68 Macworld • April 2020FEATURE
But here’s the truth: for most people, it won’t be
any different. Most people in the Apple community
don’t ever go to WWDC. Sure, they’ll miss
experiencing it vicariously, but assuming Apple still
announces new versions of its operating systems
and maybe some exciting new hardware and all
the media still covers it with all their energy, we’ll
muddle through.
Finally, I have to wonder: there’ve been rumours
that Apple will hold a media event in late March to
announce a bunch of new products. To me, the big
question is if Apple still wants to host a large group
of media on the Apple Park at all, while this virus is
spreading. Assuming the new products can even
be made in time given the disruptions to the supply
chain in China, would it be possible that Apple
might pull the plug on any media event and just
quietly brief some journalists in private and make an
announcement via press release, as they did when
the 16in MacBook Pro was announced last autumn?
The fact is, Apple can get a spotlight whenever
it wants it. It can announce via a live stream from
deep inside Apple Park without any members of
the press there. It can brief select journalists.
Apple announcements will still be breaking news,
even if it needs to adjust the way it makes its
announcements. If WWDC’s in-person event is
cancelled, I will be sad not to see my friends in San
Jose. But it’s not too great a price to pay to help
slow the spread of this virus and spare the stress
on our medical infrastructure. And Apple will still
be able to get its message out, regardless.