Apple to unveil new AI features at last conference with Tim Cook
Apple is expected to unveil new artificial intelligence features at its annual developers conference starting Monday. This will be the last conference with CEO Tim Cook, who will hand over the post to John Ternus in September. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which gathers thousands of developers from about 60 countries at Apple's headquarters in Silicon Valley, typically focuses on software, unlike the fall presentation of new iPhones.
Analysts expect the iPhone maker to unveil updates to new AI features and capabilities, including developments for the Siri voice assistant.
"Although hardware products are rarely launched at the developers conference, we may see hints of Apple's expansion into foldable devices, wearables, and smart home products through updates for developers and the ecosystem," said Gadjo Sevilla, senior analyst at Emarketer, calling 2026 a "transition year" for the conference.
Apple lags behind its Big Tech peers in AI. It uses Google's Gemini AI model to support its AI features.
Sevilla expects Siri to be reimagined as an AI chatbot, become more conversational, remember previous conversations, and be able to perform multiple tasks with a single request.
"An updated, agentic version of Siri capable of managing conversations and tasks on iPhone, Mac, and iPad could become as ubiquitous as AirDrop and Handoff features that already unify the Apple ecosystem," Sevilla said.
Cook announced his retirement in April, ending a 15-year period during which the company's market value grew by more than $4 trillion in the iPhone boom era. Ternus has worked at Apple for the past 25 years, including the last five years leading engineering for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, making him the top candidate to replace Cook.
The transition to a new CEO comes at a turning point for Apple. Artificial intelligence has caused the biggest industry upheaval since Jobs introduced the first iPhone in 2007. Apple has faced difficulties in AI, stumbling in attempts to deliver new features promised nearly two years ago.