Cupertino, CA (WNews) – At the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024, Apple introduced a suite of major updates across its software platforms, including iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, watchOS 11, tvOS, VisionOS 2, and the new Apple Intelligence. Held at Apple Park and streamed online, the keynote event highlighted Apple’s latest innovations and strategic directions for the year.
iOS 18 and iPadOS 18
Apple’s iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 bring a plethora of new features and improvements. iOS 18 introduces enhanced customization options, such as the ability to place icons and widgets anywhere on the home screen and new controls for changing app icon colors. Notable additions include a new security feature allowing users to lock individual apps using Face ID, as well as RCS support in the Messages app for better cross-platform messaging.
iPadOS 18 inherits many of these features, with additional enhancements tailored for the iPad, including a long-awaited Calculator app and a powerful new eye-tracking accessibility feature inspired by Vision Pro.
macOS Sequoia
macOS Sequoia, the latest update for Mac, focuses on integrating AI capabilities and improving system apps. Key features include iPhone mirroring on Mac screens, a redesigned System Settings app, and updates to Safari and other native apps. The introduction of Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI tools, marks a significant advancement, allowing for smarter content summaries, improved photo editing, and enhanced coding features in Xcode.
watchOS 11
WatchOS 11 brings a new app called Vitals and several enhancements to the Activity app, including the ability to take a day off from workouts without losing streaks. The update emphasizes health and fitness, with more personalized coaching features leveraging the new AI capabilities.
VisionOS 2
VisionOS 2 aims to enhance the Vision Pro experience with more native apps, a customizable home screen, and real-time captioning for spoken dialogue. These updates are designed to make the Vision Pro more accessible and functional for a broader audience as Apple prepares for the device’s international rollout later this year.
tvOS 18
Apple today announced tvOS 18, the software that runs on the Apple TV set-top box. New features include InSight, which is like Amazon X-ray but for Apple original content.
For video, Apple is now supporting 21:9 projectors for the first time. For audio, Apple is also upgrading its Enhance Dialogue feature with machine learning to improve voice isolation.
InSight overlays metadata about the current scene, when you pause the movie or show, available for supported content. InSight shows the current cast list, and the current soundtrack with a direct link to Apple Music. InSight will be available on the TV app on tvOS, and the TV app on iPhone and iPad.
Previously, Enhance Dialogue was only available with Apple TV and HomePod. The audio filter will also now be available when using TV speakers, receivers or Bluetooth audio output.
With the new version of tvOS, subtitles will also be enabled automatically at relevant moments, like when the volume of the movie is muted or you skip back ten seconds to replay the scene.
tvOS 18 will also feature an upgraded set of screensavers, including a new animated Snoopy screensaver, and an option that features scenes from Apple TV+ shows.
Apple Intelligence and OpenAI Partnership
One of the most significant announcements was the introduction of Apple Intelligence, a comprehensive AI platform that integrates into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia.
With Apple Intelligence, users can enhance their writing and communicate more effectively. In iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, users can rewrite, proofread, and summarize almost anywhere they write, including Mail, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps.
Whether tidying up class notes, ensuring a blog post reads just right, or making sure an email is perfectly crafted, Writing Tools help users feel more confident in their writing. With Rewrite, Apple Intelligence allows users to choose from different versions of what they have written, adjusting the tone to suit the audience and task at hand. From finessing a cover letter, to adding humour and creativity to a party invitation, Rewrite helps deliver the right words to meet the occasion. Proofread checks grammar, word choice, and sentence structure while also suggesting edits — along with explanations of the edits — that users can review or quickly accept. With Summarize, users can select text and have it recapped in the form of a digestible paragraph, bulleted key points, a table, or a list.
Apple Intelligence leverages OpenAI’s ChatGPT 4o to power cloud-based AI queries, bringing advanced generative AI capabilities to Apple devices. This partnership aims to enhance user interactions with smarter Siri responses, improved content generation, and more intuitive user experiences across Apple’s ecosystem. By asking users to approve a prompt to share their information with OpenAI, its partnership also leverages Apple’s Privacy and Data Protection Practices.
It is expected that the Apple Integration with OpenAI will be released into beta in the Fall of this year. The company is expected to partner with other AI models in the coming year, and more information will be provided in the near future.
Conclusion
At WWDC 2024, Apple announced a series of new innovations, including AI and cross-device functionality, signaling the company’s intention to focus heavily on these topics in the coming year. As of now, the new updates are in Developer Beta, but a public beta release is scheduled for next month. iOS 18, iPadOS 18, WatchOS 11, as well as tvOS 18 are scheduled to be available to the public in September, while VisonOS 2 and MacOS Sequoia are expected to be out later this fall.
For more details on the latest announcements and features, visit Apple’s official WWDC page and follow coverage on tech news sites like MacRumors and Engadget.
