It's WWDC 2024 keynote time! Every year, Apple kicks off its Worldwide Developers Conference with a few hours of brief announcements, such as the long-awaited makeover of Apple Intelligence and its smart AI assistant, Siri. We expected much of it to revolve around the company's artificial intelligence ambitions (and here), and Apple did not disappoint. We'll also bring you news and feature updates about Vision Pro.
Here's how to watch the WWDC 2024 archive:
Developers should expect hardware and software updates as usual, as well as other items initially thought to be released. Brian Heater also cooked at Equity. Now sit back and relax as our team explains all the biggest news in easy-to-skim digests.
Apple Collaborates with AI Partners Beyond OpenAI
At an event following the keynote, Apple SVP Craig Federighi confirmed that the company would work with other third-party models beyond OpenAI, highlighting Google's Gemini model as the first example. He made it clear that Apple has “nothing to announce right now, but that's our general direction.” read more
Elon Musk unites OpenAI and Apple
Tesla, SpaceX and xAI executive Elon Musk has chosen X to continue his campaign against rival OpenAI, threatening to ban Apple devices from his business “if Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level.” The same goes for reactions and responses to WWDC-related conversations about X. . read more
(Limited) Availability of Apple Intelligence
Before you get too excited about testing Apple Intelligence, make sure your device is new enough. Only the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, along with iPads and Macs with M1 or higher chips, can run the new features that come with Apple's AI push. read more
Siri's ChatGPT
Apple is bringing ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot experience, to Siri and other Apple apps based on OpenAI's GPT-4 and other generative AI models. read more
Apple Intelligence is a playground for images and emojis
One of the Apple Intelligence-powered features coming to iOS 18 will allow iPhone users to create AI images of the people they're messaging. This feature works like Bitmoji with upgraded AI. The goal, of course, is to make “everyday conversations more enjoyable.”
Apple Intelligence understands who you're talking to in a messaging conversation, so it can generate AI images on the fly if you want to personalize your chats with custom AI images. read more
Apple TV+
For those of you using Apple TV+, there's a new feature called InSight. This feature allows viewers to learn actor names and song titles as they appear on screen. Lauren Forristal writes that it's similar to Amazon's X-Ray technology, which allows Fire TV users to get an overview of actor biographies and behind-the-scenes stories while watching TV shows and movies.
But what stands out about InSight is its Shazam-like feature, which highlights songs playing in TV shows or movies and gives users the option to add them to an Apple Music playlist to listen to later. read more
Siri
Apple has also made some improvements to its smart assistant, Siri. This includes adding several generative AI features to make Siri more natural and personal. There is also a new shining light. Siri can also handle speech mistakes and better understand situations. Plus, for those who want input, you can do so now. read more
Apple Intelligence is here
The new feature is called Apple Intelligence (AI, get it?). The company promised that the feature will be built with safety at its core, along with a highly personalized experience.
“The most important thing is that it understands you and is based on your personal context, such as your daily life, relationships and communications,” CEO Tim Cook said at WWDC on Monday. “Of course, it must be built together while protecting privacy from the beginning. All of this goes beyond artificial intelligence. This is privacy and the next big step for Apple.” read more
This covers the consumer side, but WWDC is a conference for developers, and Apple has revealed how developers will soon be able to bring the Apple Intelligence experience into their software. A variety of AI features have been added to existing SDKs to help developers expand the reach of Apple Intelligence through generative AI image creation or new prompts for Siri. read more
Apple's new password app
You can already use your iCloud account to store and sync your passwords across devices, but figuring it out hasn't been easy. Now the company has introduced a password app. Some features include a new column on the left, making it easier to navigate your password collection. For example, you can view all passwords or Wi-Fi passwords (new added), or only password keys or codes that are not related to a website or service. read more
Smart Scripts on iPad
The new “Smart Script” feature organizes your handwriting when you write in notes using Apple Pencil. Apple says it makes note-taking smoother and more linear. This feature uses on-device machine learning to improve the appearance of your handwriting as you write by recreating your handwriting in your notes. You will see your handwriting smoother and easier to read. read more
calculator for ipad
Who would have thought that a calculator would liven up a developer conference? Apple's new Calculator app for iPad has everyone excited.
