APIs! APIs! APIs!

Apple’s WWDC 2022 keynote was notable for only one reason: it featured multiple references to new APIs (application programming interfaces) for developers. That may not sound very surprising—WWDC is, after all, a developer show—but it was unique in the recent history of the conference as Apple has historically used the keynote to market new products and services to consumers, not developers.

“We love collaborating with our developer community and providing them with new innovative technologies that enable them to build the next great generation of apps,” Apple vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations and Enterprise and Education Marketing Susan Prescott said. “With powerful new APIs for widgets on the Lock Screen, new services like WeatherKit, the availability of Xcode Cloud to help every Apple developer build apps faster, and new gaming capabilities with Metal 3, developers have more tools than ever to create app experiences that their users will love.”

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All that was missing was a high-level Apple executive sweating through their shirt as they ran around on a stage shouting, “APIs! APIs! APIs!” Not that the thin and fit folks that usually appear in Apple’s carefully staged appearances would ever be seen sweating, of course. Or betray an actual emotion. (I really do miss Steve Ballmer.)

New developer features announced at WWDC 2022 include:

Xcode Cloud. Described as the “continuous integration and delivery cloud service designed specifically for Apple developers, Xcode Cloud lets developers and teams build, test, and deliver apps more efficiently by automatically building them in the cloud. This new service is now available via several different plans. You can learn more here.

Xcode 14 improvements. Apple is not upgrading Xcode to a new major version, but it is improving Xcode 14 by adding performance improvements, downloadable simulator runtimes for watchOS and tvOS, SwiftUI multiplatform support across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS, and more.

Swift and SwiftUI. Swift is picking up new string processing capabilities with new regular expression literal support and a new Package Plugins interface in Swift Package Manager so that developers can run custom commands on their projects. And the SwiftUI user interface framework is getting an enhanced navigation API, Custom Layouts, and Swift Charts for improved in-app visualization.

Games. The new MetalFX Upscaling capability in Metal 3 lets game developers upscale complex scenes to create great-looking and fast-moving games on Apple Silicon. There is also a new Fast Resource Loading API that minimizes wait time by providing a more direct path from storage to the GPU, further improving the performance of games.

WeatherKit. Based on its Dark Sky acquisition, WeatherKit will provide APIs for Apple’s platforms, of course, but those targeting web or other platforms like Windows and Android will be able to use REST APIs as well, a random cross-platform capability that, frankly, few were probably expecting. Those with an Apple Developer Program membership will get 500,000 API calls per month, but you will also be able to purchase additional tiers of service starting this fall.

Even more APIs. In addition to the APIs that Prescott mentions in the quote above—for widgets on the lock screen and WeatherKit, Apple also announced APIs for Live Text, Collaboration tools in Messages, Passkeys, MapKit, Focus filters, Automatic Shortcuts, watchOS 9, RoomPlan, and Live Activities.

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Conversation 23 comments

  • nbplopes

    07 June, 2022 - 9:57 am

    <p>No Thurrot. That is a common affair … What is notable is that in macOS Ventura in order to install apps outside the App Store users need to enable a so called Developer Mode. Meaning the regular mode is now an App Store mode.</p><p><br></p><p>Want to install Edge? Only if developer mode is enabled.</p><p><br></p><p>This is a security threat. </p>

    • nbplopes

      07 June, 2022 - 10:40 am

      <p>This was of course shoved under the rug … for many reasons we know. Apple have been facing several regulatory issues … it seams it wants to bring those to macOS too.</p>

      • rosyna

        07 June, 2022 - 2:24 pm

        <p>Maybe it was shoved under the rug because it didn’t happen? Developer Mode only applies to watchOS and iOS, not macOS.</p>

        • nbplopes

          07 June, 2022 - 7:21 pm

          <p>I’m busy eating my shoe at the moment. Hehehehe.</p><p><br></p><p>Thank you for the correction. I was misinformed.</p>

          • wright_is

            Premium Member
            08 June, 2022 - 3:08 am

            <p>Great that you took the time to come back and admit you got it wrong. Not enough of us admit it when we are wrong.</p><p><br></p><p>Thank you.</p>

      • Dan

        07 June, 2022 - 6:17 pm

        <p>Smoking the ganja when you watched ? Or just dumb to facts?</p>

    • ianbetteridge

      07 June, 2022 - 12:03 pm

      <p>Source? Because I think you’re confusing two things. </p><p><br></p><p>For quite a few releases, you have had to downgrade the security on your Mac in order to install *unsigned* apps. You can download apps from anywhere which are signed by developers, unless you opt not to do so. In iOS/iPadOS/WatchOS 16, as a *developer* you have to enable a developer mode on the device in order to install your own apps without going through the store.</p>

