The five-day Worldwide Developer Convention (WWDC) 2025, certainly one of Apple’s massive occasions of the 12 months, will formally kick off on Monday, June 9, with a keynote from CEO Tim Cook dinner and different firm executives at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, US, ranging from 10:30 PM IST onwards.
WWDC is the place Apple sometimes showcases its newest developer-focused software program updates and options, together with loads of information referring to iOS, Imaginative and prescient Professional, and so on. Nevertheless, this 12 months’s WWDC arrives at one of the crucial pivotal moments within the firm’s historical past. There have been a number of query marks about Apple’s AI technique and whether or not it plans on taking daring steps to meet up with rivals in an business quickly being reworked by AI.
AI can be rising as the brand new person interface that threatens the stronghold of corporations comparable to Apple over smartphones and app distribution. For example, OpenAI lately introduced it’s buying io, a startup based by Jony Ive, Apple’s former industrial designer, for $6.5 billion. Ive can be collaborating with OpenAI to construct a brand new AI {hardware} product that would doubtlessly match the success of the iPhone.
So, the stakes at WWDC 2025 seem like increased than ever. But, AI shouldn’t be anticipated to take centre stage at Monday’s keynote. At WWDC 2024, Apple launched Apple Intelligence, its response to the rise of chatbots and AI fashions sparked by OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022. However the rollout of Apple Intelligence has been sluggish and the options restricted. The promise of an AI-powered, revamped Siri has additionally been delayed indefinitely.
Apple WWDC 2025: Why it issues
Apple is grappling with regulatory challenges that go properly past its perceived place within the AI race. For starters, the tech large might doubtlessly lose its annual $20 billion-dollar paycheck from Google for default placement of the latter’s search engine within the former’s Safari internet browser.
Final 12 months, a US district court docket dominated that Google had established an unlawful monopoly of the web search market via ‘exclusionary’ offers with smartphone makers and browser builders like Apple. Google may very well be barred from having such preparations with Apple, if the court docket guidelines in opposition to it within the search antitrust treatments trial.
In one other regulatory setback, Texas grew to become the second state within the US (after Utah) to undertake a regulation requiring Apple and Google’s app shops to confirm the age of their customers and acquire parental approval earlier than minors can obtain apps on the app shops or make in-app purchases.
Story continues beneath this advert
App retailer homeowners comparable to Apple and Google clashed with social media giants like Meta and X over the laws, as each side sought to shift age verification duties onto one another. Tim Cook dinner even urged Texas Governor Greg Abott to rethink or veto the laws, in accordance with a report by Wall Road Journal.
However the one that’s prone to have probably the most vital influence on Apple and its developer ecosystem is the April 30 court docket ruling directing the corporate to finish a number of App Retailer practices that, a US district court docket stated, have been designed to avoid a earlier injunction within the Epic Video games case.
These practices included a brand new 27 per cent price Apple imposed on app builders when its prospects full an app buy exterior the App Retailer. Now, Apple is totally prohibited from limiting the place builders can place cost hyperlinks for customers to make purchases exterior of the app.
The April 30 ruling might doubtlessly take a chew out of Apple’s profitable App Retailer income because it successfully blocks the corporate from charging commissions on each in-app transaction. The ruling additional paved the way in which for the return of Epic Video games’ Fortnite to the Apple App Retailer.
Story continues beneath this advert
On this context, what does Apple have in retailer for WWDC 2025? Right here’s what to anticipate.
Apple WWDC 2025: What to anticipate
Among the largest bulletins to return out of WWDC 2025 would be the revamped design of iOS in addition to a brand new naming conference, in accordance with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. As a substitute of naming the newest model of the working system iOS 19, after iOS 18, the corporate is prone to skip forward to iOS 26 which will likely be adopted by iOS 27, iOS 28, iOS 29, and so on, sooner or later.
Apple can be anticipated to announce a serious shift within the aesthetics of its software program with a view to make the visible parts extra constant throughout the corporate’s myriad merchandise just like the Imaginative and prescient Professional, Apple Watch, iPad, and extra. The Tim Cook dinner-led firm can be anticipated to take one other shot at social gaming by introducing a brand new pre-installed gaming app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV gadgets.
On the AI entrance, Apple is anticipated to open up entry to its foundational AI fashions. Because of this third-party software program builders might get entry to the corporate’s giant language fashions (LLMs) with a view to construct AI options inside their respective apps for iPhones and different Apple gadgets. Experiences additionally recommend that Apple’s well being app may very well be built-in with an AI well being chatbot in addition to different AI-powered insights and personalised well being ideas for customers.
Story continues beneath this advert
iMessage may get new AI options comparable to translation and polls with AI-generated ideas, in accordance with a report by 9to5Mac. The Apple AirPods may get an improve with a live-translate language function to translate conversations in real-time. The AirPods might get new head gestures comparable to nods or headshakes to reply incoming calls or learn messages, as per stories.
However it’s unlikely to make another hardware-related announcement. Apple’s refreshed lineup of iPhones and different devices are usually introduced at an occasion held someday in September or October this 12 months.
The WWDC 2025 keynote on Monday goes to be livestreamed ranging from 10:30 PM IST onwards. You possibly can watch the keynote reside by way of the Apple Developer app, on Apple’s web site, or by visiting the corporate’s official YouTube channel. You may as well observe together with The Indian Categorical’ reside weblog in case you don’t need to miss out on any updates through the occasion.