Apple Inc.’s annual Worldwide Developer’s Conference, where it often debuts its always hotly anticipated new products, starts on Monday in San Jose, California.

Although most of the weeklong event is focused on developers and software, the first day of WWDC often showcases new consumer hardware, and this year is likely to follow suit — especially since Apple skipped a spring product launch. The rampant rumors suggest Apple will launch new iPads, MacBooks and possibly a Siri smart home speaker, as well as the latest operating systems.

Although Apple doesn’t necessarily have to lead the way on every new technology to continue to thrive, it may need to step up the innovation as rivals from Google Inc. to Microsoft Corp. to Amazon.com Inc. appear to be setting the pace. That’s all the more important since recent MacBooks underwhelmed and the big bet on the Apple Watch hasn’t really panned out.

Beyond smart speakers, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook has expressed interest in virtual and augmented reality and in artificial intelligence, but there have been few hints forthcoming on how the company may pursue them. Apple watchers will be listening closely for any clues on what’s coming next beyond Monday’s crop of new products.

“I’d expect Apple to integrate Siri into a wider range of services, devices and apps,” said Thomas Husson, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester. “Combining the voice-based assistant with existing Apple services such as iMessage, Facetime, Apple Pay, Apple TV, Apple Music and Beats, and third-party offerings is a way to offer a more integrated and seamless experience, complementing existing touchscreen interfaces. This would also prepare a more ambitious digital home play to be able to catch up with Amazon.”

Husson also will be looking to hear if and how Apple might move into bots. “While in its early days, various artificial intelligence technologies will foster the emergence of new conversational interfaces like bots and intelligent agents,” he said. “Apple needs to tell a story on how it will compete on that front with Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft – not to mention the Chinese digital platforms like Alibaba, Tencent or Baidu, which are heavily investing in the space.”

Here’s a look what to expect from the event and how you can watch it from home if you aren’t one of the 5,000 developers making the trip to San Jose:   

How to watch WWDC 2017

The live stream of the WWDC keynote starts at 10 a.m. PDT on Monday, June 5. In addition to the keynote, Apple has previously uploaded videos of several conference sessions so you can also watch them online.

You can watch WWDC on the official Apple event page. You can also click the “Add to your calendar” button so you don’t miss out on any of the action.

You can watch the event live on your Apple device or Windows 10 personal computer. If you’re watching on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch you will need Safari on iOS 7.0 or later while on a Mac you will need Safari 6.0.5 or later on OS X v10.8.5 or later. You can also watch on a second- third-generation Apple TV with software 6.2 or later or a fourth-generation Apple TV.  

On a Windows 10 PC, you can watch the event on the Microsoft Edge browser.

What to expect: iPads, MacBooks, smart home speaker, more

10.5-inch iPad Pro

The highlight of the iPad updates at WWDC will be the launch of the rumored new 10.5-inch iPad Pro, following possible legitimate case leaks last month. Rumors about a 10.5-inch model have been making the rounds since August.  

The new model is expected to have reduced bezels, which will allow Apple to cram the 10.5-inch display into a device only slightly bigger than the 9.7-inch iPad.  

The case leaks confirm the same repositioned microphones found on the 9.7-inch iPad introduced in March, as well as stereo speakers. The new 10.5-inch model could also get an upgraded A10X processor and a virtual home button. Pricing is unknown at this stage, but will likely have a premium price tag and possibly sit between the budget $329 9.7-inch model and the 12.9-inch model, which starts at $799.  

Apple could also upgrade the 12.9-inch model, possibly with only an internal upgrade or it could get a similar upgrade to the new 10.5-inch model.

There have been conflicting reports when it comes to the iPad mini, which was last updated in September 2015. Some say Apple will phase it out, while others suggest it will be updated.

Alongside new iPad models, we could also see the launch of an updated Apple Pencil.

More powerful MacBook Pro

If the reports are to be believed, Apple will unveil a range on new MacBooks at WWDC next week.

The MacBook Pro, which was only launched in October, is expected to get a performance boost after fans weren’t happy with the specifications of the new laptop. The MacBook Pro is expected to get Intel Corp.’s latest 7th-generation Kaby Lake processor. Besides the updated chip no other changes are expected for the MacBook Pro.

The 12-inch MacBook is also expected to get an internal refresh while the company is also rumored to be updating the now archaic MacBook Air, which hasn’t seen a refresh since 2015.

According to documents filed by Apple, the company could also introduce a new wireless keyboard, which could possibly include the same Touch Bar functionality introduced with the MacBook Pro in October.

Siri-controlled smart speaker

WWDC next week could see Apple enter the smart home speaker market with the launch of its much-anticipated Siri-controlled smart speaker. Taking on the likes of established name in the market the Amazon Echo as well as Google Home and newly launched Essential Home, Apple’s speaker is rumored to focus strongly on sound quality to stand out from the competition.

Other rumors include support for 18 languages, deep integration with the rest of Apple’s product lineup, as well as a premium price tag to go with the premium parts.

Even if it does make an appearance at WWDC on Monday, the Siri smart speaker isn’t expected to ship until later this year.

iOS 11 and other operating systems

Like previous years, Apple will likely unveil the updated operating systems for its lineup of products, including iOS 11, macOS 10.13, watchOS 4 and tvOS 11.

Rumored features for iOS 11 include group FaceTime calls to compete with other apps like Skype and Hangouts; a full-on Dark Mode across a variety of apps; a social feature in the Contacts app; as well as improved voicemail transcription, a feature that was introduced in iOS 10.

Other updates include improvements for Siri and Apple Maps, the Continuity feature introduced in iOS 10 will be extended to Apple Music, Podcasts and iTunes and we could also see iMessage launch for Android users.

Image: Apple