specific. My hope is that after this keynote, we won’t see the iPad as we know it today.

We’re just a few hours before the WWDC 21 keynote, I wish you a good one to all. Oh, and [this blog post] by Becky Hansmeyer is a must read, here’s her last paragraph:

It’s not about giving in to every little demand being lobbed at them. It’s about collecting information, determining what the right thing to do is, and doing it the Apple Way. When Apple does that and does it right, the results are fantastic.