Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference on Monday began with an emphasis on repairing its core software rather than unveiling major AI advancements. Senior vice president Craig Federighi opened the keynote by acknowledging past issues, framing the event as a chance to refine existing features before introducing new ones. The company’s approach signaled a shift in priorities, with improvements to usability and performance taking center stage over AI announcements. According to Apple, the sequencing of the keynote reflected a belief that the foundation of its ecosystem must be strengthened before users can trust it with more complex features like AI. 'We believe the best operating systems aren’t just built on big breakthroughs, they’re built on sweating the details,' Federighi said. This statement, while typical for most companies, carried significant weight at Apple, where it was interpreted as a subtle admission of past shortcomings. The company has faced criticism for its design choices, including the Liquid Glass interface, which sparked backlash over readability and usability.
Apple acknowledged user concerns, offering new customization options to adjust the level of tint and clarity. The update included a slider that allows users to dial back the design to a fully tinted appearance, addressing feedback that the feature was undercooked. The company also introduced a more uniform toolbar in macOS, refined app icons, and performance improvements that boosted app launch speeds, photo loading times, and file transfer rates. These changes, while incremental, were presented as part of a broader effort to enhance user experience before focusing on AI. Apple extended performance improvements to all models back to the iPhone 11, a phone released in 2019, signaling an acknowledgment that users are retaining devices longer. The company also addressed long-standing issues, such as smoother Wi-Fi to cellular transitions and a new indicator for message delays. A rebuilt search experience was highlighted as more stable, efficient, and comprehensive, with new content indexed almost immediately.
The Health app received significant updates, adding support for perimenopause and menopause tracking, a move that aligns with the growing interest in menopause care. iCloud shared photo albums now allow contributions from Android and Windows users, expanding their utility for group events. Apple also introduced improved screen time controls for parents before turning to the main event: the AI-enhanced Siri. The sequencing of the keynote was intentional, reframing the Siri update as part of a broader effort rather than the defining AI moment the industry had anticipated. The AI features, including Apple Intelligence, were presented as incremental improvements rather than groundbreaking innovations. For instance, the new AI capabilities allow for organizing web tabs, analyzing webpages for information, and generating custom Safari extensions. The company also introduced password suggestions in Safari and AI-driven reply suggestions in Messages.
Calendar can now create events from natural language commands, a feature previously offered by third-party apps. AI will also surface key information during phone calls, such as confirmation codes when calling airlines. Meanwhile, the Home app will use AI to summarize events, catching up with competitors like Amazon and Google. Apple also unveiled updates to its image generation app, Image Playground, which now offers more practical applications like generating business flyers or editing photos. The app can even retroactively adjust the composition of existing photos using spatial models. These updates mark a shift from novelty to utility for Apple’s AI tools.
Source: techcrunch
