Apple unveils new softwares
Apple said on Monday it will open up the underlying technology it uses for Apple Intelligence and announced an overhaul of its operating systems.
The tone and content of the presentations at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference focused more on incremental developments, including live translations for phone calls, that improve everyday life rather than the sweeping ambitions for AI that Apple's rivals are marketing.
Apple software chief Craig Federighi said the company is opening up the foundational AI model that it uses for some of its own features to third-party developers.
"This work needed more time to reach our high quality bar," Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, said of the delays of some features such as improvements to the Siri virtual assistant.
In an early demonstration of how partners could improve Apple apps, the company added image generation from OpenAI's ChatGPT to its Image Playground app, saying that user data would not be shared with OpenAI without a user's permission.
Apple is facing an unprecedented set of technical and regulatory challenges as some of its key executives kicked off the company's annual software developer conference on Monday. Shares of Apple, which were flat before the conference, slipped 1.5% after executives took the stage in Cupertino, California.
Federighi also said Apple plans a design overhaul of all of its operating systems. Apple's redesign of its operating systems centered on a design it calls "liquid glass" where icons and menus are partially transparent, a step Apple executives said was possible because of the more powerful custom chips in Apple devices versus a decade ago.
Federighi said the new design will span operating systems for iPhones, Macs and other Apple products. He also said Apple's operating systems will be given year names instead of sequential numbers for each version. That will unify naming conventions that have become confusing because Apple's core operating systems for phones, watches and other devices kicked off at different times, resulting in a smattering of differently numbered operating systems for different products.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
21 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Apple unveils new softwares
Apple said on Monday it will open up the underlying technology it uses for Apple Intelligence and announced an overhaul of its operating systems. The tone and content of the presentations at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference focused more on incremental developments, including live translations for phone calls, that improve everyday life rather than the sweeping ambitions for AI that Apple's rivals are marketing. Apple software chief Craig Federighi said the company is opening up the foundational AI model that it uses for some of its own features to third-party developers. "This work needed more time to reach our high quality bar," Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, said of the delays of some features such as improvements to the Siri virtual assistant. In an early demonstration of how partners could improve Apple apps, the company added image generation from OpenAI's ChatGPT to its Image Playground app, saying that user data would not be shared with OpenAI without a user's permission. Apple is facing an unprecedented set of technical and regulatory challenges as some of its key executives kicked off the company's annual software developer conference on Monday. Shares of Apple, which were flat before the conference, slipped 1.5% after executives took the stage in Cupertino, California. Federighi also said Apple plans a design overhaul of all of its operating systems. Apple's redesign of its operating systems centered on a design it calls "liquid glass" where icons and menus are partially transparent, a step Apple executives said was possible because of the more powerful custom chips in Apple devices versus a decade ago. Federighi said the new design will span operating systems for iPhones, Macs and other Apple products. He also said Apple's operating systems will be given year names instead of sequential numbers for each version. That will unify naming conventions that have become confusing because Apple's core operating systems for phones, watches and other devices kicked off at different times, resulting in a smattering of differently numbered operating systems for different products.
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Pakistan & AI
The recent Human Development Report published by the UNDP presents a stark reminder of Pakistan's precarious position in the global digital and economic order. Ranked among the 26 countries with the lowest Human Development Index, Pakistan is at a critical inflexion point - one where the decisions made today will determine whether it advances with the rest of the world or is left further behind. The theme of this year's report focuses on AI and its vast potential to accelerate human development. While many nations have begun leveraging AI to enhance economic productivity, improve governance and reform public service delivery, Pakistan's digital ecosystem remains largely unchanged. This is despite the country being home to one of the largest freelancing communities globally and a promising, youthful tech workforce. Unfortunately, as the report highlights, Pakistan has not capitalised on its digital potential. Digital inequalities, shaped by broader socioeconomic divides, continue to restrict access to education, infrastructure and opportunity. These gaps are not only limiting individual potential but are also constraining national progress. Meanwhile, the global race to dominate AI is accelerating rapidly. In a striking display of strategic diplomacy and economic ambition, US President Donald Trump recently visited the Middle East, accompanied by top executives from major American tech companies, such as Elon Musk, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Palantir's Alex Karp. During high-level meetings with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, these tech leaders negotiated and finalised transformative AI investment deals worth billions of dollars. One of the most notable outcomes was a $500 billion