Every June, Apple’s WWDC event introduces major updates to macOS, iOS, and the tools IT teams rely on to manage Apple devices.
This year was no exception and my inbox is already filling up with questions about what it all means. After watching the keynote, digging through the "What's New for IT" PDF, and listening to our team break it down, I wanted to share what stood out most.
Kandji Principal Solutions Engineer, Arek Dreyer hosted a reaction panel with some of our top product minds - Mike Boylan, John "JR" Richards, and Adam Henry - to unpack the announcements that actually matter for organizations managing Apple devices at scale. Here's what caught my attention.
The new design language is the first major visual overhaul in over a decade - Liquid Glass! The new version numbering scheme (iOS 26, macOS 26, etc.) is a small change that'll make conversations significantly easier.
And the user experience improvements - group message polls, better spam blocking, enhanced Spotlight with clipboard history - aren't enterprise features, but they're the kind of updates that make people actually want to use their devices.
Mike Boylan nailed the overarching theme: "Apple taking back a little bit more control... like migration being initiated from Apple Business Manager (ABM)... When they build this, there are things they can do and interact with users in ways we could never do."
This isn't just about new features - it's about Apple recognizing that enterprise IT needs first-party solutions built into the OS itself, not workarounds.
Declarative Device Management has been "promising but not quite there yet" for a while. This year feels different. DDM now spans all Apple platforms, and more importantly, it's becoming the only way to access new features.
Adam Henry put it perfectly: "App management with declarative device management... finally has feature parity with the existing install application command... these new features that more tightly allow you to control what version the app is on are really gonna resonate, especially with enterprise customers."
Version pinning for App Store apps? That's been a holy grail request for years. And it's only available through DDM.
If you've been following Platform SSO's journey, this might be the year it clicks. The ability to handle IDP authentication, local account creation, and Platform SSO registration all during Setup Assistant removes most of the friction points that have made adoption challenging.
As someone who's spent countless hours trying to create truly zero-touch deployment experiences, seeing this come together in Setup Assistant is huge.
JR Richards noted: "Mac APIs for Apple Business Manager... that's been something people have been wanting for a really long time. And the fact they're bringing in AppleCare warranty information - tons of quality of life improvements."
These aren't flashy features, but they solve real operational headaches. Being able to programmatically access device information and warranty status means fewer manual processes and better integration with existing tools.
Here's something that benefits everyone: Apple-native MDM migration through Apple Business Manager. No more complex workarounds or third-party tools. Users see a clean interface, tap a button, and everything happens automatically.
As Mike said, "It's great when they build this - there are things they can do and interact with users in ways we could never do." This levels the playing field and makes switching MDM vendors less painful for everyone.
These aren't just incremental updates - they represent Apple doubling down on enterprise IT as a first-class concern. The pattern is clear: move critical functionality into first-party solutions, expand DDM capabilities, and reduce the operational burden on IT teams.
Mike summed it up well: "These are very longstanding feature requests... granular RBAC in Apple Business Manager, visibility into Apple ID use with federated domains, and better migration tools - these are quality of life improvements that organizations have been asking for over and over, and Apple finally delivered."
As Arek emphasized in the panel: test the betas now. This is when your feedback matters most. Don't wait for beta 4, thinking things will be more stable - Apple wants to hear from IT teams early in the process.
Looking forward to seeing how these updates play out in real deployments over the coming months.
Cheers,
Weldon
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