Apple's WWDC 2024 Dates Confirmed: What We Expect For iPhone And More
Apple has just announced the dates for its annual developers conference, and this year, it's likely going to be an AI-fueled makeover for Apple's software ecosystem. The WWDC 2024 showcase is slated for June 10, and will go through till June 14 — kicking off with the keynote address and delving into developer conversations and more technical details about software innovations.
The star of the show will be iOS 18, the next major iteration of Apple's smartphone operating system. Reports from Bloomberg suggest that iOS 18 will bring multiple new generative AI features to the table in both on-device and cloud-tethered formats. Apple has reportedly been working on its AI model that could be used to supercharge Siri, which is also rumored to get improved natural language conversation abilities.
The company has also published multiple research papers in the past few months detailing AI-assisted media editing capabilities. Apple is rumored to be in talks with Google to license the Gemini Nano model for iPhones, somewhat like how Samsung and its Galaxy S24 series smartphones utilize AI. However, the company is also said to be considering a partnership with OpenAI, which is riding the AI wave with products like ChatGPT, Dall-E, and Sora text-to-video generator.
It's going to be an AI affair
We are also hearing rumors of a more customizable Home Screen with the arrival of iOS 18, one that allows users to control the space between app icons. The widely-covered embrace of Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging protocol that is currently mainstream on Android is also coming, and will likely bridge the quality and feature gulf between Android and iPhone texting.
The next major WWDC 2024 reveal is expected to be macOS 15, succeeding Sonoma. Apple has already laid the hardware foundations for AI capabilities on the M3 series silicon, and we are going to hear more about its native execution on macOS at the event. Apple is also expected to talk more about its gaming efforts, with a special focus on the Metal architecture that is currently driving games like "Death Stranding" and "Resident Evil 4" in its ecosystem.
New versions of watchOS and tvOS will also be sharing the stage. For now, we haven't come across any credible leaks about a hardware reveal at WWDC, but there's a chance that new desktop-bound Mac hardware based on the M3 silicon could make an appearance.