What to expect from Apple’s WWDC event as Wall Street looks for AI gains

Apple’s WWDC 2025 kicks off in Cupertino, Calif., on June 9, offering developers and users a look at the changes coming to the company’s software products throughout the next year. During last year’s WWDC, Apple (AAPL) unveiled its Apple Intelligence AI platform. And while the showcase made for some impressive tech demos, the company hasn’t been able to deliver on all of its high-flying promises. There’s still little sign of when Apple will begin rolling out its generative AI-powered Siri, and the AI capabilities it has pushed out aren’t exactly blowing minds on Wall Street, or anywhere else, for that matter. There’s a chance we could get some more insight into Apple’s AI plans at this year’s show, but don’t expect the kind of splashy announcements we saw last year.

Still, the company is bound to debut a host of new and interesting features for its iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and more. And there’s always a chance, albeit slight, that Apple will take the wraps off a new piece of hardware. Here’s what you can expect from Apple’s WWDC 2025. New styles and names across the board Apple’s giving its most important software a welcomed facelift, updating the looks of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS with a new design that takes a page from the Vision Pro headset’s visionOS operating system, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. There are updates to the look of everything from icons and menus to apps; Gurman called the changes the biggest stylistic transformation for iOS since 2013 and the most extensive revision of macOS since 2020.

Front Page Tech's Jon Prosser says he got his hands on the next version of iOS, posting a video about it on his YouTube page that reveals new functionalities when you tap on app icons and a restyled Camera app. Apple isn’t just changing the look of its software offerings, though; it’s also changing the naming convention of its operating systems, Gurman says, to match the year after they’re released. So instead of getting iOS 19 this year, we’d get iOS 26. It’s not going to make much of a difference to most users (How many of you know the exact version of iOS you’re using?), but it’s certainly worth noting the change. It will be interesting to see how Apple incorporates these updates into its next-generation iPhones.

The company will reportedly debut a far slimmer iPhone 17 later this fall, which could help goose sales in China, where Apple’s revenue has slipped every quarter since the company’s fiscal Q4 2023. Combine that with the new software, and the iPhone 17 starts to look like a much bigger upgrade than it would if it only got those hardware improvements. Story Continues AI in bits and pieces While artificial intelligence might not be the star of the show like it was at WWDC 2024, that doesn’t mean Apple won’t have any new AI features in the offering. According to Gurman, the company will also show off an AI battery manager and AI-powered live translation feature for its AirPods. The battery manager, part of Apple Intelligence, will understand how you use your iPhone and increase or decrease power output depending on what you’re doing on your device.

Live translation for the AirPods will add the ability to understand people speaking in different languages. Google (GOOG, GOOGL) already offers a similar capability on its own earbuds.CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 10: Attendees watch a video presentation during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 10, 2024 in Cupertino, California. Apple will announce plans to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into Apple software and hardware. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)·Justin Sullivan via Getty Images If you’re hoping to have a conversation with someone in another language, though, you’ll likely need to make sure they’re wearing their own AirPods, as well. Apple previously outfitted the AirPods Pro with the ability to serve as over-the-counter hearing aids.

Apple is also said to be setting the stage to open up its own large language models, the software that underpins generative AI apps, to third-party developers, according to Bloomberg. The move could get Apple’s army of loyal developers to begin working on AI-powered software that can run directly on the iPhone, rather than having to run it via the cloud. Apple is also reportedly working on a new centralized gaming app for its devices to replace its current Game Center app. The company has been steadily working to build out its gaming bona fides to prove its devices are every bit as great gaming systems as home consoles or PCs. And while Apple still isn’t there yet (It doesn’t support nearly as many traditional games as competing platforms), it’s one of the biggest mobile game companies in the world thanks to its App Store.

Helping to consolidate all of that into one app would be beneficial for users and Apple. Yahoo Finance will be live on the ground at Apple’s headquarters, bringing you all the latest from WWDC 2025.Sign up for Yahoo Finance's Week in Tech newsletter.·yahoofinance Email Daniel Howley at [email protected]. Follow him on X/Twitter at @DanielHowley. For the latest earnings reports and analysis, earnings whispers and expectations, and company earnings news, click here Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance. View Comments