Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote for 2024 has concluded, and it was packed with groundbreaking announcements. From AI advancements to major updates across its operating systems, Apple had plenty to share. Here are the top highlights from the event:
Apple’s First AI System: Apple Intelligence
Apple is stepping into the AI arena with Apple Intelligence, a new personal intelligence system designed to bring powerful generative models to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. This system will enable capabilities such as image generation and text summarization, with a strong focus on security. Apple Intelligence will decide whether to use on-device processing or Apple’s private cloud computing server to handle requests, ensuring user privacy. This feature will be available for free on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPads, and Macs with an M1 chip and later.
Siri Gets a Big AI Boost
Siri is receiving a significant upgrade with deeper integration into the iPhone. The voice assistant will appear as a pulsating light on the device edge and offer more control over apps. Siri will now use large language models (LLMs) to better understand user commands and follow-up requests, enhancing its functionality and responsiveness.
ChatGPT Integration with Siri
A notable enhancement for Siri is its integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot. Siri will determine when a query is best suited for ChatGPT and seek user permission before sending the request. This integration allows users to access ChatGPT for free through Siri without needing a separate account.
AI Features in Native Apps
Apple is rolling out new AI features across its apps in iOS 18. Users can now summarize emails, generate responses, create custom emojis with Genmoji, and use the new Image Playground for AI-driven image generation. The Photos app will support natural language search and background object removal, similar to Google’s Magic Eraser. Additionally, AI-powered transcriptions and summaries are coming to the Notes and Phone apps.
iOS 18 Customization
iOS 18 will introduce a more customizable Control Center and allow users to freely place app icons on their home screens. New features include app lock functionality, a redesigned Photos app, and a Game Mode that minimizes background activity to optimize gameplay.
RCS Support
Apple confirmed that RCS support is arriving with iOS 18, enhancing messaging capabilities. iMessage will also get upgrades like scheduled texts, SMS messaging via satellite, colorful Tapback options, and text formatting features such as bold, underline, and italics.
Apple TV Plus Adds “inSights”
Apple TV Plus will feature “inSights,” allowing users to swipe down on the remote to see actor and character information, current song details, and automatically display subtitles when muting a show. The service will also support 21:9 projectors.
New Passwords App
Apple introduced a new Passwords app to manage login details across devices, similar to other password managers like LastPass and 1Password. The app will be available on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS, and Windows.
iPadOS 18 Features
iPadOS 18 will finally include a Calculator app with Apple Pencil support, allowing users to write equations and have them solved by the app. The new Smart Script feature will use machine learning to improve handwriting appearance and spell-check notes.
macOS Sequoia Updates
The next macOS update will enable users to mirror their iPhone on their Mac, interact with the iPhone directly from the Mac, view notifications, and hear audio. The update also includes a new Highlights feature in Safari, which uses machine learning to highlight interesting parts of a page.
watchOS 11 Innovations
watchOS 11 introduces automatic widget additions based on user needs, a new Vitals app for tracking health metrics, enhanced cycle tracking features, Live Activities, and support for Check In, allowing loved ones to track users during workouts.
visionOS 2 Enhancements
Apple’s visionOS 2 update for Vision Pro includes spatial photo capabilities, ultrawide virtual Mac display support, more intuitive gestures, and a travel mode for use on trains. The Vision Pro will also be available in more countries, including China, Singapore, Australia, Canada, France, and the UK.
AirPods Pro Update
The next update for AirPods Pro will introduce Siri Interactions, allowing users to respond to Siri by shaking their head. The update also brings Voice Isolation to improve voice quality and reduce background noise.
