Unless you're an Apple developer who builds software for all the different devices the company sells, it's easy to feel like you can give the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) a miss. Oh, maybe you'll catch up on the recaps after the event, but the idea of sitting through an event aimed squarely at app makers and other developers doesn't sound like your type of rodeo.
Well, Apple has set a date for WWDC 2025. And when this year's event gets underway with an opening keynote on June 9, I'm going to suggest it's something you'll want to tune in for.
I'm not talking about the software previews that figure to dominate the agenda, though from early leaks, it sounds like those are going to be very interesting. iOS 19, in particular, is tipped to get the most significant interface overhaul in a dozen years, and since the goal appears to be a more seamless experience across different Apple devices, you'd imagine the software running the iPad and Mac are set for revamps of their own.
And I wouldn't count on any hardware news either. Hardware hasn't been totally absent from recent developer conferences, but to date, no big launches are rumored for WWDC 2025. And whatever does get announced will probably be for the benefit of that assembled audience of software developers, like a Mac Pro M5 preview.
No, the reason WWDC 2025 looms large on the calendar is what Apple promised at last year's developer conference — and what we're still waiting for.
Where we are with Apple Intelligence
Last year's WWDC served as the launching pad for the Apple Intelligence features the company would introduce on iPhones, iPads and Macs later that fall. After the usual round of software previews, Apple talked up the new suit of AI tools that would allow you to do things like improve your writing, create images from scratch and even form a new relationship with a suddenly more aware Siri digital assistant.
I don't think it's unfair to Apple to describe the Apple Intelligence rollout that's been taking place since last fall as a mixed bag. Yes, many AI-powered features promised last summer are now a part of iOS, iPadOS and macOS — some of them have even proven to be quite useful, though opinions remain divided on how essential these initial Apple Intelligence additions have been. (Put me in the "they're easy to overlook" camp.)
WWDC 2025 affords Apple the opportunity to reset the discussion around what's coming to Siri and when. And it's an opportunity Apple really needs to take advantage of.
Most notably though, many of the promised improvements to Siri — upgrades Apple touted and even used in iPhone advertising — have yet to materialize. Apple wanted to upgrade Siri so that it was more aware of the context of your phone screen and able to act on those details. The assistant was also supposed to be able to interact with different apps of your phone.
Those improvements have now been delayed. It's unclear when they might show up, though some reports say we may not see the so-called Siri 2.0 emerge until next year — possibly as an update to the initial iOS 19 release expected later this fall, possibly not even until iOS 20.
You would hope that Apple would offer some clarification on that.
What Apple needs to do at WWDC 2025
More specifically, WWDC 2025 affords Apple the opportunity to reset the discussion around what's coming to Siri and when. And it's an opportunity Apple really needs to take advantage of.
There's a tendency at these kind of events to accentuate the positive — talk up future features and ignore past missteps. I don't think Apple should do that. It needs to be very clear about what went wrong with its Siri reboot and how things are going to be different this time around.
I don't mean that the WWDC 2025 keynote has to turn into some confessional. But Apple still needs to acknowledge missteps if it wants to maintain credibility among users that bought into last year's presentation and might be feeling a bit burned by what they wound up with.
When I talked to analysts a little bit ago about the delay to Siri features, the consensus opinion seems to be the problem isn't Apple missing a deadline or delaying something that had been promised. The mistake was putting out ads asserting that the Siri revamp was going to be a done deal, when it clearly wasn't even close to being ready for prime time. That's a good way to break trust with users, and failing to recognize that publicly is an even better way to make sure that trust remains broken.
More than just Siri
Besides detailing how Siri will get from what it is now to the more capable assistant Apple described when first unveiling Apple Intelligence, it's also important for the company to spell out what's next for AI on its devices.
Normally, that would be self-evident, but amid rumors that Apple's not planning any new Apple Intelligence features for iOS 19 and other software updates this year, the company needs to make it clear that its AI tools are going to continue to progress.
One thing Apple has certainly been clear about since the beginning of Apple Intelligence is that its AI push would be a work in progress. The first Apple Intelligence features that debuted with iOS 18.1 last October weren't an end point, but rather the start of more capabilities coming to the iPhone elsewhere.
Even as it tries to get the Siri revamp back on track, Apple needs to show that it's still looking forward with its Apple Intelligence plans at WWDC 2025. And that means new capabilities that try to gain more ground on what Google and Samsung devices can already do, to name just a couple rivals that are well ahead of Apple at this point.
All told, it should be a very interesting keynote at WWDC — even if you're not a developer.
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