Apple's WWDC 2024 keynote lived up to the hype, placing a heavy emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI) and its integration across the company's software ecosystem. Here's a closer look at the key announcements:
iOS 18: The Rise of Apple Intelligence
- AI-powered features: This was the highlight of iOS 18. Expect a smarter Siri that can anticipate your needs, generate personalised responses, and even control smart home devices more intuitively.
- Enhanced accessibility: New features leverage AI to personalise the user experience for those with visual or hearing impairments.
- Privacy focus: Apple assures users that on-device AI processing keeps data private, a key differentiator compared to competitors.
- Customisation: iOS 18 offers more granular control over the look and feel of the interface, with rumours suggesting customisable widgets and lock screen experiences.
iPadOS 18: A Step Towards Laptop Replacement?
- Long-awaited apps: iPadOS 18 finally brings long-rumoured native apps like Calculator and Weather, potentially bridging the functionality gap with laptops.
- Apple Pencil 3 integration: While details are scarce, whispers point towards pressure sensitivity and hover features for the Apple Pencil 3, enhancing artistic workflows.
- Stage Manager improvements: Stage Manager, the multitasking tool introduced in iPadOS 15, is expected to receive further refinements for smoother window management.
watchOS 11 and macOS Sequoia: More to Uncover
- watchOS 11: Information is still emerging, but expect health and fitness enhancements leveraging AI for personalised workout plans and activity tracking.
- macOS Sequoia: The new macOS iteration, codenamed Sequoia, remains shrouded in mystery. However, rumours suggest AI-powered features integrated into core apps like Pages, Keynote, and Xcode to streamline workflows.
visionOS 2: Powering the Mixed Reality Future
- Enhanced AR/VR experiences: VisionOS 2 promises advancements in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences, potentially blurring the lines between the physical and digital worlds.
- Focus on developer tools: Apple is likely to unveil new tools and resources to empower developers in creating groundbreaking AR/VR experiences for the Vision Pro headset.
Apple Intelligence
Apple announced a new feature called Apple Intelligence at WWDC 2024. Apple Intelligence is a personal intelligence system that is built into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. It uses generative models to understand and create language and images, and it can take action across apps to simplify tasks. Apple Intelligence protects user privacy by using on-device processing for many tasks. Some features require users to opt in and connect to cloud-based models. Here are some of the key capabilities of Apple Intelligence:
- Writing Tools: This feature allows users to rewrite, proofread, and summarise text.
- Priority Messages: This feature shows the most important emails at the top of the inbox and provides summaries of emails.
- Smart Reply: This feature suggests quick replies to emails and identifies questions in emails.
- Reduce Interruptions Focus: This Focus surfaces only the notifications that might need immediate attention.
- Image Playground: This feature allows users to create fun images by choosing from a variety of styles and adding descriptions.
- Genmoji: This feature allows users to create emoji of themselves or their friends.
Overall, WWDC 2024 showcased Apple's commitment to AI and its potential to revolutionise how we interact with our devices. While details are still unfolding, one thing is clear: Apple is betting big on the future of intelligent computing.
