What to Expect at This Year's WWDC Beyond AI Siri and Tim Cook's "Curtain Call Speech"?

The headline talks about the brain, while the footnote talks about personality.

Although there are still a few days until this year's WWDC officially kicks off, Apple has already given away the main highlight of this year quite clearly. Open the official website of WWDC26, and the slogan is "All systems glow" - just changing one word from NASA's classic countdown phrase "all systems go", turning it from "ready to go" to "all glowing". The accompanying wallpaper features a dark background with a glowing Apple logo in the middle, and even the pre - event playlist is called "Glow all out". This entire visual package points to the same thing: the rumored new glowing Siri. Moreover, on June 8th, it's very likely to be Tim Cook's last keynote as CEO (Apple officially announced in April this year that hardware chief Turner will take over on September 1st). This year, everyone is waiting for these two headlines: A glowing Siri with a Google Brain and a farewell . < img data - img - size - val = "1080,608" src = "https://img.36krcdn.com/hsossms/20260605/v2_2ad32c501cf64d15b06b9ff5f8f6079c@000000_oswg743214oswg1080oswg608_img_000?x - oss - process = image/format,jpg/interlace,1" > Apple officially unveiled the Liquid Glass design style last year | Image source: Apple But have you ever thought that the reason Apple is so eager to make you focus on that glow might be precisely because there are more interesting things outside of the glow. The headlines talk about the brain, while the footnotes talk about the character. This year, Apple's footnotes are more interesting than the headlines. < h2 > 01 System "Cooling Down" < / h2 > Let's first look at the places where the glow doesn't reach. At this time last year, Apple gave iOS 26 a frosted - glass look called "Liquid Glass": semi - transparent, fluid, and reflective everywhere. It was amazing at the launch event. However, after a year of use, there have been a lot of complaints. The best evidence is the iOS 27 wish list by MacRumors on the eve of WWDC. When the editor asked readers "What do you most want to add to iOS 27", almost none of the top - voted answers were about new features - they were all about "fix the bugs", "revert the Liquid Glass", and "fix the lousy keyboard and auto - correction". < img data - img - size - val = "1080,702" src = "https://img.36krcdn.com/hsossms/20260605/v2_e726194247204bcc80bbcada62796364@000000_oswg155551oswg1080oswg702_img_000?x - oss - process = image/format,jpg/interlace,1" > WWDC2026 is expected to launch a new Siri based on Liquid Glass | Image source: Apple Hub Some people say that after using iPhones for more than twenty years, they've never seen the system so unstable. Some even only ask for one thing: remove the ads in the map - because Apple has been busy stuffing ads into Apple Maps in the past two years to earn more money from its service business. Apple has obviously heard these complaints. According to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, macOS 27 will make a small adjustment to specifically improve the readability of Liquid Glass; the overall tone of iOS 27 has also shifted from last year's "flashy" to stability and refinement. The other systems - iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS - generally follow the same script: integrating generative AI into core apps like Mail, Notes, and Photos, and the health monitoring on the watch will also rely more on AI. macOS 27 also has an unobtrusive but symbolic change: it will completely bid farewell to Intel and only support Apple's own chips. Apple rarely takes back a design language just one year after its launch. On one hand, there is the grand pre - event hype of "All systems glow" on the official website; on the other hand, there is a strong public opinion from users asking Apple to fix the bugs first. This gap itself shows that the high - profile redesign of iOS 26 didn't achieve the desired results, and there is still a lot of work to be done. This year's main theme is actually "cleaning up last year's mess". No wonder some people are already discussing that the truly anticipated version is iOS 28 for foldable screens next year, and this year's version is more like a transition. < img data - img - size - val = "1080,577" src = "https://img.36krcdn.com/hsossms/20260605/v2_1fddede8d0e840cab2609227d6672a62@000000_oswg116508oswg1080oswg577_img_000?x - oss - process = image/format,jpg/interlace,1" > The official wallpaper of WWDC26: a dark background with a glowing Apple