What to expect including iOS 18 updates, AI, and more

It will soon be Apple’s turn to talk about the next major updates to the operating system, giving developers a chance to prepare their apps before they roll out widely this fall. The company’s Worldwide Developers Conference is just around the corner. Apple is sure to reveal some key features of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, as well as what’s coming for the likes of watchOS, macOS, and visionOS at WWDC 2024.

However, given the current technological climate, it seems likely that Apple is about to follow its competitors by making a big leap into the world of generative AI. This could be the main focus of the keynote, since those are the only two messages investors seem to care to hear these days.

Apple rumors never stop amplifying, so we’ve heard bits and pieces about what WWDC might include. It seems unlikely that we’ll get any major hardware announcements at the event, but you’ll never know until Tim Cook wraps things up. After all, we saw the Apple Vision Pro debut at the recent WWDC conference.

Anyway, here’s what to expect from Apple’s WWDC 2024 keynote:

When is WWDC 2024?

WWDC 2024 starts on June 10 and runs until June 14. There will be a variety of events throughout the week, but the bulk of the attention will be on Apple’s keynote set for 1pm ET on June 10.

The keynote is where Apple tends to reveal many of the key features of the next major versions of its major operating systems: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and most likely VisionOS. Apple has also used the WWDC keynote to unveil new hardware over the years, though we expect it to be less disruptive this time around.

How to watch WWDC

As always, you’ll be able to listen to Apple’s presentation online. Apple used to restrict streams to its homepage and apps, but thankfully its grip has eased over the years. You will be able to see the keyword apple.comThe Apple Developer App, the Apple TV App, and Apple channel on YouTube.

Amnesty International

Although Apple has largely stayed away from saying the word “artificial intelligence” very often during its events, there’s been no escaping the big tech buzzword of the past couple of years. Generative AI is quickly seeping into 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 chatbot ready for use during peak times. While it continues to move away from that, the company has reportedly reached an agreement with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into iOS 18. BloombergMark GormanApple is still interested in reaching an agreement with Google to offer the company’s Gemini AI assistant on iPhones as well, but this may not happen until the future.

Meanwhile, Siri is expected to get an upgrade across compatible devices using Apple’s larger language models. Reports also indicate that you’ll be able to use the voice assistant to perform many specific functions in certain apps (such as opening documents and sending emails), but it’s believed Apple won’t roll out this Siri upgrade until early 2025.

Apple’s approach to generative AI in both iOS 18 and macOS 15 is said to be a pragmatic one based on helping everyday people in their daily lives rather than letting them, for example, quickly create long chunks of text that they can sell as e-books for a quick charge. dollar. Instead, you’ll likely see GAI features like suggested email and message replies, TL;DR text summaries, voice memo transcription (finally!) and improved photo enhancement tools in the core apps.

Apple is expected to handle as much of the AI ​​processing as possible on-device, with the rest sent to data centers. This raises questions about how Apple ensures user privacy, which is one of the company’s core principles. It will need to explain how to keep user information secure as it moves between the device and the data center.

iOS 18 / iPad OS 18

since when, New features It comes to a wide range of iOS and iPadOS apps. Arguably the most notable of these is the expected introduction of RCS in letters.

GMSA’s RCS, or Rich Communication Service, is a more advanced messaging protocol than three-decade-old SMS. RCS is more secure than old-school SMS, because it is Offers end-to-end encryption. It allows for improved media sharing, with high-resolution images, videos and audio. RCS allows for proper group chats and supports Wi-Fi messaging as well.

However, Apple has refused for years to bring RCS to its platform — something Google has long needed to do — to keep iMessage closer to 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 who asked for better Android text messaging compatibility so he could share videos with his mother was, “Buy your mother an iPhone.”

Apple eventually backed down from its RCS stance last year, perhaps to ensure its compliance with strict EU regulations. The company said it will enable RCS support in 2024, so it makes sense that this feature would 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 has just started allowing Android users to edit RCS messages within 15 minutes of sending them.

