logo
WWDC: Apple faces AI, regulatory challenges as it woos software developers

WWDC: Apple faces AI, regulatory challenges as it woos software developers

Yahoo5 hours ago

By Stephen Nellis
CUPERTINO, California (Reuters) -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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Stock market today: S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq mixed as US and China reboot trade talks
Stock market today: S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq mixed as US and China reboot trade talks

Yahoo

time35 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Stock market today: S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq mixed as US and China reboot trade talks

US stocks were mixed on Monday as investors looked to renewed US-China trade talks for signs either side is willing to dial down tensions and reach a tariff deal. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 0.1% after the benchmark edged above 6,000 to notch its highest close since February. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell 0.4% while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) drifted up 0.4%. The focus is on high-level US-China trade talks that began in London on Monday, after a phone call between President Trump and Chinese President Xi last week. Read more: The latest on Trump's tariffs The stakes are high amid warnings that tariff barriers will harm economies worldwide — the US in particular. Investors are looking for a revival of the momentum shown in the Geneva pact in mid-May. Relations have soured since then, with the US and China accusing each other of not keeping to the trade truce and ratcheting up pressures in other areas. For now, markets appear to have shaken off the volatility that has plagued markets following Trump's early-April tariff hikes. Stocks ended last week on a high note, as encouraging jobs data helped ease fears of a recession fueled by his policy overhaul. The economic highlight this week is May US consumer inflation print due on Friday, with the wholesale inflation report ushering it in on Thursday. On the corporate front, Apple (AAPL) kicks off its big annual WWDC developers conference on Monday. Wall Street is watching for more insight into the company's AI plans, though not on the lines of last year's splashy announcements. Meanwhile, investors are keeping a wary eye on escalating tensions in Los Angeles after Trump sent in the National Guard to deal with anti-deportation protests. Circle's stock (CRCL) surged for a third day in a row on Monday following its blockbuster IPO last week. Shares of the stablecoin issuer gained more than 15% to trade near $122 per share, raising the company's market cap to roughly $24 billion. The move follows gains on Thursday and Friday, when the stock rose as much as 200% shortly after its long-anticipated public market debut. Stocks edged higher on Monday amid hopes that US-China trade talks will ease tariff tensions and eventually lead to a permanent deal between the two leading economies. The S&P 500 (GSPC) rose to just above the flat line, after the broad benchmark closed on Friday at its highest level since February. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) gained 0.1%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) edged 0.2% higher. High-level trade talks between Beijing and Washington began in London on Monday. This follows a phone call between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping last week. Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off in Cupertino, Calif., today. While investors may get another taste of artificial intelligence features, including AI-powered Siri, Apple isn't expected to deliver any big announcements. The company will likely showcase new features and designs for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS. There's always a chance it will debut a new piece of hardware too. Apple (AAPL) stock rose 0.5% in premarket trading ahead of the event. Read our tech editor's preview of everything to expect from Apple WWDC 2025. Robinhood (HOOD) stock slipped 4% after it didn't make it into the benchmark S&P 500 index as some speculated it might. S&P Dow Jones Indices did not make any changes to S&P 500 membership as part of its quarterly rebalancing. Reuters reports: Read more here. Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) rose more than 6% in premarket trading on Monday after the media company said it would split into two companies. Warner Bros. will separate its studios and streaming business, which includes HBO Max, and its cable television networks, including CNN. The split is expected to be completed by mid-2026. Reuters reports: Read more here. Economic data: New York Fed one-year inflation expectations (May); Wholesale trade sales month-over-month (April) Earnings: Casey's (CASY) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: All eyes on AI as Apple takes the stage for WWDC A quieter summer is coming for stocks: Wall Street experts Hopes for US-China thaw as trade talks resume Senate GOP to lay out major revisions to Trump's tax bill Resilient economy to limit summer pullback in stocks: MS, Goldman Meta is set to throw billions at startup that leads in AI data China exports to US fall by most since 2020 despite tariff truce Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Robinhood (HOOD) stock fell 5% before the bell on Monday after the S&P Dow Jones Indices made no changes to the S&P 500 in its quarterly rebalancing. Tesla (TSLA) stock also dropped on Monday in premarket trading after CEO Elon Musk criticized President Trump's tax bill. Strategy (MSTR) stock rose on Monday by 2%. A SEC filing revealed the company had purchased 705 bitcoin during the period of May 26 to June 1 at an aggregate purchase price of $75.1M. Wall Street strategists are growing optimistic about US stocks, with forecasters at Morgan Stanley (MS) and Goldman Sachs Group (GS) the latest to suggest resilient economic growth would limit any pullback over the summer. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Circle's stock (CRCL) surged for a third day in a row on Monday following its blockbuster IPO last week. Shares of the stablecoin issuer gained more than 15% to trade near $122 per share, raising the company's market cap to roughly $24 billion. The move follows gains on Thursday and Friday, when the stock rose as much as 200% shortly after its long-anticipated public market debut. Stocks edged higher on Monday amid hopes that US-China trade talks will ease tariff tensions and eventually lead to a permanent deal between the two leading economies. The S&P 500 (GSPC) rose to just above the flat line, after the broad benchmark closed on Friday at its highest level since February. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) gained 0.1%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) edged 0.2% higher. High-level trade talks between Beijing and Washington began in London on Monday. This follows a phone call between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping last week. Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off in Cupertino, Calif., today. While investors may get another taste of artificial intelligence features, including AI-powered Siri, Apple isn't expected to deliver any big announcements. The company will likely showcase new features and designs for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS. There's always a chance it will debut a new piece of hardware too. Apple (AAPL) stock rose 0.5% in premarket trading ahead of the event. Read our tech editor's preview of everything to expect from Apple WWDC 2025. Robinhood (HOOD) stock slipped 4% after it didn't make it into the benchmark S&P 500 index as some speculated it might. S&P Dow Jones Indices did not make any changes to S&P 500 membership as part of its quarterly rebalancing. Reuters reports: Read more here. Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) rose more than 6% in premarket trading on Monday after the media company said it would split into two companies. Warner Bros. will separate its studios and streaming business, which includes HBO Max, and its cable television networks, including CNN. The split is expected to be completed by mid-2026. Reuters reports: Read more here. Economic data: New York Fed one-year inflation expectations (May); Wholesale trade sales month-over-month (April) Earnings: Casey's (CASY) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: All eyes on AI as Apple takes the stage for WWDC A quieter summer is coming for stocks: Wall Street experts Hopes for US-China thaw as trade talks resume Senate GOP to lay out major revisions to Trump's tax bill Resilient economy to limit summer pullback in stocks: MS, Goldman Meta is set to throw billions at startup that leads in AI data China exports to US fall by most since 2020 despite tariff truce Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Robinhood (HOOD) stock fell 5% before the bell on Monday after the S&P Dow Jones Indices made no changes to the S&P 500 in its quarterly rebalancing. Tesla (TSLA) stock also dropped on Monday in premarket trading after CEO Elon Musk criticized President Trump's tax bill. Strategy (MSTR) stock rose on Monday by 2%. A SEC filing revealed the company had purchased 705 bitcoin during the period of May 26 to June 1 at an aggregate purchase price of $75.1M. Wall Street strategists are growing optimistic about US stocks, with forecasters at Morgan Stanley (MS) and Goldman Sachs Group (GS) the latest to suggest resilient economic growth would limit any pullback over the summer. Bloomberg reports: Read more here.

