AppleIt is Worldwide Developers Conference tends to eschew new hardware in favor of updates to Cupertino’s myriad software platforms. And this seems to be the case for WWDC2024with no material planned for a showcase reveal.
So we wonder what to expect at this year’s WWDC. Going by the rumors so far and some educated speculation about what’s happened before and the state of the tech world, we can get a good idea of what we think will be presented.
Without further ado, read on to find out five things to look forward to at WWDC 2024 – and if you’re planning to tune in, check out the article on how to watch WWDC 2024.
Lots of AI
Given the Samsung Galaxy S24 phones feature generative AI tools and Google I/O was all about AI, we’re betting that Apple will also rely on AI for its software platforms.
Now, Apple is no stranger to AI, with clever algorithms used to stitch together impressive photos on iPhones and its in-house designed chips accompanied by the Neural Engine dedicated to processing machine learning workloads.
But Apple has yet to explore generative AI, where intelligent tools can create new things rather than optimizing existing data or enhancing photos and videos. So we can expect Apple to introduce some generative AI technologies such as intelligent editing tools in Final Cut Pro, automatic summary of FaceTime calls or instant calendars based on meetings or vacation reservations.
As Apple products have often been creator tools, we can expect generative AI capabilities to leverage productivity; for example, helping photo editors or intelligently testing code for errors.
Whether Apple develops its own AI models or partners with companies like ChatGPTwe can expect multimodal AI – where data can be processed from multiple inputs, sensors and sources – to play a role, given that Apple’s AI efforts will surely be spread across its ecosystem rather than limited to macOS or iOS.
Smarter Siri
Rumors were flying virtual assistant Siri gets a proper AI upgradepossibly with the help of ChatGPT.
If Siri was undoubtedly the spearhead of the rise of virtual assistants with its beginnings in the iphone 4she is now considered a dunce compared to the capabilities and precision of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. So a new injection of intelligence, particularly better natural language understanding, better search capabilities, and access to a multi-modal AI model, could make Siri much more capable.
We’re talking about the ability to understand compound sentences in natural language, such as being told to make a list of restaurants to visit based on a person’s travel schedule or to plan an entire vacation by extracting data from flights and hotels booked.
Such upgrades, combined with the broad reach of Apple’s iPhones, could allow Siri to make a real comeback in the virtual assistant arena.
Big changes for iOS 18 and iPadOS 18
Apple cannot organize WWDC without presenting iOS, this year in its 18th edition. And we expect Apple to give us a detailed overview of the new features, tweaks and changes that will be made. iOS 18.
Most important – and you’ll probably have spotted a theme here – will probably be the integration of new and improved AI features. According to rumors, this could involve using the ChatGPT integration on the platform.
It’s not yet clear what form this will take, but it will likely follow a smarter Siri, with features like smart email replies or AI-driven editing in the Photos app, and intelligent composition of playlists in Apple Music being integrated into iOS 18.
The same is likely true for iPadOS 18, given its close relationship with iOS. Ideally, we would see more tools focused on productivity and creativity to harness the potential of the new M4 chip-team ipad air And iPad Pro models. A more desktop-like environment when the aforementioned iPads are connected to a Magic Keyboard would be good, but that might be wishful thinking.
Expect things like new accessibility settings and some design tweaks on iOS and iPadOS.
Smart stuff in macOS 15
Just like iOS, the next version of macOSwhich will be in its 15th version, will be presented at WWDC 2024. And we can expect many features added to cross-ecosystem applications such as Notes, Pages, Safariand much more, to upgrade to macOS equivalents.
It doesn’t sound like a broken record here, but generative-flavored AI will surely have a place in macOS. We can see this as intelligent ways to summarize documents, presentations and web pages, intelligent editing tools, intelligent assistance in coding environments, improved web search and other focused features on productivity.
Likewise, we can expect to see some design changes to the look and feel of macOS, potentially with improved features and accessibility options, and perhaps more customization possibilities.
AI and watchOS
To bang the AI drum again, we can expect some smart generative AI-based features to potentially be added to watchOS, and get a full preview of watchOS 11. The AI would likely be used in conjunction with a connected iPhone supporting processing, with the aim of analyzing data from sensors and fitness tracking to create optimized, personalized workouts for users.
We can see the addition of AI-powered virtual trainers and trainers and the intelligent use of an iPhone’s cameras to film a person’s pose and balance during activities like yoga, then a training session. Apple Watch Use audio and haptic prompts to prompt a person for perfect form.
We also expect to see new features in watchOS, such as better health tracking and detection of issues like atrial fibrillation. don’t expect blood oxygen to return for the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
And the rest…
We don’t expect Apple to focus heavily on home or audio technology, but we can expect some AI features to seep into the rest of the Apple ecosystem, like the addition of Smart settings for AirPods based on a person’s location or capacity. to create smart routines for the smart home via Apple’s HomeKit and Home app.
THE Apple Vision Pro is surely about to make an appearance, likely to get improved functionality and broader use cases. But given that the mixed reality headset isn’t really a must-have device at the moment, Apple might not place much emphasis on it.
We’ll bring you all the latest news from WWDC 2024, so stick with TechRadar. And remember, if you want to follow the live stream yourself, check out our guide on how to watch WWDC.
