After spending a few days trying out all the new features in iOS 18, I think it really is one of the biggest updates in a long time. However, hands-on testing shows there’s a lot that needs cleaned up before September, when it’s expected to ship.

The new customizable iPhone Home Screen opens a wide world of possibilities — but you’ll have to wait for third-party apps to update their icons to really make it sing. I’m impressed with the level of customization in Control Center, too, though it’s understandably pretty buggy in this first developer beta. The new Photos app is proving controversial, and I think there are some obvious areas it could be improved, but I like where it’s going overall.

I think there’s a lot to look forward to in iOS 18.

After this morning’s WWDC24 keynote, the Platforms State of the Union explained the nitty gritty details on Apple Intelligence, code completion in Xcode, Swift 6 and the latest software updates.

Susan Prescott, Apple vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations, opened the event by thanking the hard work of all Apple developers. “Thank you for making this such an incredible and exciting ecosystem.”

While the morning keynote has become more of a general interest event for the public to see what’s coming later this year, the State of the Union is a show for developers to see how they can adapt their apps to take advantage of the new APIs and software tools. There was a lot to talk about this year.

The new Meet with Apple Experts program helps Apple developers easily find and join workshops, labs and one-on-one consultations to help them build great apps, Apple said Tuesday.

The new dedicated resource builds on other programs for developers, incorporating their programming.

Want to make Siri smart again and help boost Apple’s artificial-intelligence chops across the board? A recent Apple job posting shows it seeks “machine-learning engineers with a background and/or interest in conversational and generative AI.”

“This role will play a critical part in helping Apple change the way humans learn about learning,” the listing noted.

Hard to say if the new engineers will inject more gray matter into Siri, but one source suggests they might work on device-based apps for Apple’s AR/VR headset, expected to show on Monday at WWDC23 Monday.

Whether you’re just learning how to code, you’re studying computer science or you’re a well-seasoned Mac developer, these three apps are sure to help you in your work. I have an app that adds a whole slew of new features to the Xcode Simulator, one that makes it easier managing packages in Homebrew and a better way to download and install Xcode.

All of these tools are, themselves, open source. There are links to each GitHub repo where you can learn from them and compile them yourself.

Planet of the Apps is a series of interviews with app developers about making, marketing and maintaining apps in the App Store.

Swiss developer Morten Just has built a whole slew of useful Mac apps under the name Otato. But his latest app wasn’t made by him at all: He asked ChatGPT to build it for him.

While Just earned his stripes as a professional programmer, he didn’t write a single line of code to create 5 Movies. It’s an iPhone app that gives you five daily movie recommendations, shows you the trailers on YouTube and tells you where you can stream the films. (It’s currently pending App Store approval.)

These days, artificial intelligence is making headlines for giving users powerful tools that can write essays, recreate impressive art and give technology journalists the heebie-jeebies. 5 Movies is proof that, with a big assist from AI, it only takes a few prompts and a basic understanding of Xcode to create an iPhone app without any coding yourself.

When I interviewed Morten earlier this week for Cult of Mac, I asked him how he got ChatGPT to build his app, what the generated code looked like, and how AI-coded apps will impact ordinary people as well as software developers.

If you’ve ever marveled at how your Apple gear can get better with each iteration, then learning to code will give you a deeper appreciation of the work that goes into it. And there’s no better way to learn than in this bundle of 14 top coding courses for $39.99 (Reg. $2,786).

Normally, to make smartphone apps, you’d have to learn one of the programming languages associated with them. Swift or Flutter and Dart are some of the common starting points. However, you may not actually have to learn to code to create mobile apps. Instead, you could use simple app builder software that may make it easier all around. For example, AppMySite is a quick, intuitive app builder that lets you turn any website into an iOS or Android app without writing a line of code, and a five-year subscription is on sale for $49.99 (Reg. $2,340). 

Want to add a high-paying skill to your resume? Learning to code is one of the best options for landing a lucrative job. And you can master those skills from home, at your own pace, with the 2023 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle.

The 14-part collection is currently on sale for just $39.99 (regularly $2,786).

Whether you crave an exciting new career in tech or just want to boost the skills on your résumé, learning to code is one of the most valuable specialties you can have.

You can master various in-demand programming languages from home with The 2022 All-in-One Learn to Code Certification Bundle. Usually $3,000, it’s on sale right now for just $44.99. With 15 premium courses included in this e-learning bundle, that works out to less than $3 a course.