Will there be new Macs at WWDC 2026?

Source Domain: appleinsider.com

Despite WWDC being a software conference, there are sometimes Mac releases, and there are always predictions that there will be, but it’s very unlikely this time.

Whether it’s fuelled by wishful thinking or click bait, WWDC coverage invariably includes commentary on new Mac releases. And it invariably goes that before the event, it is rumored or certain or sometimes apparently confirmed, that there will be new Mac hardware.

Then almost always, there isn’t. And then immediately after the event, the coverage is about how there was never going to be any new Mac hardware, that’s coming in the next event.

At risk of being another piece of commentary on this same issue, here’s why 2026 will almost certainly not include any new Mac hardware.

It’s a software conference.

Plus there is history here, specifically this history. From 2015 to 2025, there were seven without Mac hardware, and four with.

The four WWDC events with new Macs were:

2017: MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, iMac Pro
2019: Mac Pro, Pro Display XDR
2022: M2 MacBook Air, M2 13-inch MacBook Pro
2023: 15-inch MacBook Air, M2 Max and M2 Ultra Mac Studio, M2 Ultra Mac Pro

You can make a case that 2020 featured the Apple Silicon developer kit, but there wasn’t anything for the public. Apple announced it then partly because Apple Silicon made a significant difference for app developers, but also because WWDC is a spotlight.

If Apple wants to promote something, it either puts it in WWDC or maybe holds it for the iPhone launch. In both cases, Apple is getting the maximum coverage and attention then than it does all year.

This is why the Apple Watch was launched alongside the iPhone, although originally the Apple Watch was particularly dependent on the phone. Apple is very good at choosing its moments to launch devices, and it’s really hot on how not to dilute attention by releasing too much at once.

So back in 2017, Apple wanted to show pro users that it hadn’t abandoned them, as had…

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