Amid a surge of artificial intelligence innovations across the tech sector, Apple opted to enhance the iPhone’s user appeal through a more classic approach to technology.
Kicking off what was anticipated to be a comprehensive two-hour keynote on Monday, Apple unveiled a revamped software design for its iPhones, iPads, and Macs. The update features a transparent, fluid aesthetic applied to tabs, files, and app icons. Notably, Safari will allow web pages to expand fully with the tab bar fading away as users scroll down, while controls condense into a tappable small circle. Apple refers to this new visual style as “liquid glass.”
In addition to the visual overhaul, Apple introduced a new software naming convention aligned with its fiscal year of release rather than sequential version numbers. For example, this year’s update is labeled iOS 26 instead of iOS 19.
These updates demonstrate CEO Tim Cook’s strategy to boost sales of Apple’s flagship product by incorporating practical new features, even if they diverge from the industry’s rapid adoption of artificial intelligence. Apple appears to be betting on a more measured approach, aiming to mainstream AI technologies later but effectively.
Earlier in the year, competitors like Google and Amazon announced AI-driven enhancements, including chatbot-based search, upgraded AI assistants, and smart glasses with virtual assistant features.
Apple’s AI framework, branded Apple Intelligence, expands device-integrated AI capabilities to third-party apps. For instance, the hiking app All Trails can now offer conversational search, enabling users to find family-friendly hikes under three miles and filter results for features like waterfalls.
A newly introduced Live Translation feature employs AI to automatically translate text messages and provide captions during FaceTime calls in multiple languages. During foreign language phone conversations, the iPhone screen displays real-time translated captions.
These AI features are more modest than those promised at last year’s developer conference, where Apple showcased extensive AI tools, including writing assistants, message summaries, and a collaboration with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT to iPhones.
One highly anticipated advancement was an enhanced Siri virtual assistant designed to merge personal phone data, such as travel plans, with live online information like flight status. However, Apple postponed this update from its original spring release, pushing it to later this year and restructuring its Siri leadership team.
This delay marked the first time in years that Apple failed to launch a previously announced product, raising concerns among industry analysts about the company’s ability to keep pace with competitors.
Carolina Milanesi, a leading analyst at Creative Strategies, noted that while short-term sales of iPhones and Macs remain strong despite Apple Intelligence’s delays, the longer-term risk lies in users turning to alternative AI platforms that may become indispensable.
Beyond AI challenges, Apple faces legal and trade obstacles. Following a landmark antitrust ruling, Apple was ordered to allow apps to link users to external payment options, a move estimated to cut up to two percent from its profits.
Additionally, ongoing trade tensions and tariff threats on iPhones manufactured outside the United States have introduced uncertainty, with some market research projecting a 2.3 percent decline in smartphone sales in key markets like the U.S. and China.
During Monday’s event, Apple redirected attention to product features. Incoming calls from unknown numbers can now display spam warnings, similar to existing Android call screening. The Messages app received a visual refresh, allowing users to personalize conversation backgrounds with images or graphics. Group chats also gained new functionalities, including the ability to create polls and view indicators when participants start typing.
The event opened with a promotion for Apple’s upcoming film “F1,” starring Brad Pitt and scheduled for release on June 27, highlighting the company’s effort to leverage its software ecosystem to support its expanding entertainment ventures.
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