logo
Apple is about to announce updates to how we use the iPhone and its other devices

Apple is about to announce updates to how we use the iPhone and its other devices

Yahoo2 days ago

Major Apple announcements from its annual developers conference the past two years heralded big changes — which, so far, have largely fallen flat. This year, the tech company badly needs to deliver a win.
Apple's weeklong Worldwide Developers Conference, teased with the tagline 'on the horizon,' kicks off with a keynote at 1 pm ET on Monday from its headquarters in Cupertino, California. The annual event is where the company announces updates to the software that runs on billions of Apple devices used worldwide.
The iPhone maker is expected to announce relatively modest updates to its Apple Intelligence suite of AI features, such as new translation capabilities, as well as changes that will affect iPhones, AirPods, Apple Watches and more.
The big announcements of the prior two years — the Vision Pro headset and Apple Intelligence AI tools — failed to live up to the hype. Although Apple tried to sell its headset as the future of computing, the Vision Pro remains an expensive, niche product since hitting shelves last year. Apple Intelligence features, widely seen as reactive to competitors' offerings, were slow to reach devices after the iPhone 16 launch, and the AI-enhanced Siri heralded at last year's WWDC has been delayed indefinitely.
In the meantime, rivals have surged ahead on AI. Google, for example, announced a flurry of updates last month, including more advanced AI search, shopping and productivity capabilities. And steep AI competition aside, Apple is still having a rough year, with ongoing slow iPhone sales growth and a trade war threatening to force the company to raise prices.
The iPhone maker has a large installed base — that is, people using its products, which currently totals more than 2 billion active devices. That means even if Apple isn't first to roll out a software innovation, loads of people will still use wind up using their version. But after having delayed the launch of its AI-enhanced Siri, some skeptics worry that consumers could start to look toward other companies' devices for more powerful AI features.
'Say you're an influencer and you pick up a Samsung phone or a (Google Pixel) phone and say, 'I'm done with my Apple phone. This is real AI and I love it,'' Baird Managing Director Ted Mortonson told CNN. 'That's what Apple risks, that iOS displacement and people saying it's no longer cool.'
The company will likely announce updates to its 'Apple Intelligence' system, but most industry watchers believe it remains behind rivals.
Apple's updated AI capabilities are likely to be 'at least equivalent' to earlier versions of OpenAI's ChatGPT, Forrester senior analyst Andrew Cornwall said in emailed commentary.
Here are some of the major updates Apple is rumored to be announcing at WWDC on Monday.
An AirPods update is expected to enable live translation for in-person conversations, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
If an English-speaking user were having a conversation with someone speaking a different language, the AirPods would automatically translate their partner's words into their ears, according to the report. Then, the users' iPhone would translate the user's English speech back into the other language.
The offering could make AirPods more competitive with rival products, such as Google's Pixel Buds or Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, which already enabled live translation.
Automatic translation is also coming to messages, along with support for conducting polls within the messages app, Apple blog 9to5Mac reports.
The pressure is on for Apple to prove that Apple Intelligence justifies buying a new iPhone or Mac. Based on reports, Apple will likely build on what it announced last year rather than previewing massive new AI updates.
Among the biggest updates Apple is expected to make is opening its AI models to third-party developers, so users could soon see apps built on the iPhone maker's AI technology.
For consumers, the biggest AI-related changes could be a new feature that uses AI to preserve battery life and an AI-powered health coach, Forrester vice president and principal analyst Thomas Husson wrote ahead of the event. Bloomberg has also previously reported that Apple is working on both features.
That AI-powered 'battery management' feature would reportedly adjust how much power apps can draw based on device owners' usage trends. Such a tool could be especially useful in the slimmer, iPhone 'Air' model that Apple is rumored to be releasing later this year, which would likely have a less powerful battery.
Gurman reported that the new health app and AI health coach — said to be called Project Mulberry inside Apple — would collect data from across users' iPhone, Watch and other devices and use that information to make personalized health recommendations. The company has reportedly brought in health experts to film videos about various conditions, which could be shown to users based on the recommendation of the AI health agent.
Apple typically previews software updates in June before releasing the final versions widely in the fall, usually coinciding with new hardware product launches.
Rumor has it that Apple's operating system will get a new look. The effort, reportedly dubbed Solarium internally, includes more glassy, translucent windows and notifications that let background images peek through, similar to how windows on the Vision Pro display let users' natural surroundings show through.
That could provoke mixed reactions from iPhone owners, said Carolina Milanesi, president and principal analyst at tech analysis firm Creative Strategies.
'Consumers are creatures of habit,' she said. 'And change is always resisted before it's embraced.'
And while the name of Apple's latest operating system release typically goes up by one each year (i.e. iOS 17 to iOS 18), Monday's software update is expected to jump to iOS 26 on Monday, and ditto for the Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, TV and Vision Pro operating systems, Gurman reported last month.
The change could bring the OS naming convention in line with the year in which customers will be using it. The version announced on Monday will be live on Apple devices from September 2025 through September 2026. It would also create consistency across all of Apple's devices, which currently have different operating system version numbers — for example, macOS 15 and watchOS 11 — because they were released in different years.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Goldman Sachs wants students to stop using ChatGPT in job interviews with the bank
Goldman Sachs wants students to stop using ChatGPT in job interviews with the bank

