Apple intends to massively transform the user interfaces for the iPhone, Mac and iPad later this year, according to a reliable source who says iOS 19, macOS 16 and iPadOS 19 could bring the most significant changes in years.
How will those changes affect the familiar look and feel of Apple’s devices? A software developer speculates that a pair of recently released Apple apps offer a sneak peek at the design overhaul reportedly coming in iOS 19 and macOS 16.
Apple confirmed Friday that the smarter Siri promised at WWDC24 isn’t coming together as quickly as anticipated. After touting the minor Siri upgrades that already rolled out, a company statement ended on a depressing note.
“We’ve also been working on a more personalized Siri, giving it more awareness of your personal context, as well as the ability to take action for you within and across your apps,” said Apple spokeswoman Jacqueline Roy. “It’s going to take us longer than we thought to deliver on these features and we anticipate rolling them out in the coming year.”
This confirms multiple previous rumors indicating that users pining for a smarter Siri shouldn’t hold their breath.
Apple’s iPad Air lineup is getting an M3 refresh. The chip upgrade boosts the performance of the latest iPads while promising the same battery life. This enhancement aligns with Apple’s ongoing efforts to integrate advanced technologies, such as Apple Intelligence, into the company’s devices.
“iPad Air is so popular because of its unmatched combination of powerful performance, portability, and support for advanced accessories, all at an affordable price,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. If you’re looking for a comparison with Apple’s flagship models, explore this iPad Pro M3 review for more details.
A week after the first iOS 18.4 beta dropped, Apple released the second beta build. It packs even more changes and brings an iPhone 16 feature to the iPhone 15 Pro lineup.
Below are all the changes we have discovered in iOS 18.4 beta 2 and previous builds so far.
Despite big promises, the Siri experience in iOS 18 is nowhere as good as it should be. An improved Siri reportedly will arrive with iOS 18.5 in May this year, one that is much smarter. However, don’t expect Siri to become like ChatGPT or Gemini until at least 2027.
You can get Apple Intelligence right now on your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro. All you have to do is update to the latest developer beta release. You’ll get access to Visual Intelligence, Image Playground, Genmoji and more.
The developer beta of iOS 18.4 enables Apple Intelligence in the European Union for the first time. visionOS 2.4 brings the featureset to the Vision Pro.
Apple Intelligence is compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro and the new iPhone 16 lineup. Unfortunately, older devices (or even the iPhone 15) don’t have enough RAM to support Apple’s Foundation models. Luckily, you can also try it out if you have an iPad or Mac with an M-series or A17 Pro chip.
Here’s how to get it all.
You can radically customize the Lock Screen of your iPhone with a bunch of widgets, aesthetics and styles. If you liked the themed custom Home Screens people were putting together using Shortcuts and Widgetsmith, you’ll love the level of creativity you can express with customized Lock Screens.
Read on to see all the features or watch our video.
A major visionOS update in April will add Apple Intelligence to the Vision Pro. It will reportedly also introduce an updated guest mode and a new spatial content app.
Apple will roll out these features with visionOS 2.4 in April. The beta will drop as early as the week beginning February 16th.
Apple might push back the launch of a new AI-powered version of Siri after running into unexpected problems during development.
Rather than releasing the upgraded voice assistant in April, Apple might delay the smarter Siri several months or more. Some reports suggest that Apple is adjusting its broader AI strategy, which could also impact other anticipated releases, such as spring loading Mac updates. Read more about the latest developments here.
In the meantime, users looking for a Siri picture of how the AI assistant is evolving can check out the latest updates on its development here.
Apple just appointed seasoned executive Kim Vorrath to spearhead improvements to its artificial intelligence capabilities and Siri virtual assistant, signaling renewed focus on competing with AI leaders like OpenAI and Anthropic, according to a new report Friday.