OpenAI updates ChatGPT's voice mode with more natural-sounding speech
OpenAI updates ChatGPT's voice mode with more natural-sounding speech

Yahoo

time35 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

OpenAI updates ChatGPT's voice mode with more natural-sounding speech

ChatGPT's conversational voice mode just got an upgrade. Over the weekend, OpenAI rolled out an update to Advanced Voice, the feature that lets users have dialogues with ChatGPT out loud. The company says ChatGPT's voices now sound more natural and fluid, with "subtler intonation," "realistic cadence" (including pauses and emphasis), and more "on-point expressiveness" for emotions like empathy and sarcasm. Voice mode now also allows users to translate languages more easily. Ask ChatGPT to interpret, and it will continue translating the conversation until you tell it to stop or switch to another language. The feature is available for all paid ChatGPT users across markets and platforms. OpenAI said there may be minor dips in audio quality, including "unexpected variations in tone and pitch," and noted that the update doesn't fix voice mode's occasional hallucinations-related bugs, such as unintended sounds, gibberish, or background music. This article originally appeared on TechCrunch at

Carney vows Canada will meet 2% NATO spending pledge this year
Carney vows Canada will meet 2% NATO spending pledge this year

Hamilton Spectator

time37 minutes ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

Carney vows Canada will meet 2% NATO spending pledge this year

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will meet its NATO commitment and spend 2 per cent of national GDP on defence this year. Canada is currently estimated to be spending about 1.4 per cent of GDP on defence and has long failed to meet the 2 per cent target. Ottawa has come under intense pressure from allies recently to swiftly increase its military budget to levels not seen since the Cold War. Today's announcement comes just ahead of a major NATO meeting in the Netherlands set for later this month, where allied nations are expected to adopt a plan to hike the NATO member spending target to 5 per cent of national GDP. Not long ago, Carney was only promising to meet the 2 per cent target by the end of the decade. Carney promised during the recent election campaign to move up Canada's deadline for meeting the target by at least two years, to 2030. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

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