Yahoo

time44 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Goldman Sachs wants students to stop using ChatGPT in job interviews with the bank

Goldman Sachs is cautioning its young job-seekers against using AI during the interview process. Instead, the $176 billion bank is encouraging applicants to study up on the firm in preparation. Other businesses like Anthropic and Amazon have also warned candidates against deploying AI—and if they're caught, they could be disqualified. While many companies are boasting about all the efficiencies that will come with AI, some are dissuading potential hires from using it to get a leg up in interviews with recruiters and hiring managers. Goldman Sachs' campus recruitment team for the bank's private investing academy in EMEA recently sent out an email to students reminding them of its expectations for interviews, as reported by eFinancialCareers. Goldman uses video interviewing platform HireVue to pre-assess candidates and maintains a set of best practices for job-seekers. Based on the best practices guidelines, the young applicants are encouraged to prepare for interviews by studying the $176 billion firm's financial results, business principles, and core values. But they can't bank on AI to help them out. 'As a reminder, Goldman Sachs prohibits the use of any external sources, including ChatGPT or Google search engine, during the interview process,' the email noted, according to someone who saw the message. HireVue is an AI-powered talent evaluation platform, known for asking behavioral questions that reveal applicants' skills. Gen Z job-seekers might be tempted to use ChatGPT or other chatbots to game the recruitment process—but it's discouraged, and isn't the most viable option. The typical Goldman Sachs virtual interview allows for 30 seconds of prep after the question, followed by a two-minute response time, according to research from eFinancialCareers. That makes it hard for job-seekers to quickly type a prompt into the chatbot, churn out an answer, and decide what the line of attack is. Plus, the responses aren't tailored and unique to the individual, potentially hurting the interviewee more than helping. Goldman's job-seeker AI policy could seem ironic, as half of the firm's 46,000 employees have access to the technology. But other companies are navigating that same paradox as they try to fully flesh out their AI strategies in an ever-changing technological environment. Goldman Sachs isn't the only major company warning its applicants not to use AI during recruitment. The $61.5 billion AI giant Anthropic went on a hiring spree last month, but told job-seekers that they can't use the advanced technology to fill out their applications. The company argued that it wants to test the communication skills of potential hires, and AI use clouds that assessment. 'Please do not use AI assistants during the application process,' Anthropic wrote in the description for its hundreds of job postings. 'We want to understand your personal interest in Anthropic without mediation through an AI system, and we also want to evaluate your non-AI-assisted communication skills.' Retail giant Amazon also doesn't like it when potential talent uses AI tools during the recruitment process. Earlier this year, the $2 trillion behemoth shared guidelines with internal recruiters, stressing that candidates who are caught using AI during job interviews should be disqualified. According to Amazon, the tools give an 'unfair advantage' that masks analysis of someone's 'authentic' capabilities. 'To ensure a fair and transparent recruitment process, please do not use gen Al tools during your interview unless explicitly permitted,' the guidelines, as reported by Business Insider, noted. 'Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in disqualification from the recruitment process.' This story was originally featured on

First look: Tesla's biggest bet in years makes street debut
First look: Tesla's biggest bet in years makes street debut