agreement between OpenAI and the government of Abu Dhabi. The deal is set to create one of the world's largest AI hubs in the UAE, covering 25 sq-km and requiring energy equivalent to five nuclear reactors. With this, the UAE positions itself as the regional epicentre for AI development, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar are also securing similar strategic partnerships with US tech giants. These developments are not distant diplomatic footnotes; they carry direct consequences for Pakistan. For decades, Pakistan's economy has relied heavily on exporting labour - both low-skilled workers and highly-trained professionals - to the Gulf. The remittances they send home form a substantial pillar of the country's forex reserves. However, as Gulf countries pivot toward AI-driven automation to replace manual, repetitive and even complex cognitive tasks, the demand for foreign labour is likely to decrease dramatically. According to experts, roles such as cashiers, truck drivers and clerical workers are among the first to be automated. Even software developers and specialists in fields like radiology and pathology may eventually be displaced by machines capable of performing such tasks faster and more accurately. With nearly 42% of Pakistan's workforce engaged in jobs vulnerable to automation, the risks are not hypothetical; they are imminent. Compounding the challenge is Pakistan's internal digital divide. The UNDP reports that half of the country's population still lacks access to smartphones, computers and reliable internet connectivity. This means millions are not only excluded from the digital economy but are also unprepared for the transformations it will bring. Without urgent intervention, this divide could become a chasm, further marginalising vulnerable groups and reinforcing systemic inequalities. While Pakistan has made some progress with initiatives like the National AI Policy 2024, policy documents alone cannot drive change. What is required is a coordinated, long-term national strategy focused on three key priorities: expanding digital infrastructure and access; investing in digital skills and education; and preparing public institutions to manage and regulate AI development effectively and equitably. The AI revolution presents an opportunity, but a profound challenge too. If Pakistan fails to act with vision and urgency, it risks being economically and strategically sidelined in a world where AI is rapidly becoming the defining force of progress.
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Apple braces for turbulent WWDC amid technical, regulatory storm
Listen to article Apple is facing an unprecedented set of technical and regulatory challenges as some of its key executives are set to take the stage on Monday at the company's annual software developer conference. On the technical side, many of the long-awaited artificial-intelligence features Apple promised at the same conference a year ago have been delayed until next year, even as its rivals such as Alphabet's Google and Microsoft woo developers with a bevvy of new AI features. Those unfulfilled promises included key improvements to Siri, its digital assistant. On the regulatory front, courts in the US and Europe are poised to pull down the lucrative walls around Apple's App Store as even some of the company's former supporters question whether its fees are justified. Those challenges are coming to a head at the same time US President Donald Trump has threatened 25% tariffs on Apple's best-selling iPhone. Apple's shares are down more than 40% since the start of the year, a sharper decline than Google and also lagging the AI-driven gains in Microsoft shares. Apple has launched some of the AI features it promised last year, including a set of writing tools and image-generation tools, but it still relies on partners such as ChatGPT creator OpenAI for some of those capabilities. Bloomberg has reported that Apple may open up in-house AI models to developers this year. But analysts do not believe Apple yet has what technologists call a "multi-modal" model - that is, one capable of understanding imagery, audio and language at the same time - that could power a pair of smart glasses, a category that has become a runaway hit for Meta Platforms . Google said last month it would jump back in to this category, with partners. Such glasses, which are far lighter and cheaper than Apple's Vision Pro headset, could become useful because they would understand what the user is looking at and could help answer questions about it. While Apple has focused on its $3,500 Vision Pro headset, Google and Meta have seized on the smart glasses as a cheaper way to deploy their AI software prowess against Apple in its stronghold of hardware. Meta Ray-Bans all sell for less than $400. Analysts say Apple needs to answer that challenge but that it is not likely to do so this week. "I'm not trying to replace my phone - this is a complementary thing that gives me more world context, because it's got a camera and it sees what I see, and I can talk to it in natural language," said Ben Bajarin, CEO of technology consultancy Creative Strategies. "Apple is not positioned to do that." To be sure, Apple's rivals are not decisively ahead in smart glasses. Anshel Sag, principal analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy, said Meta's Ray-Bans still lack some features and Google has not yet landed its "Gemini" model in a mass-market pair of glasses yet. "Meta has the undisputed lead, but Google is catching up fast and probably has the best-suited AI for the job," Sag said. "Vision Pro is great, but it's a showroom product that developers can use." But Bob O'Donnell, CEO of TECHnalysis Research, said it remains far from clear that smart glasses will gain wide acceptance. O'Donnell also said it is not certain that Apple is at any particular disadvantage if it partners with a company such as Google, OpenAI or even a smaller firm like Perplexity for core AI technology. So far, O'Donnell said, there is not yet strong evidence that consumers are basing major hardware-purchasing decisions on AI features. "There's an argument to be made that it's OK that (Apple) is behind because, except for the bleeding edge, most people don't care," O'Donnell said.
