Apple has announced that this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference will begin on June 10. We expect to see early looks at iOS 18 and updates to other device software like MacOS, iPadOS, and even VisionOS — as well as potential news about generative artificial intelligence coming to Apple devices.
Apple has been tight-lipped about any new AI features coming to its mobile and computer lines, but its annual developer show is where we’re likely to see hints of anything coming later this year. Competitors from Samsung to Intel have promoted AI capabilities in this year’s hardware and software, so the pressure is on Apple to chart a new course with generative AI in its devices.
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Multiple reports suggest that Apple is in talks with Google to bring its Gemini AI model to the iPhone, which could help the devices keep up with generative artificial intelligence on other mobile devices. Whether Apple plans to use other generative AI solutions (or its own), rumors indicate it’s paying more attention to AI than we’ve seen from the company before.
While Apple still didn’t mention AI in its WWDC press release, it noted that the event will put a spotlight on upgrades coming to VisionOS, the software that powers Apple’s Vision Pro. Apple first revealed its mixed reality headset at last year’s WWDC 2023 and announced it earlier this year. While the headset has pushed the boundaries of AR and VR, the device’s hefty $3,500 price tag has led some consumers to wait to see how the device develops, so any new features revealed for the device at WWDC 2024 could lead to a bigger acceptance.
Apple is once again holding WWDC 2024 in person at Apple Park, and aspiring attendees who don’t get an invite or can’t make it will also be able to watch online. The event kicks off on June 10 with, as tradition holds, a keynote from Apple CEO Tim Cook, followed by days of specialized sessions aimed at developers building software in Apple’s ecosystem, ending on June 14.
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The announcement of WWDC 2024 comes on the heels of a major antitrust lawsuit filed by the US Department of Justice against Apple, accusing the tech giant of practices that impede fair competition. The agency, along with 16 state attorneys general, focused on ways Apple used the iPhone to control the app ecosystem and reduce connections to non-Apple phones (eg, the “green bubble” messaging experience with Android devices).
“We argue that Apple has consolidated its monopoly power, not by improving its own products, but by making other products worse,” US Attorney Merrick Garland said at a press conference last week.
Apple rejected the lawsuit’s allegations, saying in a statement that it threatens the company’s identity and the principles that set its products apart. If the lawsuit succeeds, it would “set a dangerous precedent, empowering the government to take a heavy hand in designing human technology.”
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