Apple is stepping into this big summer event.
The iPhone giant sets the stage for the Worldwide Developers Conference, an annual software-centric event that Apple fanatics and investors alike look forward to.
On Monday, the developer will descend to Apple's campus in Cupertino, California. There, CEO Tim Cook and other executives will be making their famous keynote debuts. The event has become known for its exciting releases, including the Apple Vision Pro headset and Sneak Peak for iOS, the latest version of the iPhone operating system.
However, this year, Apple has three elephants in their rooms on their big day. Questions about China's tariffs, Apple Intelligence already on schedule, and long-term vision for its hardware.
Forrester analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee doesn't expect any big fireworks.
“The WWDC announcement is relatively progressive and muted, except for the possibility of overhauling the visual design of the user experience,” Chatterjee told Business Insider.
In 2024, Cook and Co. introduced the world to Apple Intelligence, Apple's theatre on artificial intelligence. I built an iPhone around AI. Almost a year later, Apple Intelligence has not met analysts' expectations of driving more iPhone upgrades.
Apple has delayed the promise of a more personalized Siri, featured in WWDC 2024. In April, the company told Apple's blog Daring Fireball, which has no connection to being “longer than thought” to be ready for release.
Monday is a “important opportunity” to address key questions about Apple's AI, said Gadjo Sevilla, an analyst at Emarketer, a sister company to BI.
“The company's AI migration is full of delays and the company's inability to showcase its own AI capabilities,” says Sevilla.
Apple's terrible, scary, no good start to 2025
Apple hasn't gotten off to the easiest start until 2025.
The company was rake up by the App Store, the unpredictable tariff announcement that sparked supply chain scrambling, and the legal battle that included the ongoing challenges in China, a key region for iPhone sales and manufacturing.
During Apple's revenue call in early May, Cook told investors it expects tariff costs of $900 million in the June quarter.
Then, on May 23, President Donald Trump said iPhones produced outside the US would face tariffs of at least 25%. Analysts previously said moving iPhone production from countries like India and China to the US could take up to 10 years and cause iPhone prices to skyrocket.
Chatterjee said these tariff changes could have “significant consequences” for the company.
Apple also suffered a big set last month in a long-standing court battle with Epic Games. The judge ruled that it would no longer be able to collect 27% of the fees from US developers who direct users to purchase from outside.
As a developer-focused event, WWDC could be an opportunity for Apple to make things smoother with app builders.
“This is Apple's chance to repair relationships with developers who are frustrated by the restrictive ecosystem and high prices,” says Sevilla.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment by Business Insider.
Meanwhile, Openai, who partnered with Apple last year to submit ChatGpt to Siri, recently worked on Apple's previous design lead Jony Ive to work on wearable AI hardware. I worked closely with famous Apple co-founder Steve Jobs to design some of the company's most iconic gadgets before leaving the company in 2019.
Apple was particularly late to AI games. In recent Openai employment, analysts are concerned that Apple is slipping as the frontline in innovation.
“This is what we hope Apple will compete with its own AI innovation. The company wants to dispel the 'next big thing' story that's happening outside Apple, led by a former star designer,” says Sevilla.
However, Apple has important advantages in AI racing. This is a large, global distribution channel for software. After all, the iPhone is the most popular smartphone in the world.
The world of technology is watching to see if Apple will move in WWDC after stumbling with AI last year.
Business Insider is LiveBlogging from Cook's WWDC Keynote.