The perennial tip-calculating app on iOS is finally coming to a bigger screen. This feature takes advantage of the extra screen real estate to provide new features that the company couldn't really bring to the iPhone. The biggest arrival here is the addition of math notes. The add-on does the calculations for you. read more
macOS Sequoia
The latest operating system version is macOS Sequoia.
One of the biggest features of this new OS is iPhone mirroring. Now, with the Continuity feature in macOS, you can mirror your iPhone screen and control it right from your Mac. Notifications on your Mac will go into iPhone Mirror Mode, and iPhone audio will also pass through your Mac, but your paired iPhone will remain locked while in Mirror Mode. read more
Now let’s take a closer look at iPhone mirroring. Apple hasn't detailed many use cases for the feature, but Sarah Perez says it will likely make it easier to demonstrate apps via video calls or in person, as users will be able to move between a slideshow presentation and a live demo of an iPhone app. I wrote it. Just run it as if it were any other app on your Mac. read more
message via satellite
This new feature works much like Apple's Emergency SOS feature. If there is no signal, you will be given the option to find a satellite to relay the data. Make sure to keep your phone in the correct orientation while doing this. However, there is an overlay for notifications above the message. read more
photo app
Apple has introduced a new Photos app that will be included in its upcoming iOS software. The new app introduces new navigation features, new organizing features, and other ways to discover your favorite photos of friends, family, pets, travel, and more.
What you need to know: The new design makes it easier to find everything you need, so you spend less time searching for photos.
One of the major changes is how the app is unified into a single view, with a grid of photos at the top and libraries organized by theme at the bottom. read more
Tap for cash
One of the more interesting additions is Tap to Cash. It's a feature that literally allows users to pay with the tap of a pair of iPhones.
As Brian Heater writes, this feature is actually an offshoot of Apple Pay's long-standing Tap to Pay feature. Likewise, the new addition is likely to make use of the device's NFC functionality. Apple notes that this feature allows you to transfer money without sharing personal information. This is an added privacy element. read more
iOS 18
Users can now lock apps when they hand over their phone for things like showing photos to others or letting them play games. When you lock apps, if someone tries to tap your phone, they'll have to authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID, or a password. While the app lock feature is enabled, information inside the app will not appear in other places, such as searches or notifications. read more
Apple also shared some early details about the upcoming major release of iOS, the operating system designed specifically for iPhone. As you might expect, most of this has to do with artificial intelligence. Remember when icons were locked to a grid? Now you can place your background photo however you want on your home screen without it being hidden.
“iOS 18 is a big release that gives you more ways to personalize your iPhone, stay connected, and relive special moments,” said Craig Federighi, SVP of Software Engineering at Apple. read more
Speaking of icons, many of these updates are long-requested features, such as the ability to set app icons and widgets wherever you want on the home screen and support for dark mode icons in different color schemes. read more
Vision OS 2
VisionOS 2 delivers increased productivity and a “new immersive experience.” One lets you leverage AI technology to “spatialize” photos from regular photos. Another new navigation option is: With VisionOS 2, you can switch to the home screen with a tap or flip your hand to bring up Control Center with notifications, shortcuts, and more. read more
One of the bigger announcements about this includes the ability to convert existing images into spatial photos. The new feature leverages machine learning to build additional angles, a change from traditional methods that required taking images from the iPhone 15 Pro or Vision Pro itself. read more
Outside the United States, the Vision Pro headset is available in eight new countries. read more
Useful AI, not flashy AI
Apple has lagged behind its competitors in the AI race and probably needs to pull out all the stops to impress its fans and shareholders. But that shouldn't mean you're overly excited about the features. read more
Generating AI
For smart assistants: There are rumors that the company has shifted a number of its employees to generative AI operations following the electric vehicle meltdown, but all signs point to Apple having a significant lead over the competition. Therefore, the most logical play is a partnership with a strong company like OpenAI. read more
Maybe that's not the case for the iPhone 15.: Other rumors say that once this generative AI works, the system will also be able to run on a limited number of older devices, including iPads and Macs running the M1 chip or higher, as well as the iPhone 15 Pro. This means that the standard iPhone 15 may be excluded from this offering. read more