Gorman also noted that Apple will likely support the creation of custom emojis based on what you type in text messages. It looks like you’ll also be able to change the colors of app icons on your home screen and will no longer have to keep apps locked to a strict grid system.

Apple music He may win An automatically generated playlist feature follows an OpenAI-powered tool that Spotify rolled out in 2023. Custom routes and topographical maps (which debuted on the Apple Watch last year) are said to be on their way to Apple Maps. Additionally, Apple is rumored to be adding an audio recording tool to Notes, which would pair nicely with the expected transcription functionality, as well as the option to view sports notation.

Other core applications are said to be in line with some of the changes, such as generative AI functionality in productivity apps like Keynote and Pages. Other apps like Mail, Fitness, and Health are also expected to get new features, but details have not been leaked yet.

calculator

This long-awaited update deserves its own section. That’s right, the Calculator app is reportedly getting an overhaul on iPhone and Mac. Mystery aside, the revamp actually looks like it’s going to be useful, with Notes app integration, improved unit conversions, and a sidebar that lists recent activities. The app is also said to be coming to iPadOS.

Mac 15

Let’s take a wild guess here and announce that Apple will name the next version of macOS after a prominent location in California. In all seriousness, this would be the least shocking thing Apple could do on the main stage.

Many iOS app updates are there is expected To be replicated in macOS 15, such as Apple Music, Notes, and Productivity changes. Rumors suggest that Apple is reorganizing the System Settings app based on the importance and priority of different categories, so the General tab will likely be moved up while Sound and Notifications are expected to be listed in a drop-down menu.

Elsewhere, the Siri menu bar icon may get a new look with a flat, monochrome design that is expected to replace the current colorful version. There may be some welcome accessibility upgrades as well, such as a Shortcuts option that allows users to trigger a specific setting or action with a custom spoken phrase.

Apple devices

Last year’s WWDC was a major hardware surprise, with Apple finally announcing the Vision Pro alongside the 15-inch MacBook Air, Mac Pro, and Mac Studio powered by the M2 Ultra. However, we don’t expect much from Apple on the hardware front this time around.

Company Just Apple has updated its iPad lineup and it’s likely too early for any new laptops given the MacBook Pro and iMac updates in October and the MacBook Air update in March. Naturally, the iPhones will remain under wraps until September, as will the upcoming Apple Watches. However, Apple may seize the opportunity to put M3 or even M4 chips into other desktop systems, many of which are still mired in the M2 generation.

We can see some updated peripherals and other hardware as well. There’s always a possibility that Apple will unveil an (official) version of the AirPods Max with a USB-C charging port.

Back in January 2023, Gorman mentioned The new Apple TV Box will arrive in the first half of 2024. There is still enough time for that to happen. There is a possibility that Apple will add a camera to the Apple TV as well. In this case, there’s no need to use your iPhone or iPad to have FaceTime conversations on the biggest screen in your home.

Apple Vision Pro

The only thing we expect on the hardware side is for Apple to reveal where the Vision Pro is headed next. Until now, the headphones have only been available in the United States. This is likely to change in the coming weeks and months. Multiple reports It suggested that the next phase of the rollout would include Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and the United Kingdom. However, there hasn’t been much in terms of VisionOS 2 leaks yet, so it’s unclear what kind of updates the mixed reality OS will get.

Everything else

Rumors have been quiet about watchOS updates as well. There will certainly be some notable changes to Apple’s wearable operating system, but it’s possible we’ll see a relatively minor iteration of watchOS after last year’s overhaul.

It’s rare that tvOS gets a lot of attention during an Apple keynote, but it’s bound 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 to get 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 get to the keynote stage at WWDC and start discussing what’s next for Apple products and services. But based on reports from several Apple-focused journalists with a track record of getting things right, we expect to hear about many of the above updates and announcements.

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