Are we well past the days of “one more thing ...” reveals at Apple events?
All eyes were on Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) this week as the company unveiled the latest round of software updates for its tablets, computers and other devices.
But there were no real surprises, with most of the changes to the operating systems having been flagged well in advance.
The simplified phone app had leaked in advance of the reveal, along with the naming change for Apple’s software, introducing iOS26, iPadOS26 and MacOS Tahoe 26.
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And there was little to get really excited about. Liquid Glass, Apple’s new unifying interface across all its software, is its broadest design update to date but not essential – and potentially problematic from an accessibility point of view, going by the official presentation and press shots released by Apple.
AI was definitely less splashy than in 2024, with Apple concentrating on getting more features to consumers.
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The problem is that none of them were really that groundbreaking. Live Translation for calls is something that Google’s Android has already had for some time. Ditto for extending Apple Intelligence to the contents of the phone screen; Google introduced Circle to Search in 2024.
There were a few exceptions, most notably when it comes to digital assistants. The lack of a smarter Siri? Apple had already signalled that it would take more time than it had thought to beef up Siri with AI smarts. Google is powering ahead with Gemini and its live interface that allows users to interact with the digital assistant in the same way they would hold a conversation with a real person – pauses, revision and all.
But Apple isn’t about being first. It concentrates on convincing people that it can do it best. That has worked for the company in the past, as it continued to deliver more innovative products and features than its rivals.
But investor reaction to the WWDC announcements indicates that perhaps fatigue is setting in. Apple may need to up its game if it wants to stay ahead.
