It will soon be Apple’s turn to talk about its next big operating system updates, giving developers a chance to get their apps ready before the big rollout this fall. The company’s Worldwide Developers Conference is just around the corner. Apple is sure to reveal some of the key features of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, as well as what’s next for watchOS, macOS, and visionOS at WWDC 2024.
However, given the current technology climate, it seems likely that Apple will follow its competitors by making a big leap into the realm of generative AI. This could be a major focus of the key note, as these are the only two letters that investors seem to care about these days.
Apple rumors never stop flying, so we’ve heard some tidbits about what WWDC is likely to bring. It seems unlikely that we’ll get any major hardware announcements at the event, but you never really know until Tim Cook wraps things up. After all, we saw the Apple Vision Pro make its first appearance at the last WWDC.
In any case, here’s what to expect from Apple’s WWDC 2024 keynote:
When is WWDC 2024?
WWDC 2024 starts on June 10th and runs until June 14th. There will be a variety of events throughout the week, but most of the attention will be on Apple’s keynote, which is scheduled for 1:00 PM ET on June 10.
The keynote is where Apple tends to reveal many of the key features for the next major releases of its main operating systems: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and most likely visionOS. Apple has also used the WWDC keynote to reveal new hardware over the years, though we expect it to be less of a concern this time around.
How to watch WWDC
As usual, you’ll be able to join Apple’s presentation online. Apple used to limit its streams to its own home page and apps, but thankfully its traction has waned over the years. You’ll be able to watch the keynote on apple.com, the Apple Developer app, the Apple TV app and Apple’s YouTube channel.
AI
While Apple largely avoids saying “AI” too often at its events, there’s no escaping the big tech buzzword of the past two years. Generative AI is rapidly entering more aspects of our lives, and Apple seems poised to grab a piece of that pie.
It is believed that Apple does not yet have its own AI chatbot that is ready for prime time. Although it continues to shy away from it, the company has reportedly reached a deal with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into iOS 18. According to BloombergMark Gurman, Apple is still interested in reaching an agreement with Google to bring that company’s Gemini AI assistant to the iPhone as well, but that may not happen until later.
Meanwhile, Siri is expected to get an upgrade on compatible devices using Apple’s own large language models. Reports also suggest that you’ll be able to use the voice assistant to perform much more specific functions in certain apps (like opening documents and sending emails), but it’s believed that Apple won’t release this Siri upgrade until early 2025
Apple’s approach to generative AI in both iOS 18 and macOS 15 is said to be a practical one, based on helping ordinary people in their daily lives rather than allowing them to, say, quickly generate long reams of text. which they can sell as e-books for a quick dollar price. Instead, you’re more likely to see GAI features like email suggestions and message replies, text summaries of TL;DRs, voice memo transcriptions (finally!), and improved photo correction tools in core apps.
Apple is expected to handle as much of the AI processing as possible on the device, with the rest being sent to data centers. This raises questions about how Apple will ensure user privacy, one of the company’s core principles. It will need to specify how it protects user information as it travels between the device and the data center.
iOS 18 / iPadOS 18
As always, new features are coming to some of the iOS and iPadOS apps. Perhaps most notable is the expected introduction of RCS to messaging.
GMSA’s RCS, or Rich Communications Service, is a more advanced messaging protocol than the three-decade-old SMS. RCS is more secure than old SMS because offers end-to-end encryption. It enables enhanced multimedia sharing with high definition images, video and audio clips. RCS allows proper group chats and supports Wi-Fi messaging as well.
Yet for years, Apple refused to bring RCS to its platform — something Google had long wanted to do — to keep iMessage more of a walled garden. Of course, iMessage itself has many of the same features as RCS. At one point, Apple CEO Tim Cook’s response to someone asking for improved texting compatibility on Android so they could share videos with their mom was “buy your mom an iPhone.”
Apple eventually backed away from its RCS position last year, presumably to ensure it met strict EU regulations. The company said it will enable RCS support in 2024, so it makes sense that this feature will debut in iOS 18. This means that messaging between iOS and Android should be much better in the near future (even if texts from Android devices will still appear as green bubbles on iPhone). Meanwhile, Google just started allowing Android users to edit RCS messages within a 15-minute window of sending them.