logo, echoing the slogan "All systems glow" | Image source: Apple < h2 > 02 Apple AI "Welcoming Guests" < / h2 > If there's anything at this year's WWDC that might change the way you use your iPhone, I'd bet on this often - overlooked thing: Apple is opening the ecological door for AI. According to Bloomberg, iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 will allow you to set third - party AI services as the default engines for some functions of Apple Intelligence - such as writing tools and Image Playground. Coupled with the long - rumored "extension" mechanism for Siri, in theory, you can let Claude take over Siri's writing and let ChatGPT handle other types of problems, all from the same Siri entry on the same iPhone. And this time, it's not entirely because Apple was forced to do so. Looking back at that wish list, "supporting any third - party AI assistant" was among the top requests from readers. Users want it, and Apple has provided it - but the reason behind it isn't that simple. Imagine this scenario: You press the side button to wake up Siri and ask it to revise an email. In fact, it's Claude doing the job. Later, you ask it a programming question, and the answer comes from Gemini or another model. You don't need to install three apps and copy - paste back and forth. The entry is always the familiar Siri. < img data - img - size - val = "1080,616" src = "https://img.36krcdn.com/hsossms/20260605/v2_fa4a5325faae4bf882579284e1f9a80b@000000_oswg511666oswg1080oswg616_img_000?x - oss - process = image/format,jpg/interlace,1" > The interaction mode of the new Siri is expected to be based on the Dynamic Island to create exclusive animations | Image source: Bloomberg This might sound like an unremarkable setting. But you need to know who Apple is. This is a company that has taken the "ecosystem fence" experience to the extreme. Default browser, default map, default input method - for a long time, almost all the "defaults" on the iPhone could only be Apple's own. Its logic has always been: We control the experience from start to finish, so it's good. Allowing users to hand over the most core intelligent entry to competitors is almost against Apple's instincts. A company that has always kept its door tightly shut is now voluntarily opening a crack in its most private intelligent entry to its competitors. This shows more about the changes happening at Apple than who Siri's new brain is. So the question is, why is Apple doing this? On the positive side, it's generosity and consideration for users. But when a previously closed - off company suddenly becomes open, there's usually more than just good will behind it. There are two forces at work. One is regulation. The EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) has been prying at Apple's walls in recent years - forcing it to open third - party app stores and give users the choice of default apps. Handing over the choice of AI engines is a continuation of the same logic: Apple may not want to, but it has less and less of a choice. The other is to leave a way out for itself. Apple has just bet Siri's brain on Google Gemini, but it knows well that models iterate extremely fast. The strongest one today may not be so in half a year. Allowing access to third - party models is like having a few extra backups besides Gemini - if Claude or a new model is more suitable one day, the channel is already there. The so - called "openness" is partly driven by regulation and partly a hedge for itself. < img data - img - size - val = "1080,720" src = "https://img.36krcdn.com/hsossms/20260605/v2_a859569e0e6f453c9e26ff343461e649@000000_oswg291621oswg1080oswg720_img_000?x - oss - process = image/format,jpg/interlace,1" > In addition to being open, the new Siri also provides users with new options to make Siri available as soon as possible. | Image source: Bloomberg What does this mean for you and me? It means that the "Apple Intelligence" brand may become more and more like a shell in the future - the shell is still Apple's, but you may be able to choose whose intelligence goes inside. This is a real benefit for users. But it also quietly rewrites the story that Apple has been telling for more than a decade: the Apple that said "Only we can give you the best experience" is starting to admit that someone else may be better at a certain part. Looking at it in a broader context, it becomes clearer. Every "open" move by Apple in the past two years - sideloading, third - party app stores, and now third - party AI - seems like a concession forced by regulation. But together, they are loosening