Apple’s Most Important WWDC for Years — And I’ll Be There

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It’s not often I receive emails that give me goosebumps. An overriding desire to hit the ‘spam’ button, yes, but that feeling down the back of your neck that makes you shudder with excitement?

I can’t remember the last time that happened simply because I opened an email.

That was, until last week, when I received my first-ever official invite to WWDC in Cupertino. At Apple Park. In actual California.

This is a big deal. I’ve attended hundreds of press events, briefings, and tech launches, and I’ve viewed my attendance at every single one of them as being both a privilege and the result of a shedload of relentless hard work.

Receiving an invite to Apple Park is no different in that respect. But it does mean quite a bit more for yours truly. And, more importantly, it means a lot for my audience, too.

Let me explain.

From a G3 in a Locked Classroom to Apple Park

I remember it like it was yesterday. The main building for Duston Upper School was a large cut-out square. In the middle sat the library. And in the library, there was a locked room that only teachers and Media Studies students could access.

It was locked for one simple reason. Well, two. That room contained a couple of G3 Power Macs; the bluey-green translucent version, which wouldn’t look out of place on a retail floor today. I was obsessed with those computers.

I was also one of the aforementioned Media Studies students, which meant I had a legitimate, education-focused excuse to spend as much time using them as possible. So, beyond the video editing we were tasked with in the curriculum, I somehow managed to convince my teacher that I needed additional time, all the time, with those Macs. It even resulted in my demonstrating to parents what they could do during an open evening.

I know. I was that kid.

Those wondrous machines left an indelible mark on me, but it took another ten years for me to be in a position to afford my very own Apple computer – a G5 Power Mac (again, the tower version). The rest, as they say, is history. As was my time with Windows.

Fast-forward to May 2026, and that email arrived.

The Email That Gave Me Goosebumps

For many years, I’ve watched as members of the media, YouTubers, and developers have proudly shown off their invites to Apple Park.

“See you in Cupertino, folks!”

“Guess where I’m going…”

“Spaceship campus – here I come!”

Whether it was for WWDC or the iPhone launch, those invites appeared to be the tech event equivalent of a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

I can confirm it does feel a bit like that. The subject line, the enticing image in the email body, and the irresistible “RSVP” button are all a bit otherworldly and very surreal. Particularly when they’re addressed to you.

I don’t take anything for granted in my position. If a brand invites me to a briefing, launch, or simply sends me a product to review, I view it as a one-off opportunity to deliver information as fast as possible to my audience. And, yes, before you say anything, getting there first in YouTube Land is a frustrating reality of remaining relevant on that platform.

However, at the ripe old age of 45 and having been through lots, both professionally and personally, I’m wise enough (ish) to recognise that the email from Apple arrived partly because I’ve worked my backside off. I will always point out when Apple has, in my opinion, taken a misstep, as much as I will praise their best products. But the sheer number of Apple-related words and videos I’ve published with the sole aim of helping consumers buy the right stuff does warrant some attention.

I’m extremely grateful to receive that invite, and the best news is that if I could have picked any WWDC to attend, it would have been this one.

Why WWDC26 Matters More Than Most

This is a huge year for Apple. But then, every year feels like a big year for Apple, doesn’t it?

The reason I think that 2026 is particularly important is because of what we’ve been experiencing and experimenting with behind the scenes at Ellis Media Group (EMG). We have leapt on agentic AI over the last few months. The robots are helping us plan content, report on published content, review audience sentiment, keep track of the financial side of things, brief the team, design thumbnails, and plan for the future.

I’ve never been so excited about a technological development. The ability to ‘vibe code’ internal tools that would have previously been shelved entirely due to cost and time constraints is liberating. It’s addictive. It’s massively cost-effective.

It’s also entirely invisible to most of the population. Most regular folk think “ChatGPT” when AI is mentioned. They have no idea of what’s going on behind the scenes at the businesses that have adopted the likes of Claude, OpenClaw, and Google’s fast-growing but largely under-the-radar proactive AI tools.

However, the one thing missing from all of the companies that develop and supply those AI platforms is hardware. And an operating system of their own. Oh, and decades of heritage and customer advocacy. Sure, they’re making tools and platforms that are changing our way of life and work, but they’re entirely reliant on hardware and software manufacturers.

Apple has all of that stuff. It also has one of the most consistent stances on privacy out of all of the big tech firms. I’ve always believed Tim Cook when he’s said that his company believe it to be a fundamental human right. My data feels safe within my Apple ecosystem. It doesn’t elsewhere – and it’s something that concerns me with the tools we’re using to build internal AI systems at EMG.

This is one of Apple’s biggest opportunities in recent memory. Siri and the partnership with Google that provides Apple with direct access to Gemini’s power aren’t the biggest stories for WWDC (although they are, admittedly, huge). The biggest story is how Apple can make agentic AI work for the masses – and be trusted by the masses.

Trust me – the stuff you can do with these tools is mind-boggling. I want everyone to know about it. I want my Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch to be deeply locked into this digital army of never-sleeping geniuses.

I think Apple can do it. Not immediately. Not in one fell swoop at WWDC this year. But I do think we’ll see the early signs of it and be able to get our hands on some of it later this year.

To have the opportunity to be there in person to see whatever it is that Apple unveils at the start of June is incredibly exciting.

But I need your help.

Over to You: What Should I Cover?

The main reason I’m going to Apple Park in a couple of weeks is because people watch and read the content I’ve been liberally sponging across the internet for the last six years. If that’s you – thank you.

However, my audience is also the main source of inspiration for whatever I’m about to publish next, and that’s even more important for big events like WWDC.

So, get involved below. What do you want to see me focus on at WWDC?