Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman made an appearance on The MacRumors Show podcast, and among other things, he discussed Apple’s upcoming iOS 17 and macOS 14 updates.
Gurman says iOS 17 will be much like iOS 15, as it will focus on updates and improvements to core apps, rather than boasting any major changes or standout features, such as iOS 14’s widgets or iOS 16’s Lock Screen redesign. He expects iOS 17 will feature changes and improvements to the Wallet app and Find My.
Guran says the improvements to Find My will be a part of a bigger push for location- and Find My-related features. He says he’ll have more to share about iOS 17 in the near future.
As for the much-expected sideloading apps feature said to be a part of iOS 17, Gurman says that he expects that feature to be a Europe-only feature to allow compliance with the EU Digital Markets Act. He says developers may have to pay an additional fee to make their apps available through a third-party store or service, and that these “features” likely won’t be mentioned during the WWDC 2023 keynote address. Instead, Apple is likely to implement the changes in a quiet manner.
Gurman also said he expects that macOS 14 will not be a “groundbreaking or significant” update. Instead, he believes Apple will focus on including support for features in its other operating systems to offer a consistent cross-platform experience.
While Gurman has previously said that Apple’s watchOS 10 will be the most significant update to the Apple Watch operating system since the wearable’s debut, he said he would not compare the update to the jump that was made from iOS 6 to iOS 7 back in 2013. Gurman says the core design of the watchOS platform won’t change, but that Apple will offer new ways to interact with the operating system. He doesn’t expect to see app folders, despite claims by others.
Apple will unveil iOS 17, macOS 14, and watchOS 10 at the EEDC 2023 keynote address on June 5.