Gurman also noted that Apple will likely support custom emoticon generation based on what you type in text messages. It looks like you’ll also be able to change the colors of app icons on the home screen, and you’ll no longer have to keep apps locked to a rigid network system.
Apple Music may get an auto-generated playlist feature following an OpenAI-powered tool that Spotify released in 2023. Personalized routes and topographical maps (which debuted on the Apple Watch last year) are said to be on their way to Apple Maps. Apple is also rumored to be adding a voice recording tool to Notes, which will pair well with the expected transcription feature as well as the option to display math notation.
Other core apps are reportedly in line for some changes, such as generating AI features in productivity apps like Keynote and Pages. Others such as Mail, Fitness, and Health are also expected to get new features, but details have yet to be leaked.
Calculator
This long-awaited update deserves its own section. That’s right, the Calculator app is said to be getting an overhaul on iPhone and Mac. Nastiness aside, the redesign actually sounds useful, with Notes app integration, improved unit conversions, and a sidebar listing recent activity. The app is also said to be coming to iPadOS.
macOS 15
Let’s make a wild guess and declare that Apple will name the next version of macOS after a prominent place in California. In all seriousness, this would be the least shocking thing Apple could do on the main stage.
Many of the iOS app updates are expected to be copied to macOS 15, such as Apple Music, Notes and performance changes. Rumors suggest that Apple is reorganizing the System Settings app based on the importance and priority of different categories, so the General tab is likely to be increased, while Sound and Notifications are expected to drop down the list.
Elsewhere, Siri’s menu bar icon may get a new look with a flat monochrome design expected to replace the current color version. There may also be welcome accessibility improvements, such as a shortcut option that allows users to trigger a particular setting or action using a custom spoken phrase.
Apple hardware
Last year’s WWDC was hardware gold, with Apple finally announcing the Vision Pro alongside the 15-inch MacBook Air and M2 Ultra-powered Mac Pro and Mac Studio. However, we’re not expecting much from Apple on the hardware front this time around.
The company just has refreshed its iPad lineup, and it’s probably too early for any new laptops, given October’s MacBook Pro and iMac updates and March’s MacBook Air refreshes. Of course, the iPhones will remain a secret until September, as will the next Apple watches. However, Apple could take advantage of the opportunity to put its M3 or even M4 chips in its other desktop systems, many of which remain mired in the M2 generation.
We can also see some updated peripherals and other devices. There’s always the possibility that Apple will introduce an (official) version of the AirPods Max with a USB-C charging port.
Back in January 2023, Gurman reported that a new Apple TV box would arrive in the first half of 2024. There’s still plenty of time for that to happen. There is a possibility that Apple will also add a camera to the Apple TV. In this case, there will be no need to use iPhone or iPad for FaceTime chats on the biggest screen in your home.
Apple Vision Pro
One thing we’re expecting on the hardware side is for Apple to reveal where Vision Pro is headed. Until now, the headset was only available in the US. That is likely to change in the coming weeks and months. Multiple reports suggest that the next phase of the rollout will include Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, there haven’t been many leaks of visionOS 2 so far, so it’s unclear what updates the mixed reality operating system will receive.
Everything else
Rumors are also silent on watchOS updates. There will certainly be some notable changes to Apple’s wearable operating system, but we may be in for a relatively minor iteration of watchOS after last year’s massive overhaul.
It’s rare that tvOS gets a lot of fanfare during an Apple keynote, but it’s sure to get an update that we’ll learn about at some point during WWDC. You may have to wait until the Platforms State of the Union event at 4pm ET for the scoop. The same goes for CarPlay and HomePod.
Keep in mind that none of this is certain until the likes of Cook, Craig Federighi, and others take the WWDC main stage and start discussing what’s next for Apple products and services. But based on reports from several Apple-focused journalists with serious experience fixing things, we expect to hear about many of the above updates and announcements.
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