WWDC 2024: Apple’s WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) begins on Monday, June 10, at 1 PM ET/10 AM PT and this year the focus is on Apple’s response to major recent AI developments from its biggest AI rivals. Following loud AI announcements by Google and Microsoft, Apple is soon going to demonstrate its own generative AI and more. Here’s a quick summary of what to expect during the keynote.
WWDC 2024: What to expect at the event
AI in the Headlights
This year, Apple will bring advanced AI features into its operating systems and Siri will go through a major revamp. The new Siri built around large language models will now better understand user requests enabling it to perform tasks across Apple apps with much higher efficacy. Known as “Apple Intelligence,” these AI features will be sprinkled throughout Apple’s ecosystem including AI summarized messages along with web pages, live transcriptions in Notes and Voice Memos, as well as an emoji generator customized based on artificial intelligence. Similarly, there will be new AI tools in the Photos app for removing objects or people from images.
Partnership with OpenAI
Reports indicate that Apple has partnered with OpenAI in an effort to improve its AI offerings. This collaboration is expected to introduce a ChatGPT-like chatbot feature on Apple devices, thus improving user personal assistance.
RCS Adoption for iMessage
Apple will finally be using Rich Communication Services (RCS) as the default fallback for iMessage in iOS 18. As a result, iPhone and Android users can send long text messages or high-quality images while maintaining end-to-end encryption. Previously reluctant to adopt RCS, Apple seems compelled by regulatory influences to enhance its messaging service; however, iconic green bubbles for Android users will remain but better performance.
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One of the most anticipated updates is a more customizable home screen. Talks have it that iOS 18 will let users organize apps with spaces between them. In addition, there are rumors about Apple introducing a theming system that would enable users recolor their icons into anything they want at any given time.
Updates To The Apps And New Features
Apple’s default apps would also be updated during WWDC 2024. Among these is the Calculator app which is allegedly to be revamped and subsequently come to the iPad. A new password manager may be launched across Apple platforms, while the Settings and Control Center screens will have a redesigning for better usability.
Mac Updates On The Way
However, Mac updates may not form part of WWDC announcements as Apple’s recent launch of iPad Pro featured an AI-focused M4 chip, breaking from the M-series chip release pattern. Their current MacBooks are powered by M3 chips while Mac Studio and Mac Pro use M2 chips respectively. There still could exist a refresh but it might not occur during this conference but later in the year.
The tech world is eager to see how Apple will continue to take advantage of AI for its ecosystem and retain its competitiveness heading into WWDC 2024.