WWDC 2024: Apple Introduces AI, No, Not That ‘AI’
Apple wrapped up the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on day one of the five-day conference and revealed its AI strategy. The company’s strategy in the short term seems to be about hedging its position since it has already lost some ground while simultaneously instituting the ability to support multiple models. Apple also revealed the subsequent iterations of numerous operating systems for its devices.
- Apple wrapped up the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on day one of the five-day conference.
- The company finally revealed its AI strategy, having adopted a mixed approach to implementing the emerging tech across its products.
- Apple also took the wraps off the subsequent iterations of numerous operating systems for its devices.
Apple kicked off its Worldwide Developers Conference yesterday, making several significant announcements and introducing AI to its devices. The confirmation makes Apple the latest consumer-facing major tech company to join the AI bandwagon.
Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS, commands a 28.58% market share worldwide and a 60.77% share in the United States, which helps the company afford the delay in consumer tech. The case would have been different had Apple engaged in enterprise services such as Microsoft and Google, which have significant investments and/or research in AI.
Still, Apple has much to catch up on, considering that even Android’s non-flagship devices have received Gemini upgrades. Fortunately for Apple fans, the company announced significant plans to keep them as customers. Check out the most important announcements from Apple at the WWDC 2024 keynote.
WWDC 2024 Keynote Highlights
1. Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence is the company’s new artificial intelligence foundational model and will be available across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Apple said it prioritized privacy over personalization with the service made possible through Private Cloud Compute, a set of specialized servers running the cloud-based models. Apple says user data will be anonymized and secured cryptographically.
To that end, most tasks will be computed locally on the device through neural processing units. As such, Apple Intelligence will be available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad and Macs with M1 and later chips.
However, personalization is also a crucial aspect of Apple’s new AI framework as Siri gets an AI overhaul. Siri is supposedly better at understanding context, can respond accurately even if the user speaks in a confusing manner, and has onscreen awareness, i.e., the ability to identify and take actions based on what’s on the screen.
Apple’s AI push also encompasses OpenAI’s ChatGPT (GPT-4o) whenever needed for question answering. This expands the scope of the digital assistant on Apple devices, though Apple was careful not to position the new Siri as an everything app.
Apple added that Apple Intelligence will prompt users to confirm every time it needs to send a question, document, or photo to OpenAI. It is unclear how the Apple-OpenAI deal is brokered and whether it is similar to the default web search deal with Google, i.e., Google pays to be on Apple’s platform.
In any case, Apple’s strategy in the short term seems to be about hedging its position since it has already lost some ground while simultaneously instituting the ability to support multiple models. This allows them to finally join the figurative AI race while sourcing a steady flow of data to train internal AI models like Apple Intelligence, a luxury it doesn’t have, unlike Google and Microsoft.
Elon Musk isn’t too happy about OpenAI getting the deal, whether the short end of the stick or otherwise. He tweeted:
If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies. That is an unacceptable security violation.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 10, 2024
Apple Intelligence-infused devices will have multiple features, including image generation and personalization, text summarization, content drafting, notification management, and on-device task execution, with a high focus on personalization.
The only caveat to all this is that it’s not ready yet and will be rolled out later this year.
Apple Intelligence’s competitors in mobile include Google Gemini, Samsung’s Galaxy AI (based on Gemini), and Microsoft Windows Copilot in personal computing.
Adding “Apple” doesn’t make it new or groundbreaking. Welcome to AI 🍎.
— Samsung Mobile US (@SamsungMobileUS) June 10, 2024
See More: Consumer Tech, Cloud, and AI: Must-Attend Tech Conferences in June 2024
2. Operating systems
WWDCs are the default avenue for the company’s OS launches, so there are no surprises here. Those announced include:
- iOS 18
The new version of the second-most popular mobile OS features privacy upgrades, a revamped Control Center, messaging upgrades (send later, satellite messaging), Game Mode, topographic maps, Photo layout updates, tap to cash, Rich Communication Services (RCS), and app customizations. iOS users can remove apps as they wish.
Calculator comes to iPad. Biggest cheer of the day. Not joking
— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) June 10, 2024
- iPadOS 18
iPadOS updates are usually in sync with iOS updates. So iPadOS 18 was upgraded with most of what iOS 18 got, in addition to SharePlay controls, a native Calculator app (what?!), Smart Script within Notes to improve handwriting, and more. One of the impressive features is Math Notes, a scientific calculator feature that solves input handwritten problems/functions by users through the Apple Pencil.
Me: “lol they finally brought a calculator to the iPad”
Me 2 minutes later: “holy crap math notes are amazing” pic.x.com/oLTEGuqoMi
— Yuri Sagalov (@yuris) June 10, 2024
- watchOS 11
New features include Training Load for workout effectiveness, a new Vitals app, pregnancy assist tools, automated widget selection, Check In, and more.
- visionOS 2
visionOS 2 is the first major upgrade to the spatial computing OS since the launch of Vision Pro. It now supports ultrawide virtual Mac displays, new gestures, and side-by-side screens and uses AI to convert regular photos into 3D or “spatial” ones by giving them more depth. The new visionOS iteration also has train support in Travel Mode. Apple VP Mike Rockwell confirmed there are 2,000 apps available for Vision Pro and that the company is expanding Vision Pro sales to China, Japan, and Singapore by June 28 and Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the U.K. on July 12.
- MacOS 15 Sequoia
MacOS 15 Sequoia features the following: iPhone mirroring (very Windows, might we add) through Continuity, a drag and drop file transfer functionality between iPhone and Macs, a Unified Notification Center, the Passwords password manager, Safari upgrades, Maps upgrades similar to iOS 18, and more.
3. Passwords
Apple has expanded its macOS’ iCloud Keychain password management tool to include the ability to store Wi-Fi passwords, app passwords, Passkeys, shared passwords, verification codes, etc., extended functionality to iPhones, iPads, Vision Pro goggles, and Windows, and renamed it Passwords.
There are some limitations, such as the inability to host it like BitWarden; it seems to have restricted cross-platform functionality like 1Password (Android, Linux) and will not be open-source.
Nevertheless, given Apple’s extensive reach in the consumer space, Bitwarden, 1Password, LastPass, and others will have a run for their money.
4. Others
Apple announced InSight, a new feature for Apple TV (tvOS) that allows users to access cast information and content trivia within the app, similar to Amazon Prime. Apple TV will also support 21:9 aspect ratio projectors and have audio improvements.
The company announced new movies and shows for Apple TV Plus. These include The Instigators, Dark Matter, Fly Me To the Moon, Presumed Innocent, Lady in the Lake, Bad Monkey, Pachinko, Wolfs, and new seasons of Severance, Shrinking, and Silo.
Meanwhile, AirPods now recognize gestures like head nods as affirmative responses by the user to a question.
MORE EVENTS
