Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off today at 10am PST/1pm ET with the customary Tim Cook keynote. Last year's event will be remembered as the one where Vision Pro was finally introduced to the world, but the company wants to make WWDC 2024 even more memorable by finally clarifying its generative AI plans. Some things to look forward to include a major update to Siri, Mail incorporating Apple's Ajax LLM for suggested email replies, plus a new look and new features for Apple Photos.
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The opening of WWDC is different from other Apple keynotes in that it will kick off a week of online and in-person events that will run from June 10 to 14. Although the company started to share information with the public during the pandemic, it must not forget the purpose of this season: like Google I/O and Microsoft Build before it, the real purpose of this event is to showcase the latest updates for developers.
All with AI
Image credit: Apple
Concerns that Apple is lagging behind on generative AI were enough to prompt Cook to make big promises during a shareholder call. In fact, the CEO decided to comment on future plans: In May, he promised that the company would “break new ground” with generative AI, adding that “we believe it will unlock transformative opportunities for our users.”
Will Apple's groundbreaking attempt actually be groundbreaking? We expect it to make big promises to developers and highlight how generative AI will impact future versions of the company's various operating systems, especially iOS. Rumors about Apple's approach to the world of large-scale language models have been swirling for a while now.
Early reports had the company in talks with Google about a possible integration of Gemini into iOS. This model would be a big win for Google, as it plays a key role in two operating systems that account for 96% of the global mobile OS market. However, more recent reports have suggested a partnership with OpenAI. As with previous I/Os, by the time the company leaves the conference, it will likely be tired of talking about AI.
After the collapse of its electric car project, Apple reportedly transferred several employees to an internal AI generation project. Given how new this news is, it's fair to say the company is still lagging behind its competitors in this area. With that in mind, we expect a lot of AI-related news to come out of the deal with OpenAI.
iOS 18 is even more AI-rich
Image credit: Darrell Etherington
In addition to this partnership, iOS 18 is expected to be a highlight of the event. There is a lot of anticipation surrounding this update, which is reportedly “one of the biggest iOS updates in the company's history, if not the biggest.” In fact, the update will be so big that Sarah took time out of her busy schedule to round up the rumored update. We won't repeat her work, so here are some excerpts from the rumors. Read her article for more details.
Siri will get a much-awaited refresh thanks to Apple's generative AI. The update will make the smart assistant more capable, allowing you to directly edit photos, delete emails, and perform other everyday tasks. The update is also said to bring voice improvements, notification summaries, and an advanced version of Siri for Apple Watch. AI will also permeate the Safari browser for more intelligent search, and it will also come to Notes for summaries and Voice Memos for transcriptions (something Google has been promoting for some time now). Generative AI will also be introduced to emoji, allowing users to create their own emojis with customization in Messages. Apple is also said to relax layout restrictions, allowing users to place icons and widgets wherever they want on the home screen. Mail will also get new AI-enabled features, such as asking Siri to make your emails feel more professional and suggesting Ajax-generated email replies.
To give Android users some solace, Apple announced that it would be bringing RCS (Rich Communication Services) to Messages, but it's still in the green bubble. Reports suggested that RCS would be coming last fall, but those plans apparently fell through. Meanwhile, this fall seems like a good bet, especially with the DOJ case looming.
macOS 15 debuts
Image credit: Brian Heater
Every time Tim Cook says “AI,” investors flap their wings. While iOS will undoubtedly be the big focus for the OS, Apple is also preparing some desktop news. The official name of macOS 15 is announced. What's the most AI-like place name in California? Alameda? Alcatraz? Rod AI Drive?
Many of the iOS updates will also make their way to macOS, including Siri, Notes, Safari, etc. Apple's office apps are also said to receive AI enhancements, including support for Pages, Keynote, and developer environment app Xcode.
System Settings will get a redesign, continuing Apple's long-running project to turn macOS into iOS. Apple will also be overhauling some key accessibility features. And let's not forget the most exciting update: a major redesign of Calculator, the app we use most, yet somehow forget.
Hardware Updates
Left: Space Black MacBook Pro, Space Gray Touchbar MacBook Pro Image credit: Brian Heater
While the past few years have seen the unveiling of major hardware updates with the development of Mac silicon and last year's headset preview, WWDC is not a hardware event. In fact, the latest rumors suggest that very few hardware announcements will be made during the keynote. Bloomberg has even suggested that the event won't see any new hardware announcements at all.
Remember, Apple made the unusual choice to hold a standalone virtual iPad event almost a month before WWDC. The May 7 program saw the launch of new versions of the iPad Pro and iPad Air. To the disappointment of many, AI did not play a major role in the event. After all the fuss over models like GPT and Google's Gemini integration into Android, Apple needs to get serious next week.
But the new M4 chip just debuted in the iPad, and we're not far off from MacBooks with it or its more powerful cousin, nor is the upcoming iPhone A18 chip, which the company will almost certainly claim is the “most advanced smartphone chip for AI” or something like that.