Apple will kick off its week-long Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2024) today with its usual keynote at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. The presentation will focus on the company’s software offerings and the developers who power them, including the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS and watchOS.
You can watch the stream on the Apple events page. Exists a current on YouTube as well, but that tends to lag a bit.
Over the past two years, critics have noted that the company has so far lagged behind the likes of Google, Microsoft and OpenAI when it comes to genetic AI research. And our own Ivan Mehta has emphasized the need to introduce AI products that are actually useful, not flashy basic demos. CEO Tim Cook has promised to address AI concerns for some time now, and there’s no better time and place than the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino during WWDC.
Rumors suggest so far in a possible agreement with GPT developer OpenAI, which aims to level the playing field a bit. The latest reports gave Apple’s AI efforts a name: Apple Intelligence, along with the caveat that not all of Apple’s recent devices will be able to use the new system. And many rumors are swirling around AI improvements coming to iOS 18 and a possible second life for Siri.
Meanwhile, new hardware has never been a guarantee for the software-focused event, though the company has made it a trend in recent years, thanks to Apple Silicon updates and last year’s big Vision Pro debut.
The more recent rumoursBut they suggest this will be an off year for the hardware, despite mounting pressure after a lukewarm reception to Apple’s first swing at mixed reality and a decision to kill its electric car project.
While the focus will be on iOS 18, the company will also debut macOS 15, including some big design changes to what’s arguably the most useful app on the iPhone. Calculator. And you can bet that many of iOS 18’s AI features will make it to macOS 15 as well.
TechCrunch will be reporting on the ground at Apple Park, bringing you the news as it happens.
