Apple’s annual developer conference, WWDC, begins next week in Cupertino, California. The event kicks off with a keynote on Monday at 10 am Pacific, 1 pm Eastern, which we’ll cover live. This year, don’t expect major hardware announcements due to Apple’s upgrade cycles and a shift towards the M4 chip.
Instead, the spotlight will be on software. iOS is set for significant updates after a couple of years of modest changes, with a strong emphasis on generative AI features. Leaks from Bloomberg and The Information suggest Apple aims to position itself as a leader in AI.
Apple has previously integrated machine learning into iOS for tasks like image editing and smart recommendations. Now, it’s likely to introduce features leveraging new AI models, similar to advancements from OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft. Possible updates include auto-generated email summaries, new Safari ad-blocking capabilities, Xcode coding assistance, clip art generation for iWork, enhanced Siri responses, improved image editing, expanded accessibility, and new transcription features.
Reports indicate that Apple is in talks with OpenAI and Google to enhance Siri and other iOS or macOS functionalities with external AI chatbots. Although Apple has experimented with its own chatbot, a partnership with OpenAI might be announced to provide comprehensive answers via Siri or Spotlight. There are also rumors of Apple offering multiple AI providers or an AI App Store, but specifics remain unclear.
iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 will debut later this year with new iPhones, likely in September or October, but WWDC will reveal their major features. Rumors point to overhauls of Control Center and Settings, extensive AI integration, a redesigned home screen for consistent app icon coloring, enhanced Messages with new text effects, and potential RCS support. Additionally, iPadOS will finally include a calculator app.
