Apple's WWDC Invite Tells Us That 2018 Edition Will Be All About Augmented Reality

Historically, Apple loves to drop hints about its major upcoming events through clues included on its invitations. Those invites usually require a good bit of deciphering to connect the dots, but in the case of Apple's upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2018 invite, the topic is immediately obvious: it's augmented reality.

In the past, Apple has used subtle dashes of color and iconography to foreshadow the spotlight topic, but in this latest invite, we see an all-white assemblage of 3D iconography that fairly screams AR. Some of the invite's iconography moves, some is static, but as a whole, the invite sends the message that WWDC 2018 will involve virtual objects.

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"When technology connects with creativity, incredible ideas come to life," reads the text accompanying the invite, which offers yet another hint at the AR focus of the upcoming event. "This summer, we invite thousands of talented minds from around the world to join us and turn their ideas into reality."

If the invite's graphic imagery isn't enough of a hint that ARKit, and AR in general, will be the focus, that text is the kicker that completes the picture.

Apple

However, getting an up-close look at what Apple has in store for AR won't be cheap, as tickets are $1,600. And even then, you'll only get a ticket if you win a lottery, which you can sign up for on Apple's WWDC website.

Thankfully, Apple usually webcasts the event's keynote address, which is when we find out about any new surprises the company has in store for us besides iOS 12 in general.

Next Reality will be on the lookout for new AR developments, but if you're interested in attending yourself, the 29th annual WWDC, held at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, CA, will kick off on June 4. Applications for those interested in attending will close on March 22.

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Cover image via Apple