Apple WWDC 2026: Credible AI After a Massive Regulation

A Realistic Atmosphere at WWDC 2026

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2026 took an unexpected turn, emphasizing credibility and transparency. The event began with a review of past promises, reminiscent of a partner proudly listing completed tasks. Instead of unveiling revolutionary innovations, Apple chose to focus on tangible improvements. Among these were the correction of last year's "Liquid Glass" design, a redesign of the search function, and notable enhancements to the Playground feature.

The most significant announcement was the presentation of a revamped version of Siri, Apple's voice assistant, which had been promised but not delivered two years prior. This time, the demonstrations were carefully orchestrated to showcase seemingly operational features. Pre-recorded videos illustrated real-time usage of these features, with one person standing, phone in hand, using voice commands and pressing buttons, while another camera showed the phone's response.

This style of demonstration was noted, with comments on X on Monday comparing today's keynote to those of the so-called "vaporware" demonstrations of 2024. At that time, Apple had stated that features would soon be available for those upgrading to the iPhone 15 Pro and newer devices with M1 chips or higher. However, in March 2025, Apple admitted to Daring Fireball that the rollout of features shown via production video would "take longer than expected."

Revisiting the Promises of 2024

In 2024, Apple faced criticism for its AI demonstrations, deemed closer to "vaporware" than concrete products. The announced features were supposed to be available on the iPhone 15 Pro and devices equipped with M1 chips or higher. However, in March 2025, Apple acknowledged that the rollout would take longer than anticipated, leading to a lawsuit for false advertising.

Last month, Apple agreed to pay $250 million to settle this case, without admitting fault. This settlement seems to have influenced how the company chose to present its new offerings at WWDC 2026. This year's demonstrations were compared to those of 2024 on X, highlighting a stark contrast with the carefully produced videos of that time.

Accessibility of New Features

Unlike usual practices, Apple is not conditioning access to new AI features on the purchase of new devices. The improved Siri will be available with iOS 27 on the iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, and all iPhone 16 models and later. This decision allows a large number of users to benefit from the new features without having to invest in recent hardware.

The new features will also extend across the entire range of Apple products, including the iPad mini (A17 Pro), iPad models with M1 or later, the MacBook Neo (A18 Pro), Mac models with M1 or later, the Apple Vision Pro, the Apple Watch Series 10 or later, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later, and the Apple Watch SE 3 when paired with a nearby Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone.

This strategy could be seen as a concession, as Apple is not locking features behind new devices to encourage upgrades, contrary to what had been promised two years ago for the iPhone 15.