At its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on Monday (June 10), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) unveiled new features for its various operating systems, with several powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
The company announced impressive interactive features, such as spatial photos and enterprise-specific APIs for visionOS 2, along with new partnerships with Canon (TSE:7751) and Blackmagic Design for photo and video production.
Additionally, CEO Tim Cook shared that Apple Vision Pro will be rolling out in eight new countries this summer: Japan, China and Singapore on June 28, and Canada, Germany, Australia, France and the UK on July 12.
iOS 18 will bring personalization features, satellite capabilities and a redesigned Photos app to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Meanwhile, watchOS 11 will introduce features that will help users optimize workouts by monitoring the impact of training loads on the body over time. It will also alert wearers of any abnormalities detected in their vital signs.
In addition to the new iPad features announced at Let Loose earlier this month, screen sharing is now available on iPadOS 18, allowing users to remotely control another iPad and add markups. Furthermore, the calculator app has been enhanced with scientific buttons and the ability to perform physics calculations. Notably, the Apple Pencil can be used to write down math problems on the calculator app, and they will be automatically solved as they are written.
Finally, the introduction of macOS Sequoia brings with it several notable features. The mirroring capability for iPhone, which is available even in standby mode, enables device integration, while automatic tiling allows efficient multi-screen display management. Additionally, the new passwords app ensures secure credential storage.
Safari received upgrades too, including up to four hours of extended battery life during streaming, surpassing Chrome. Furthermore, Apple Reader is leveraging machine learning to generate web page summaries and tables of contents.
Apple introduces Apple Intelligence AI
Apple's highly anticipated AI offerings were the highlight of the conference. Apple Intelligence was described by developers at WWDC as a personalized and secure form of AI with a unique understanding of personal context and comprehensive large language models integrated into device hardware.
A range of familiar writing tools, including rephrasing suggestions and tone adjustment, will be integrated into Notes, Mail, Safari, Pages and Keynote, leveraging personalized context to enhance writing effectiveness.
The on-device processing capabilities of the new iPhone 14 Pro, powered by Apple's A17 Pro and the family of M chips, enable it to process personal data without collecting it, enhancing privacy. Additionally, Private Cloud Compute uses extensive private servers for more complex AI features, ensuring secure and efficient computing for tough tasks.
However, it was Siri, Apple's intelligent personal assistant, that received the biggest upgrade thanks to Apple’s newly announced partnership with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT to Apple devices. This integration brings several new features to Siri, including personalized responses, conversational AI, fact checking, summarization and translation.
New features introduced at WWDC will be available on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPad, with Mac features being rolled out later on M1 models. Apple Intelligence will be available to try out in the US sometime this summer, with a beta version coming to iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia this fall.
Apple shares fall in after-hours trading
WWDC is a popular event every year, with investors and Apple fans eagerly awaiting the latest updates. Anticipation for WWDC was particularly high this year due to rumors and leaks suggesting big changes and new AI features.
However, Apple’s offerings were not enough to impress investors, with shares falling 1.57 percent on Monday to close at US$193.12. In after-hours trading, the stock very briefly reached US$203.34, but was priced at US$192.84 as of 6:30 p.m. EDT on Monday. Apple shares are up about 4 percent year-to-date.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.