Wrapping Up WWDC 2024

Now that WWDC24 has concluded, I found it to be a highly engaging and informative event. You know there was much to dissect if you caught our roundtable discussion in the podcast's previous episode. This year brought plenty of innovations and updates, leaving me excited for what’s ahead.

Incorporating New Technologies

As always, the big question is: what new technologies will we adopt and implement? For many of us, there’s something to incorporate into our current or future projects. I feel 2024 might be the year I fully switch to Swift Data. My experience with it has been smooth overall, with no major disruptions.

Additional features intrigue me, and I’m eager to play around with them to see where they lead. I’m also keen to know what others in the community will explore. Feel free to contact me on social networks at Compile Swift or through the contact form at compulsive.com. I'd love to hear your thoughts—whether you’re excited about new features or contemplating retiring some old ones.

The Surge of AI Technologies

Apple's AI developments are one area I haven't delved into deeply yet. Sure, we all expected advancements in Apple Intelligence, but some features stand out.

For example, the new text utilities resemble services like Grammarly. Although I haven’t tested these features extensively, I’m eager to see what Apple Intelligence offers.

We still don’t have access to some features, such as Swift Assist in Xcode. Still, I’m impressed with the new predictive syntax. Using Xcode 16, I set up a Sequoia container and found the predictive capabilities remarkably accurate. This new feature has saved me considerable time on routine coding tasks. It even suggests excellent property names, which was a pleasant surprise.

Early Experiences with Sequoia

Speaking of Sequoia, I have been testing it in a container setup with positive results. The issues I encountered were typical for early versions, mainly involving compatibility with certain audio-related apps. That said, my overall experience has been smooth. I haven’t been pushing Sequoia to its limits yet since it’s still in beta, but I’m impressed by its stability thus far.

Exploring Reality Kit

As a game developer, I’m eager to explore Reality Kit this year. I’m uncertain whether to use Apple’s built-in tools or third-party tools for AR experiences, but it’s a space worth investigating. While I'm not betting heavily on the Vision Pro headset yet, I see significant potential in the iPhone for delivering AR experiences. Apple’s approach to AR and the iPhone seems much more immediate and impactful than the Vision Pro, which appears to be nascent.

Diving into WWDC Videos

There’s a treasure trove of WWDC 2024 videos to watch, focusing on various topics, including Reality Kit. I recommend starting with videos on technologies you currently use or plan to use soon and then branching into other areas of interest.

The “What's New” videos are particularly valuable for understanding updates in Xcode, Swift, SwiftUI, and other core platforms.

I hope this recap and reflection on WWDC 2024 have been helpful. If you enjoyed it, please share it and let others know. For those who want to support the podcast's future, visit my Patreon page. Not only will you get a thank-you and a shout-out, but you’ll also enjoy an ad-free experience.

Thanks for reading, everybody! Let’s dive back into our code, and I look forward to discussing more next week.

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