Apple Shifts 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference to Online-Only Event Amid Coronavirus Crisis

Todd Spangler

13 March 2020 at 2:47 pm·2-min read

Apple is the latest company to alter plans in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19), moving its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June to a virtual, online-only event.

The tech giant announced it will commit $1 million to organizations in San Jose, Calif., to offset lost revenue associated with WWDC 2020’s traditional in-person format — although that figure is likely well below the event’s total economic impact to the area. Over 5,000 people have attended the annual event in recent years.

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The 31st annual WWDC will showcase Apple’s latest developments across products and technologies including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS. Apple didn’t set dates for when the developers conference will be held, saying it will share additional details in the next few months. The new internet format will “engage with Apple engineers as they work to build app experiences that enrich the lives of Apple customers around the globe,” and will include giving developers access to new code, the company said.

According to Apple, the company has more than 23 million registered developers in more than 155 countries and regions. The company claims developers have earned over $155 billion since the App Store launched in 2008.

“The current health situation has required that we create a new WWDC 2020 format that delivers a full program with an online keynote and sessions, offering a great learning experience for our entire developer community, all around the world. We will be sharing all of the details in the weeks ahead,” Phil Schiller, Apple’s SVP of worldwide marketing, said in a statement.

Pictured above: Apple CEO Tim Cook at the 2019 WWDC at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose

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