By MICHAEL LIEDTKE<\/p>\n
CUPERTINO, Calif. \u2014 After stumbling out of the starting gate in Big Tech\u2019s pivotal race to capitalize on artificial intelligence, Apple tried to regain its footing Monday during an annual developers conference that focused mostly on incremental advances and cosmetic changes in its technology.<\/p>\n
The presummer rite, which attracted thousands of developers from nearly 60 countries to Apple\u2019s Silicon Valley headquarters, was more subdued than the feverish anticipation that surrounded the event during the previous two years. <\/p>\n
Apple highlighted plans for more AI tools designed to simplify people\u2019s lives and make its products even more intuitive while also providing an early glimpse at the biggest redesign of its iPhone software in a decade. In doing so, Apple executives refrained from issuing bold promises of breakthroughs that punctuated recent conferences, prompting CFRA analyst Angelo Zino to deride the event as a \u201cdud\u201d in a research note.<\/p>\n
In 2023, Apple unveiled a mixed-reality headset<\/a> that has been little more than a niche product, and last year WWDC trumpeted its first major foray into the AI craze with an array of new features<\/a> highlighted by the promise of a smarter and more versatile version of its virtual assistant, Siri \u2014 a goal that has hasn\u2019t been achieved yet.<\/p>\n \u201cThis work needed more time to reach our high-quality bar,\u201d Craig Federighi, Apple\u2019s top software executive, said Monday at the outset of the conference. The company didn\u2019t provide a precise timetable for the Siri\u2019s AI upgrade to be finished but indicated it won\u2019t happen until next year, at the earliest.<\/p>\n \u201cThe silence surrounding Siri was deafening,\u201d said Forrester Research analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee said. \u201cNo amount of text corrections or cute emojis can fill the yawning void of an intuitive, interactive AI experience that we know Siri will be capable of when ready. We just don\u2019t know when that will happen. The end of the Siri runway is coming up fast, and Apple needs to lift off.\u201d<\/p>\n The showcase unfolded amid nagging questions about whether Apple has lost some of the mystique and innovative drive that turned it into a tech trendsetter during its nearly 50-year history.<\/p>\n Instead of making a big splash as it did with the Vision Pro headset and its AI suite, Apple took a mostly low-key approach that emphasized its effort to spruce up the look of its software with a new design called \u201cLiquid Glass\u201d while also unveiling a new hub for its video games and new features like a \u201cWorkout Buddy\u201d to help manage physical fitness.<\/p>\n Apple executives promised to make its software more compatible with the increasingly sophisticated computer chips that have been powering its products while also making it easier to toggle between the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.<\/p>\n \u201cOur product experience has become even more seamless and enjoyable,\u201d Apple CEO Tim Cook told the crowd as the 90-minute showcase wrapped up.<\/p>\n IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo said Apple seemed to be largely using Monday\u2019s conference to demonstrate the company still has a blueprint for success in AI, even if it\u2019s going to take longer to realize the vision that was presented a year ago.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year\u2019s event was not about disruptive innovation, but rather careful calibration, platform refinement and developer enablement \u2013positioning itself for future moves rather than unveiling game-changing technologies,\u201d Jeronimo said.<\/p>\n Besides redesigning its software. Apple will switch to a method that automakers have used to telegraph their latest car models by linking them to the year after they first arrive at dealerships. That means the next version of the iPhone operating system due out this autumn will be known as iOS 26 instead of iOS 19 \u2014 as it would be under the previous naming approach that has been used since the device\u2019s 2007 debut.<\/p>\n The iOS 26 upgrade is expected to be released in September around the same time Apple traditionally rolls out the next iPhone models.<\/p>\n In an early sign that AI wasn\u2019t going to be a focal point of this year\u2019s conference, Apple opened the proceedings with a short video clip featuring Federighi speeding around a track in a Formula 1 race car. Although it was meant to promote the June 27 release of the Apple film, \u201cF1\u201d starring Brad Pitt, the segment could also be viewed as an unintentional analogy to the company\u2019s attempt to catch up to the rest of the pack in AI technology.<\/p>\n While some of the new AI tricks compatible with the latest iPhones began rolling out late last year<\/a> as part of free software updates, the delays in a souped-up Siri became so glaring that the chastened company stopped promoting it in its marketing campaigns earlier this year.<\/p>\n While Apple has been struggling to make AI that meets its standards, the gap separating it from other tech powerhouses is widening. Google keeps packing more AI into its Pixel smartphone lineup while introducing more of the technology<\/a> into its search engine to dramatically change the way it works. Samsung, Apple\u2019s biggest smartphone rival, is also leaning heavily into AI.<\/a> Meanwhile, ChatGPT recently struck a deal<\/a> that will bring former Apple design guru Jony Ive into the fold to work on a new device expected to compete against the iPhone.<\/p>\n