Apple's WWDC 2025 will be modest event—with fewer AI/product announcements
What's the story
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025 is likely to be a more subdued affair compared to the company's events in the past two years.
In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has hinted that this year's event might not see any major hardware or software announcements on the same scale.
Gurman also reported that some Apple employees are expecting WWDC 2025 to be a "letdown" in terms of artificial intelligence (AI) advancements.
Previous announcements
Announcements made at past events
At WWDC 2023, Apple unveiled the Vision Pro headset and its spatial operating system, visionOS.
At last year's event, Apple Intelligence was launched in response to the growing popularity of generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini.
However, Gurman says that, "There are no major new devices ready to ship" this year.
Apple is also unlikely to make efforts to show it's keeping pace with leading generative AI players like OpenAI and Google.
Anticipated changes
Updates and redesigns expected at WWDC 2025
Despite the lack of major announcements, Gurman does expect some updates at WWDC 2025.
He said Apple will likely provide an update on Swift Assist and introduce a rich text editor for SwiftUI.
The event is also expected to witness the unveiling of Apple's revamped software platforms: iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, and watchOS 26.
Design overhaul
New design elements for the '26' lineup
The new software platforms are said to feature a visionOS-inspired, glass-like design with more translucent UI elements such as menus, buttons, and icons.
Gurman wrote in his newsletter that "The updated user interface will certainly be the standout announcement."
He added that, while it may risk giving the impression that Apple is stuck in the past, many fans might find these redesigned OS versions even more exciting than the Vision Pro and Apple Intelligence announcements.
What's more?
Apple to let developers build with its AI models
Apple may open its on-device foundation models to third-party developers, marking the company's most significant AI reveal this year.
These ~3B parameter models, currently used for tasks like text summarization and autocorrect, will soon be available for developers to embed directly into their apps.
However, it's worth noting that these on-device models are much smaller and less capable than the large cloud-based systems from OpenAI or Google, so expectations should be tempered.
Scenario
Plans for big reveals next year
As Gurman describes it, WWDC 2025 feels like a risky "gap year" for Apple.
However, the company is planning to take bolder steps at WWDC 2026 in hopes of convincing consumers of its AI leadership.
But with rivals advancing rapidly, delaying big moves could worsen Apple's image as falling behind.
Under development
Some AI initiatives are in the works
Apple is currently working on several AI initiatives, including an LLM-powered Siri, an overhauled Shortcuts app, the health-focused Project Mulberry, and a full-scale ChatGPT rival with web search.
According to Gurman, Apple is holding back on previewing some features to avoid a repeat of last year's misstep (announcing tools that weren't ready and still haven't launched).
Behind the scenes
Apple is reportedly making progress in AI development
Behind the scenes, Apple has reportedly made good progress in AI development.
The company is testing models ranging from 3B to 150B parameters, with the largest running in the cloud.
Internal benchmarks show its top model is nearing the quality of recent ChatGPT releases.
However, ongoing concerns about hallucinations and strategic disagreements are keeping these efforts under wraps, for now.