Apple will kick off its weeklong Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2024) event today with the customary keynote at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. The presentation will focus on the company’s software offerings and the developers that power them, including the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS and watchOS.
You can watch the stream over on Apple’s events page. There’s a stream on YouTube as well, but that has a tendency to lag a bit.
Over the past couple of years, critics have noted that the company has thus far been falling behind the likes of Google, Microsoft and OpenAI when it comes to generative AI research. And our own Ivan Mehta has highlighted the need for them to present AI products that are actually helpful, not flashy keynote demos. CEO Tim Cook has promised to address concerns around AI for some time now, and there’s no better time and place than at Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino during WWDC.
Rumors currently point to a potential deal with GPT-developer OpenAI, aimed at leveling the playing field a bit. The latest reports have put a name to Apple’s AI efforts: Apple Intelligence, along with the caveat that not all recent Apple devices will be able to use the new system. And many rumors are swirling around the AI enhancements coming to iOS 18, and a potential second life for Siri.
Meanwhile, new hardware has never been a guarantee at the software-focused event, though the company has made it a trend in recent years, courtesy of Apple Silicon updates and last year’s big Vision Pro debut.
The most recent rumors, however, suggest that this will be an off-year for hardware, in spite of mounting pressure following a lukewarm reception for Apple’s first swing at mixed reality and the decision to kill its electric car project.
Though the centerpiece will be iOS 18, the company will also debut macOS 15, including some big design changes to perhaps the most useful app on the iPhone, Calculator. And you can bet that many of iOS 18’s AI features will make their way to macOS 15, as well.
TechCrunch will be reporting on the ground at Apple Park, bringing you the news as it happens.
