Apple WWDC 2024: "Apple Intelligence" in focus | Highlights & classification

On June 10, 2024, Apple presented a series of exciting innovations at WWDC 2024 that are intended to take the user experience to a new level. The keynote focused on interesting advances in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and new functions for Apple devices. Here are the most important highlights and a classification of the announcements.

AI integration: Apple relies on "Apple Intelligence"

Apple has taken a long time to implement advanced AI functions, but now the technology company is going on the offensive. From fall 2024, iPhones and other devices will make users' lives easier with a variety of new AI-supported functions. These include summarizing missed emails and messages, creating individual emojis and retrieving information on demand.

An example presented by Apple's software boss Craig Federighi shows the power of "Apple Intelligence": if a work appointment is postponed, the software can check whether you can still make it to your daughter's theater performance. To do this, it accesses information from various apps such as the calendar, news and maps and takes the current traffic situation into account. This type of cross-system access to user data sets "Apple Intelligence" apart from other AI solutions.

A decisive advantage for Apple is the deep integration of its devices into users' everyday lives. With the iPhone, Apple Watch and Mac, the company has access to diverse user data that enables it to provide personalized and useful answers. Apple calls this AI "Apple Intelligence" to emphasize its special role in the Apple ecosystem.

Siri is getting smarter

Siri, Apple's voice assistant, is also getting a much-needed upgrade. New functions such as editing photos by voice command or adding addresses directly from chat apps should make Siri more modern and useful. These updates could finally make Siri more competitive with advanced chatbots such as ChatGPT.

Of particular interest is the "Genmoji" function, which allows users to create individual emojis while typing a text. The Mail app will also be improved by AI: in future, it will display a short summary instead of the first few lines and can prioritize messages depending on their importance.

Integration of OpenAI ChatGPT

A significant step in Apple's AI strategy is the integration of ChatGPT, the popular chatbot from AI company OpenAI. In May, Apple signed a deal with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT's basic functions into its operating systems. Although there is no standalone app for ChatGPT, the chatbot's functions are available wherever it makes sense.

Siri can, for example, refer directly to ChatGPT for more complex queries. When it comes to which plants would go well with a certain scene in a picture, or when writing a text, users can rely on the support of ChatGPT to create a completely new text based on an idea.

An important aspect of this integration is that "Apple Intelligence" explicitly asks each time whether the relevant information may be passed on to ChatGPT. This feature is free for owners of compatible devices, including iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max, as well as Macs and iPads with M1 or newer. The service will launch later in 2024 and will use GPT-4o.
Signing up for OpenAI is not required, but users can use their OpenAI account to access paid features of ChatGPT on Apple devices.

Critical classification

At WWDC 2024, Apple took a clear direction that relies heavily on AI and improved user experiences. These developments could make everyday life easier for many people and make the use of Apple devices even more intuitive. However, while companies such as OpenAI, Microsoft, Google and Meta have already entered the AI race in earnest, Apple has so far held back.

Although CEO Tim Cook emphasized back in September 2023 that Apple has been researching generative AI for years, little of this has been visible to date. Apple's approach of carrying out the majority of AI processing on the device itself in order to increase security sets it apart from its competitors, who mainly operate their solutions in the cloud. Only particularly demanding tasks are outsourced to the cloud at Apple.

Critically, it remains to be seen how effective Apple's AI integration will be in practice. The new functions are promising, but success will depend heavily on how well Apple Intelligence and the collaboration with ChatGPT actually work and whether users continue to trust Apple. In particular, the need for new hardware for many of the AI functions could disappoint some users. It will be interesting to see whether Apple can strengthen its position in the AI market with these innovations or whether the competition will continue to stay ahead.

Another critical point is that many of the current iPhones do not have the necessary computing power for the new AI functions. Only the latest models, such as the upcoming iPhone 16 or at least the iPhone 15 Pro, are capable of supporting these functions. This could upset some users who are not ready to switch to a new device immediately. For Macs, the situation is slightly better, as all devices with an Apple M chip can support these features.

Further announcements: Satellite SMS, RCS for Messages and own password app

In addition to the AI innovations, there were also other interesting announcements. In future, users will be able to send text messages and iMessages via satellite connections when no mobile reception is available. This function enables both text messages and emojis to be sent and significantly expands the existing emergency call function.

Another important point is the introduction of RCS (Rich Communication Services) in the messaging app, which enables encrypted communication between iOS and Android devices. This is particularly relevant for countries such as Germany, where WhatsApp was previously the dominant communication service between the two platforms.

With the upcoming iOS 18, Apple's password vault, previously hidden in the settings, will also be available as a standalone app. This offers users a more convenient and centralized way to manage their login data and makes Apple a serious competitor for specialized providers of password management solutions.

Apple's Vision Pro: soon to be available in Germany

One exciting announcement for Europe was the imminent market launch of Vision Pro, Apple's computer glasses. They will be available in Germany from July 12 for 3999 euros. The Vision Pro allows users to immerse themselves in digital worlds and mix digital content with the real environment, making it suitable for both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). It is positioned as a direct competitor to Meta Quest 3, which is, however, significantly cheaper (Comparison Apple Vision Pro vs. Meta Quest 3).
We offer a workshop for companies for further training and integration of Apple Vision Pro and other XR technologies. Here you can find a few insights into our workshop: Reference Apple Vision Pro Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf

Conclusion

At WWDC 2024, Apple took a clear direction that relies heavily on AI and improved user experiences. These developments could make everyday life easier for many people and make the use of Apple devices even more intuitive. However, as experts, we also see the challenges, particularly in terms of data protection and hardware requirements. It remains exciting to see how these innovations will prove themselves in practice.