Here’s what WWDC 2024 could tell us about future Apple devices
All signs so far point to Apple putting AI – and specifically generative AI – front and center at WWDC 2024. The developer-focused conference is sure to highlight the potential of AI in and across its myriad products and platforms. And highlight how developers are and could use AI-based APIs to integrate an additional layer of smarts into their apps and services.
And that leads me to think about what the Worldwide Developers Conference, scheduled for June 10, could actually tell us about Apple’s future hardware, since no new devices will be unveiled during the keynote.
First, let’s take a look at what we can expect from Apple for the rest of the year and 2025.
New iPhones and Apple Watches for 2024
As night follows day, we’ll undoubtedly get the iPhone 16 around September, likely along with a new Apple Watch – specifically the Apple Watch 10 – and perhaps the rumored AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2; although we are not so convinced of the latter.
Since the iPad Air and iPad Pro range have just undergone a rework, we don’t expect new iPads anytime soon. And since we have new MacBook Pro M3 and MacBook Air M3 models this year, we don’t expect to see M4 variants until 2025. There’s even a chance the Macs could skip the M4 chip, as it’s only comparable to the M3 in efficiency and efficiency. AI workloads in mind. The same could be true for the iMac 24-inch M3.
Personally, I’d like to see the 27-inch iMac make a comeback, but I suspect the desktop may have gone the way of the dodo, possibly joined by the iPad mini.
So that’s a good indication of the state of Apple’s hardware over the next twelve months. And with that in mind, what can we say that WWDC will tell us what to expect from said hardware…
AI integrated into the core of Apple
My prediction – and I would add that this is speculation based on my experience with Apple – is that the overall design and hardware capabilities of Cupertino’s products won’t change much. Apple has arguably adopted the tablet formula with the iPads, and the MacBooks are all quite slick; although I’m sure some would argue for a few more ports.
There’s room for the iPhone and Apple Watch designs to undergo some tweaks. But I think Apple will continue with this by shortening the display bezels and reducing the thickness of the watch cases, rather than going down the route of drastic redesigns.
But AI tools and capabilities will certainly be integrated into iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS, to enable things like generative AI-driven editing, smarter search in Safari, the ability to quickly summarize web pages, documents, and meetings, or simply ask questions. a smarter Siri to build an agenda for your week based on access to Maps, your email and calendar – plus third-party tools like air travel apps.
And I suspect this will increase the need for chips in the iPhone 16 family to prioritize Apple’s Neural Engine, potentially putting more power and focus on powering AI workloads and machine learning algorithms than on raw clock speeds and graphics capabilities.
Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if the standard iPhone 16 got a new AI-centric A-series chip, joining the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Last year’s iPhone 15 range took a two-pronged approach to chips, with the standard and iPhone 15 Plus models getting the A16 Bionic and the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max getting the powerful A17 Pro chips. This was the second generation in a row that Apple separated the chipsets of the vanilla and Pro iPhones.
However, I’d argue that the iPhone 16 family will all use the same chipset if Apple is indeed leaning hard on AI, as it needs silicon parity to ensure smart tools can run on all its new phones and reach the widest audience . .
Of course, running AI models on a device takes power, especially if it’s done onboard, something Apple could lean into given the privacy-first approach it advocates toward its users and their data. Even if a connection to the cloud is required, that will likely mean using a phone’s modem chip, which also consumes power, especially when using 5G.
So from that I can conclude that the iPhone 16 range will have a larger battery or perhaps even be a bit thicker with a larger cell or more efficient cooling via vapor chambers and heat pipes. Am I talking about big differences? Well no, but a few millimeters of extra thickness on a phone can make a big difference in daily use.
If such predictions come true, I suspect what I honed with the iPhone 16 could then spread to the iPads and Macs. The former could get a little thicker to house a bigger battery and have a more powerful AI-focused chip, but I suspect that won’t happen until later in 2025 or even 2026.
Macs will likely get more powerful chips next year and could even get special AI keys on their keyboards. And I wouldn’t be surprised if larger batteries were added to all MacBooks, with the MacBook Air seeing a return to active cooling when it needs to run demanding AI workloads and algorithms on the device. I’m not predicting a major design change, but that screen notch could be reduced with AI processing used to fill in any gaps left by shrunken sensors.
Wearables with virtual brains
Again, I don’t foresee any major changes to the design of the Apple Watch, as it may now be somewhat iconic.
But I see Apple adding a new chip to the next generation Apple Watch, built around AI processing on the device. And that could allow the thickness to increase a bit to accommodate a larger battery. Apple may not do that, opting to keep the aesthetics of the Apple Watch 9 and instead bring faster charging to its next-generation smartwatch to compensate for any increased power consumption.
On the AIrPods side, I wouldn’t expect any major design changes there. But again I see the likes of the AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2 getting chips with AI features with low performance impact – say smart equalizer adjustments or working with an iPhone to smartly switch to more dynamic songs in Apple Music if someone suddenly loses their increases walking pace.
A dedicated action button or touch-sensitive surface could also appear in future AirPods to activate an upgraded Siri with new generative AI capabilities.
Using multimodal AI models, which can pull and process data from multiple sources, could allow Apple Watch and AirPods to leverage more data and feedback from accelerometers and other sensors to provide an AI with information that helps it deliver more accurate information and results. This may not herald a design revolution, but sensor placement could change and evolve within Apple’s wearables.
Evolution on the outside, revolution on the inside
Ultimately, I don’t think Apple’s dive into AI will drastically change its product designs and hardware features. But under the hood, more powerful chips are likely to emerge in Apple’s gadgets. Such chips could transform the iPhone from an app-centric device to a more AI-driven one, and give Macs an extra layer of productivity potential.
Apple’s devices have a huge reach, especially iPhones, and such wide availability of AI-powered handsets could lead to frictionless use and normalization of AI tools in everyday life, rather than people looking at them with suspicion and seeing tech bros go crazy over ChatGPT, and maybe take away that general feeling of AI boredom.
Unless I and the broader world of technology journalism are wrong, I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple’s tipped showcase of AI at WWDC 2024, and its subsequent use of smart tools and features, acts as a form of gateway drug for generative AI for the average phone user and consumer. That could be huge for the future of AI.
If you want to see if I’m right or wrong, come back to Ny Breaking as we bring you the latest rumors, news, opinions and analysis before and during WWDC 2024. And if you want to watch the keynote for yourself, check out our guide at how to watch WWDC 2024.