The Long-Lost Emotion Called "Excitement" on the Eve of WWDC 2020
It’s the night before WWDC, and tomorrow Apple nerds the world-over will tune in to the keynote address and see what changes are in store for our iPhones, Macs, and other fruit company devices and services in the year ahead. WWDC 2020 also serves as an unfortunate first for both Apple and its community: a fully-virtual conference amidst the threat of a deadly pandemic, combined with the cultural backdrop of righteous anger in the face of continued racial injustice.
It’s a strange year for WWDC in so many ways, but I have a feeling it might become one of the most impactful (both technologically and emotionally) in the company’s history. I’ve felt unusual as details surrounding the event have been released and as the traditional rumor mills began spinning up; hinting at iMac redesigns, major changes in iOS 14, and the mammoth undertaking of the ARM processor transition on the Mac. I’ve come to realize that my “unusual feeling” is just an emotion that has become a rarity recent months: excitement. I’m excited for WWDC. I’m excited for all the changes slated to be announced for my favorite devices. I’m excited for the meta-conversations with friends and on podcasts about these changes and the way they were announced. And yes, I’m excited for the possibility of shiny new hardware to ogle and then probably not actually buy.
Excitement for the week of WWDC is not new to me — it’s the unusually-joyless six months preceding the conference that have made my excitement feel almost shameful, somewhat stolen. It feels very wrong to become engrossed in subtle home screen changes on my $1,000 iPhone, as so much bad news continues to surround me. But in many ways, not relishing in the joys of life can stifle our ability to endure (and eliminate) the hardships. That’s the way I’m choosing to interpret WWDC week this year: as another bulwark against madness in these especially maddening times.
And I don’t think these feelings are even remotely exclusive to me — in fact, I think Apple has considered not only how they can use one of their biggest stages to address both the coronavirus and racial injustice, but what stops they can pull to spark some extra joy in spite the difficult circumstance. It’s these same circumstances that have many people speculating about to what degree Apple will scale back WWDC due to manufacturing deadlines slipping or simply the consequences of a fully-remote developer workforce for most of the last six months. Others still believe Apple has the strength (and certainly the resources) to execute an event that matches its typical high standards even with the barriers posed by prudent coronavirus restrictions. But I think Apple has an opportunity to blow everyone’s expectations out of the water in a time where being excited about something again is so desperately craved. There are even signs from within Apple that this year’s WWDC is one for the history books. After all, Apple loves to put on a show — and we all desperately need something compelling to watch.