Miami Herald

timean hour ago

  • Miami Herald

First look: Tesla's biggest bet in years makes street debut

It has been a long time coming, but the moment is finally here. Tesla (TSLA) has officially rolled out its robotaxi program in Austin, Texas, after years of promises and missed deadlines. Tesla has teased its robotaxi program since CEO Elon Musk first mentioned it in 2016, but its development has moved at a snail's pace. Related: Tesla takes drastic measures to keep robotaxi plans secret Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was a self-described early believer in Tesla, but in recent years, he has made it his mission to warn the world about its Full Self-Driving technology. "Boy, if you want to study AI gone wrong, and making a lot of claims, and trying to kill you every chance it can, get a Tesla," Wozniak told CNN in a 2023 interview. Wozniak was a former Tesla booster, dating back to 2016, when he said he had spent a lot of money upgrading his vehicle. The upgrade included a camera and radar in the vehicle, and Musk promised that the car would be able to drive itself across the country by the end of 2016. Musk then said, according to Woz, that a new vehicle upgrade with eight cameras and even more sensors would allow the car to drive itself cross-country by the end of 2017. Eight years later, Tesla still can't drive itself cross-country, but the company is showcasing its progress on the streets of Austin. Self-driving Teslas with no one in the driver's seat were spotted in Austin this week. The video circulating online does, however, seem to show a human inside. The car in the video, with the word "Robotaxi" written on the door, successfully yields to pedestrians legally crossing in the crosswalk. According to Musk, Tesla plans to test only about 10 vehicles during this initial pilot run. Still, the ultimate plan is to have every Tesla on the road capable of serving as a robotaxi. Related: Tesla faces new challenge as leader announces exit Earlier this year, Tesla said its FSD system has driven a cumulative total of 3.6 billion miles, nearly triple the 1.3 billion cumulative miles it reported a year ago. The company has fought to keep its robotaxi plans in Austin top secret. News organizations have requested Freedom of Information Act access to communications from the last two years between the company and city officials in February, after Musk announced in January that robotaxis were coming to Austin. The city's public information officer told the news agency that "third parties" asked the city to withhold those records to protect their "privacy or property interests." While Tesla recently killed its Cybercab concept, at least for now, the company plans to test Model Ys already on the road as part of its robotaxi program. "It's prudent for us to start with a small number, confirm that things are going well, and then scale it up," Musk told CNBC's David Faber. Once it proves its concept in Austin, Tesla plans to expand the robotaxi program to Los Angeles and San Francisco soon after. California was Tesla's old stomping grounds before Musk moved the company's HQ to Austin in 2021 due to what he said were arduous regulatory practices, which may have been related to the company's operation during the Covid pandemic. With Tesla's plan to expand in the state, Musk will be heading back into that regulatory environment, except now the rules governing autonomous driving are much stricter. In April, the California Department of Motor Vehicles announced that it is seeking public comment on proposed regulations for self-driving vehicles. Related: Tesla's robotaxi rollout is alarming the public, new report shows The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.

Google delivers a harsh message to loyal employees
Google delivers a harsh message to loyal employees

Miami Herald

timean hour ago

  • Miami Herald

Google delivers a harsh message to loyal employees

When it comes to the jobs everyone wants in the tech field, Google (GOOGL) ranks high on most people's wish lists. When it was first founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google was one of several search engines on the market, alongside Yahoo, Netscape, AltaVista, and many more. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter But with time, Google pulled ahead of the pack, and by the time it bought YouTube in 1996, it was well on its way to becoming the tech behemoth it is today. While it seems like a solid bet to work for such a wildly successful company, in the last few years, working for Google has been anything but. Related: Google resolves major privacy issue In 2023, Google revealed plans to lay off 12,000 employees in a massive cut, one that CEO Sundar Pichai called "a difficult decision to set us up for the future." "Over the past two years we've seen periods of dramatic growth. To match and fuel that growth, we hired for a different economic reality than the one we face today," Pichai explained in the letter that accompanied the layoff. Two more rounds came in 2024, and now, Google has announced it's time for another. Image source: Crabb/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images On June 10, Google offered buyout deals to employees across many of its teams, including Communications, Marketing, Research, Core, and Knowledge & Information. The latter works on Search, Business Insider reported. More Tech Stocks: Palantir gets great news from the PentagonAnalyst has blunt words on Trump's iPhone tariff plansOpenAI teams up with legendary Apple exec Senior Vice President of Core Systems Jen Fitzpatrick sent an internal memo on the deals, saying, "We're offering a Voluntary Exit Program (VEP) for Core Googlers in the U.S. (in my reporting org)." "We've seen positive feedback across the company in other orgs who have offered similar programs, and I wanted to extend the same option to eligible Core Googlers in the U.S. who would like to leave the company voluntarily with severance." Related: Google sends a harsh message to employees after layoffs The memo goes on to say that the exit program may be a fit for Core Googlers "who aren't feeling excited about and aligned with Core's mission and goals, or those who are having difficulty meeting the demands of their role." The memo also addressed the company's remote work policy, saying all Core Googlers in the U.S. within 50 miles of an office must return to a 3/2 hybrid schedule. When it comes to Google's true reasons for this round of voluntary layoffs, it may have something to do with the fact that internet searchers are flocking en masse to ChatGPT to answer their questions instead of using Google Search. ChatGPT has 400 million active users as of May, with OpenAI Sam Altman sharing via X last month that "ChatGPT daily active users have increased >4x over the last year." Per a recent Vox Media survey, 61% of Gen Z and 53% of Millennials opt to use AI tools to answer questions, rather than employing Google or other search engines. There's more than just AI to blame. People have been having a harder time as of late finding what they want in Google when they do use it. According to a survey of 1,000 people done by digital marketing firm Scorpion, 54% said they look through more search results than they did five years ago. Take that frustration, and hand those same people an easy-to-read AI summary, and it's easy to see why people would opt for that over combing through search results that don't deliver what they want. Related: Google quietly launches genius new app The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store