Apple is rolling out the red carpet for its new software, as it sets up for the WWDC 2022 event that gets underway next Monday (June 6). And with less than a week before its developer conference starts, Apple may be hinting at what to expect in the form of some augmented reality trading cards for WWDC.
The AR cards, available through the Apple WWDC events page, feature various Memoji characters. Open the card pack, and you get three separate cards. Different sets are included in different packs, so many combinations are possible to pop up.
You need to use an iPhone or iPad to grab the AR trading cards from the WWDC events page. Tap on the Memoji image on that page and it will spring open an AR page where the cards will pop up. You can also view this in “object” mode to see the cards clearly and without having to navigate your physical environment.
You can tap on the cards to change them and you will also notice a code snippet at the bottom of the cards if viewed from a certain angle. One of the code snippet translates to Hair Force One, the nickname given to Apple senior vice president of engineering Craig Federighi.
Oh man there’s an ultra rare rainbow Craig card. And the code snippet is “hair force one” in emoji! https://t.co/x98g5M0nBXMay 31, 2022
The cards are positioned as web elements only for collectible purposes, they have no intrinsic or tradable value. Still, this is one of the more detailed AR designs Apple has come up with for its events.
The fact that Apple is using AR to hype next week's WWDC — and that you can only access it through a mobile device — may turn out to be a bit of an Easter egg for the developer conference's agenda. While most observers don't expect the rumored Apple VR/AR headset to make an appearance next week, Apple could talk more about its mixed reality efforts, whether that's on mobile devices like the iPhone or on a future platform like the rumored realityOS.
Even if the AR trading cards are more of a fun collectible for attendees and not an agenda item, there's a lot to expect at WWDC this year. The stage is likely being set for previews of iOS 16, macOS 13, WatchOS 9, iPad OS 16, and tvOS 16; some people also predict the launch of the MacBook Air 2022, even if hardware is often left out of WWDC.
Just like with previous recent Apple events, WWDC will be held online. The WWDC 2022 keynote will start at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Monday, June 6. Here's how to watch the WWDC 2022 live stream as it happens. We will bring you all our live analysis as it happens next week.