something that Apple has relied on: that tall and thick wall. The wall was once Apple's moat for a great experience, but now it's being chipped away bit by bit. The few lines about "openness" at this year's WWDC may be closer to the real situation of this company than any new feature. < h2 > 03 And New Hardware < / h2 > The third category of "what else" is hidden in the hardware. Although WWDC has always been a software - focused event and hardware has never been the main focus, this year's situation is different: the AI wave that Apple is desperately trying to catch up with is starting to squeeze it. First, there's the smart home. According to Gurman, the long - rumored home hub HomePad is likely to make an appearance at this year's WWDC - a 7 - inch square screen, an A18 chip, a brand - new system platform homeOS, and it can even make FaceTime calls without an iPhone. < img data - img - size - val = "1080,608" src = "https://img.36krcdn.com/hsossms/20260605/v2_16879c9650b84a21b3d932d739c1e9b9@000000_oswg339468oswg1080oswg608_img_000?x - oss - process = image/format,jpg/interlace,1" > The long - rumored HomePad | Image source: MacRumor But it's most likely just a "preview" and won't be available for sale immediately. The reason is very "Apple": the hardware is actually ready, but it hasn't been released because it relies too much on the not - yet - perfected Siri. A finished piece of hardware being held back by an unfinished voice assistant in the warehouse - this statement is more straightforward than any analysis. Then there's the Mac. The M5 versions of Mac Studio and Mac mini are on the way, and there are also rumors of a "MacBook Ultra" positioned above the Pro. However, this year's WWDC probably won't bring many surprises in terms of Mac because Apple is in an awkward situation: a global shortage of memory (DRAM) triggered by the demand for AI servers has forced it to cut the high - end memory options for Mac Studio and Mac mini. Some reports even say that the new models will be postponed until autumn. Even in the thing it's best at - selling hardware - Apple now has to make way for AI. This time, it's AI that has taken away its memory. The hardware that won't appear at this year's launch can actually be inferred from the software. According to multiple media reports, iOS 27 will be adapted for an unreleased foldable iPhone, and macOS 27 is preparing for a "touch - screen MacBook". < img data - img - size - val = "1080,720" src = "https://img.36krcdn.com/hsossms/20260605/v2_be3b3bf4788e491b90dafcfb7f953be2@000000_oswg326838oswg1080oswg720_img_000?x - oss - process = image/format,jpg/interlace,1" > The adaptation of iOS for foldable devices is expected to be one of the highlights of this year's WWDC | Image source: AppleHub WWDC is a stage where software takes the lead - Apple lays out the APIs first, allowing developers to modify apps in advance for next year's foldable screens and touch - screen Macs. So this year, the real signals about hardware are not about "what was released" but about "what it's paving the way for". Connecting these "what else" together, you'll find that they actually point in the same direction. They are all signs that Apple is being pushed by several forces stronger than itself: regulatory pressure to open up, the pressure to generate more revenue, and the AI wave that it has to catch up with but is also nibbling away at it. On June 8th, the spotlight will surely be on that glow: the glowing Siri and Tim Cook's farewell. This is the headline, as it should be. But I'll also keep an eye on the corners where the light doesn't reach - the bugs that users are begging to fix, the quietly added third - party AI switches, the new ads in the map, a home hub held back by Siri, and a batch of Macs stuck due to the memory shortage. These things won't make it to the hot searches. But when you put them together, you'll see an Apple that's different from the past: less dominant, less closed - off, and less calm. The real Apple worth watching this year may be hidden in the footnotes of the launch event, behind that glow. These small things won't make it to the hot searches. But when you put them together, you'll see an Apple that's different from the past: less dominant, less closed - off, and less calm. That Apple may be hidden in the footnotes of this year's launch event. At 1 am on June 9th, during the WWDC 2026 keynote speech, the answers to these questions will be

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What Else to Expect at This Year's WWDC Besides AI Siri and Tim Cook's "Curtain Call Speech"?