    • Stabitha.Christie

      07 June, 2022 - 1:46 pm

      <p>Developer Mode is new it iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and watchOS 9. It allows developers to install Apps using Apple Configurator. Nothing to do with MacOS. </p><p><br></p><p>Here is the Apple article that talks about using it. </p><p><br></p><p>https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/enabling-developer-mode-on-a-device</p&gt;

      • nbplopes

        07 June, 2022 - 7:23 pm

        <p>Thank you for the correction.</p>

    • Dan

      07 June, 2022 - 2:21 pm

      <p>So wrong</p>

      • nbplopes

        07 June, 2022 - 7:22 pm

        <p>I’m extremely glad I was wrong.</p>

    • markbyrn

      Premium Member
      07 June, 2022 - 4:09 pm

      <p>Au contraire and developer mode is an iOS feature. However Ventura does have a new developer tools setting that allows you to run software locally that does not the system security policy. This is actually an improvement to allow one to more easily run unsigned applications should they so choose. However, Microsoft applications like Edge are signed and can readily be installed on Ventura as they can on Monterey. </p>

      • nbplopes

        07 June, 2022 - 7:24 pm

        <p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">So good.</span></p>

  • Stabitha.Christie

    07 June, 2022 - 10:28 am

    <p>This is perplexing article if for no other reason than most of the stuff on this list wasn’t in the keynote. Xcode cloud was announced in the 2021 keynote, you know the keynote that didn’t have anything for developers in it. </p>

    • shameer_mulji

      Premium Member
      07 June, 2022 - 10:39 am

      <p>Other than the gaming &amp; weather, you’re right that Apple didn’t mention the other stuff during the main keynote event at 10:00am but they did talk about it in the developer-focused State of the Union keynote that came after it. Apple’s posted both keynotes on their website so you can watch them if you want to.</p>

      • Stabitha.Christie

        07 June, 2022 - 11:06 am

        <p>Right, but that is no different than every other year.</p><p><br></p><p>I think what Paul is latching onto isn’t that Apple is announcing APIs in the Keynote but that Apple normally introduces new things like the updated lock screen but keeps it to themselves for a year or two and then opens up APIs to developers. This year a lot of the new features in the Keynote were opened to developers right out of the gate. </p>

    • ianbetteridge

      07 June, 2022 - 12:05 pm

      <p>Apple has two keynotes at WWDC: the main one, which is largely intended for consumers and media to find out more about the new releases; and the “State of the Platforms” keynote later the same day which is very developer focused. It’s well worth watching the second if you want to get into the details of new APIs etc. </p>

      • Stabitha.Christie

        07 June, 2022 - 12:34 pm

        <p>I understand that. Here is the first sentence of the article:</p><p><br></p><p>"<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Apple’s WWDC 2022 keynote was notable for only one reason: it featured multiple references to new APIs (application programming interfaces) for developers."</span></p><p><br></p><p>It would appear that Paul is talking about the kickoff Keynote not the State of the Union. </p>

  • bryantmdoyle

    07 June, 2022 - 5:30 pm

    <p>You are missing the bigger picture. Apple is selling the user a system. A system that provides an experience that users like and have become accustomed to. Central to that experience are the APIs that developers use for building software for the Apple system. The APIs are the secret sauce that allow developers to build these new and exciting user experiences. As a developer building on top of the Apple system is far more interesting than any other system out there. This coming from a developer who has been a Microsoft stack developer before we had Visual Studio. Developing for Microsoft has become just building standard web apps. Not that interesting or inspiring.</p>

    • davepete

      08 June, 2022 - 2:01 pm

      <p>You’re right. A Windows app developer story does not exist. I wish Microsoft had come up with a consistent app development plan and stuck with it, but instead we got something new every year that was quickly abandoned (same as Google and its messaging apps). I don’t see how Microsoft intends Windows to move to ARM if they are no app developers left to recompile them. I suppose apps will just be web apps running on Chrome-based browsers, but at that point, what’s the point of Windows?</p>

  • arjay

    07 June, 2022 - 5:36 pm

    <p><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;(I really do miss Steve Ballmer.)</em></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">A sentence I never thought I would read.</span></p>

    • Dan

      07 June, 2022 - 6:19 pm

      <p>If you have NBA league pass, you can still see him dancing during Clipper games Paul!</p>

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