Apple just sent out invites to one of its biggest events of the year

Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

Apple just sent out invites for WWDC, its annual developers conference.
The company is expected to announce new software for its iPhone, iPads, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Mac products.
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Apple sent out media invites on Wednesday for its Worldwide Developers Conference, which kicks off on June 3 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. The company is expected to announce a slew of new features for its products, including software updates for its iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Mac devices.

Apple announced the dates for its conference in March, but only just sent out invites to media attendees.

This year’s conference may prove to be especially important for Apple as it ramps up its focus on its growing services business. In March, the company unveiled new subscription services across TV, gaming, and news, and there’s a chance we may hear more about these products during the event.

The keynote comes at a critical time for Apple when it comes to winning over developers, as it could encourage game makers to participate in its Apple Arcade gaming service. It also comes after developers behind certain popular screen-time management apps have been at odds with Apple over the company’s decision to remove their apps from the App Store, which The New York Times first reported.

But the draw of Apple’s keynote will likely be its next-generation iPhone and iPad operating system, which is expected to be called iOS 13. The new software will reportedly bring a system-wide dark mode to Apple’s smartphones and tablets as well as updates to apps like Health, Reminders, and Maps, according to Bloomberg. The company may also launch a new keyboard similar to SwiftKey that makes it possible to type words with just a swipe.

The most important change coming to Apple’s Mac computers will be the ability to run iPad apps, Bloomberg also reported, while the Apple Watch’s next software upgrade will bring a version of the App Store that runs directly on the watch so that users can download apps on the go.

Apple sometimes mentions minor hardware upgrades during its developer keynote, but given that it just unveiled new MacBook Pro upgrades on Tuesday and new AirPods in March, the chances of hearing about new Apple gadgets seems slim. Since the company is pushing attention toward its services, particularly the new ones it announced in March, Apple is likely to keep the focus squarely on software.

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