Every year, Apple hosts the Worldwide Developers Conference (known as the WWDC), introducing new features to their products that users can anticipate. Below are some of the latest announcements from the 2024 Apple WWDC.
Apple AI Integration
Apple is planning on integrating AI-powered tools into Siri, similar to how Microsoft and Meta have integrated AI into their applications. Apple plans for Siri to begin generating text that can easily be integrated into other applications. For example, Siri will be able to write emails and even detect users correcting themselves when speaking. Requests given to Siri can be specific, as Siri will draw information from documents, photos, calendars, and other files or applications.
For users with privacy concerns regarding “Apple Intelligence,” where most requests will be run on a user’s device. In more complicated instances however, Apple will connect to “private cloud computing” in order to maintain user privacy while answering queries. In this sense, Data will be used to “fulfill requests” while maintaining privacy as much as possible.
Furthermore, Apple introduced these AI capabilities into Messages, allowing users to create non-realistic photos of people in messages with the utilization of photos and contacts.
More Reactions and Features in Messages
Similar to other applications, Apple is introducing more reactions in messages, allowing people to use custom emojis when “reacting” to a message. This feature comes with changes to Apple’s stylization of emoji reactions as well:
Above is a demonstration of colorized emoji reactions in Messages, as well as the capability to generate AI images as earlier mentioned. Image credit via CNN.
Improved Handwriting
Apple is introducing features that will improve users’ handwriting when writing in Notes. Apple will record a user’s natural flow of writing, making notes more consistent in handwriting and legibility. It appears that some of these correction features have rolled out to some Apple devices in “correcting” a user’s line strokes. At the same time, these capabilities for handwriting have not rolled out yet.
Tone Adjustment
In continuation to Apple’s updates regarding email, Apple will be announcing tone adjustment tools similar to those of Grammarly. Users will be able to see whether or not they are using a “rude” or aggressive tone when writing emails and other documents. Using “Apple Intelligence,” all writing on Apple devices can be crafted to convey different emotions.
Similar to Grammarly’s AI features, Apple’s Tone Adjustment will allow users to rewrite text in different forms and even proofread for grammatical errors.
Calculator Functionality Updates on iPads
Apple’s Calculator app will finally be available on iPads with added functionality for solving more complex math problems by hand-writing problems. Apple will be able to detect numerical symbols drawn in the Calculator app and solve complex formulas and math problems entered to take “math notes.”
These are similar to the capabilities of math platforms and AI chatbots that currently allow users to upload photos of math problems in order to solve them or require more information about how they should go about simplifying or solving an equation.
Apple Watches Will More Closely Monitor Vitals
Apple Watches will now be able to detect more about how a person’s vitals are performing, combining aspects of one’s detectable vitals in order to find out more about a user’s activity. For example, Apple Watches will be able to find out whether or not someone was drinking, and discourage these behaviors if necessary.
ChatGPT Integration
Apple will integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT into “Apple Intelligence,” using ChatGPT to answer non-personal questions. At the same time, “Apple Intelligence” will focus more on utilizing AI to help in personal aspects, analyzing a user’s activity and stored information on Apple devices. Users can opt-in to use ChatGPT to generate information, but are not forced to do so.
Additions to “Dark Mode”
Apple will be announcing additions to the Dark Mode feature on Apple devices, in which a user’s home screen and theme utilizes dark UI in comparison to a light UI. Apps and other aspects of an Apple Device will shift in color to reflect a user’s chosen theme, and apps will appear darker if a users uses Dark Mode.
Automatic Transcription and Recording
Apple will soon allow users to automatically transcribe phone calls and recordings (in the Phone and Notes app). Users on recorded phone calls will be notified for the purpose of abiding international legislation. The availability of these features will vary worldwide.
Innovative or Derivative?
Although some may see Apple’s announcements during the WWDC as innovations to Apple’s devices, some of these features have already been supported by other tech companies on their respective platforms.
Microsoft Co-Pilot vs. “Apple Intelligence”
For example, Windows devices already have integrated AI tools into their applications for both “personal” and “world” purposes, while “Apple Intelligence” is strictly focused on helping someone personally. This makes third-party integrations required for solving “world” related problems.
Additions to Messages
Although Apple’s future ability to allow image generation in messages is utilized in applications like WhatsApp, generative images reflecting qualities of real people and contacts has never been fully explored by other tech companies, making this an innovative addition to Apple devices.
At the same time, multiple messaging platforms such as GroupMe and WhatsApp give users the ability to write custom reactions to messages, making Apple late to incorporate this into their applications, as well as better support for these features for those with non-Apple devices.
Additions to Handwriting
In terms of Apple’s updates to handwriting, various applications already exist for making notes cleaner and easier to read. AI chatbots have already been utilized to solve math problems and even as “calculators,” allowing the uploading of images for further help in a math problem or to solve an equation.
Apple’s close monitoring of vitals is innovative in comparison to the functionality of other smartwatches, offering more insight into a person’s health than competitors. This gives Apple an innovative advantage in the smartwatch market.
Audio Transcription
Apple appears to be innovative in their transcription and recording technology, as Apple has recently focused on transcribing voicemails and simplifying transcription, making their transcription technology accessible to daily use.
Grammarly vs. Apple’s AI Grammar-Checking Features
Apple’s additions to tone adjustment and grammar-checking are highly derivative of Grammarly’s functions, allowing users to re-write text with AI and check for grammatical errors or tone. Most of Apple’s approaches to improving users’ grammar and tone are highly similar to those of Grammarly.
Apple’s Approach to Innovation
Although Apple’s latest features may not be innovative, Apple has the strategy of building on other platform’s ideas in order to succeed. This makes Apple successful in utilizing other company’s innovations as examples, seeing how the users of competing products react before implementing innovative changes to their platforms. Although Apple’s features tend to be derivative of other platform’s features, Apple has found success in offering users a simple interface for accessing newer technologies that have emerged. Even if Apple is late to the game in innovation, they are successful in designing what their users want in terms of simplicity.