CUPERTINO, Calif.—Apple dialed back its announcements at this year’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), opting for practical optimizations over futuristic launches. The atmosphere here felt like that of a professional sports team in a rebuilding year.
The past two WWDCs have touted so-called game-changing innovations, both of which landed flat. In 2023, it was the Vision Pro, an innovative but very expensive headset. Last year, we got Apple Intelligence. It promised to revolutionize how we interact with AI, but has since accrued several false advertising lawsuits over delayed features, mostly the revamped version of Siri, and put Apple in the hot seat over whether it can truly compete in AI.
(Credit: Emily Forlini/PCMag)
So this year, the big question as I walked into Apple Park was whether the company had a surprise up its sleeve to right the ship. Would we get an update on Siri? What about other rumors about smart glasses to compete with Meta’s Ray-Ban specs and Google’s Android XR? Does it have anything on tap to counter an AI hardware product from OpenAI and its former design chief, Jony Ive?
Nope. Instead, we got a smattering of feature optimizations that fall within Apple’s established wheelhouse. The rumored biggest UI overhaul since iOS 7 in 2013 ended up being the introduction of Liquid Glass, or translucent buttons, and changing the iOS naming conventions to align with the year (up next is iOS 26.) It’s all more elegant and streamlined, which we love from Apple, but also feels like breadcrumbs to keep consumers on the hook while it cooks up something bigger. Other small features that I’ll enjoy on a daily basis are the iPhone’s new spam call filter, Call Screening, and the ability to poll a group chat.
Liquid Glass features translucent buttons and menus. (Credit: Emily Forlini/PCMag)
Group chat poll (Credit: Emily Forlini/PCMag)
Perhaps it’s smart for Apple to dial it back while it works on perfecting its next releases, but from a pure technology standpoint, WWDC is a bit of a letdown. Arguably the biggest update is that iPads will operate more like Macs. With iPadOS 26, you can resize windows and access a full menu toolbar. When you open a minimized window, it pulls up its last location, like a laptop. With Tahoe, macOS also gets a major productivity boost with an update to the Spotlight search bar.
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These are welcome improvements, but they do not fundamentally change how we use Apple devices, which was the implication with the Vision Pro and Apple Intelligence.
Speaking of, the muted chatter around Apple Intelligence speaks volumes. At WWDC, it got a passing mention as powering select features, like Live Translation. The crowd seemed impressed, but we did not get an update on whether it’s coming to AirPods to facilitate in-person interactions. (Instead, the earbuds got some podcaster-focused upgrades.) A new AI-powered Workout Buddy on watchOS 26 will coach you through workouts on your Apple Watch, but you can already do that with ChatGPT.
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The new Siri is supposed to gain “on-screen awareness,” meaning it knows what apps and functionalities an iPhone has and can take actions across them. Now that would change how we use Apple devices. But instead of updating us on that, Apple filled the space with updates to Image Playground, which, unlike the other optimizations it introduced at WWDC, is largely useless. It makes animated images, such as a silly version of a friend they can save as their photo in your contacts. You can now change facial expressions and hairstyles and create images in new artistic styles like an oil painting style or vector art. It’s fun if you’re bored on the weekend.
Image Playground (Credit: Emily Forlini/PCMag)
The biggest letdown for me was that Apple did not so much as hint at its future smart glasses ambitions beyond the Vision Pro. In March, CEO Tim Cook reassigned the Siri revamp to Vision Pro creator Mike Rockwell. Rumors followed in May that it’s working on two types of smart glasses that can scan the environment and talk to the wearer about what it sees, presumably with Apple Intelligence. But according to Bloomberg, Apple doesn’t expect to enter mass production until the end of 2027. Maybe sooner, but not before 2026.
Has Apple made enough progress to discuss its smart glasses ambitions at its usual fall event? We’ll have to see; until then, Apple is asking customers to enjoy these smaller feature bumps and keep the faith that it hasn’t lost its role as a forward-looking tech powerhouse.
About Emily Forlini
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