This W.W.D.C. will probably be unlike any other. Things are going a bit wild lately, and even ardent A.I. detractors would likely concede that’s undeniably true now. The way we work compared to a year ago is drastically different. And, even six months ago? Might as well be a lifetime.
Cupertino & Friends™️ would do well to adapt to a rapidly changing landscape. I’m hopeful they will, too, if recent trends are any indication. We received agentic support in Xcode not long ago, something typically reserved #ForTheKeynote.
In the world of 2026, here’s what I’d love to see:
- The usual fare: Video sessions, in-depth deep dives, the works. Let’s not forget that Apple has done a fantastic job at packaging these now. Closed captions, links to demo projects, and other relevant materials are all tidy and available in the developer app. But in today’s world, stopping here would be a missed opportunity.
- Skills: Consider this — each dub dub session which presents a new API comes packaged with a skill. That would be incredible. In fact, Apple has kinda sorta already done this, but it was tucked away deep in the file system. Don’t make me poke around, link a skill with each dub dub session.
- MCP: Depending on who you ask, MCPs are amazing or terrible token wasters on their way out. Regardless, I’d love a direct, official line to Apple’s docs. For now, ex-Apple employee and NSHipter stalwart Mattt has the best solution with sosumi.
- Xcode: And, Xcode should lean into agentic engineering, whatever that looks like. I still use an IDE quite frequently, and that’s certainly true of iOS development. There is not one piece of software I could ship that hasn’t had my fingerprints on it. Little tweaks, the UI and UX, all layers I am unwilling to concede to AI.
In short, I hope Apple helps me do two things: adopt the latest APIs, and do that quickly. All of the above would help.
Code and implementation were always the time sink. They don’t have to be anymore. If using agents puts you in a state of torpor, that’s a shame. Instead, use them to get into a loop of build, review, and refine as quickly as you can so that you can make your apps the absolute best they can be. Let me stand up a working draft, and then let me make it great.
Until next time ✌️