Sizzling Everybody's Talking About: WWDC 2025 - Apple Makes a Stunning Revival!
- by Malte Mansholt
- 4 Min
Apple focuses on familiar territory, leveraging its expertise. - Contemplating Potential Strategies: Assessing Apple's Strengths to Optimize Performance
Apple took the tech world by storm when they gave their operating systems for iPhone, iPad, and more an extraordinary makeover at this year's WWDC after a long hiatus of twelve years! Almost unrecognizable, these systems emerged with fresh looks, bold names, and a consistent edge across all Apple devices. But the essence of that opening keynote was not merely an announcement of a new design. No, it was a powerful declaration from Apple: We got our groove back, baby!
The keynote focused on Apple's key strengths - slick design, smart and practical features, and a generous sprinkle of Apple's charismatic brand magic that transforms even small and sometimes ordinary innovations into a grand showcase! Apple, brimming with confidence, sets the tone for the industry to follow.
Apple Bets on Old Favorites
More than ever, Apple showcased its charm in two ways: with the Liquid Glass design and the rebranding of its operating systems. The chic design is unmistakably Apple - sporting sleek glass optics reminiscent of the Vision Pro's surface, making the operating systems look more modern than anything else on the market and adding consistency across all Apple devices. Apple, intentionally, flexes its design muscles as a trendsetter.
The rebranding demonstrates Apple's brilliant marketing magic - whether it's iOS 18, WatchOS 10, or VisionOS 2, all systems now catapult forward to system version 26. The company aims to name the systems after the year they are intended for, as explained by Software chief Craig Federighi. Rewardingly, the renaming has a double effect - Apple now has the same version number across all systems and makes a psychological leap forward. After all, iOS 26 looks way cooler than version 19!
Combined with an array of well-timed new features, such as an enhanced camera and phone app, long-awaited features like multitasking on the iPad, and numerous smaller tweaks in the system, this makes an enormous impact - the new systems once again feel like a huge hit!
Behind the Scenes
Last year's Apple Intelligence announcement, filled with controversy, couldn't have come at a worse time for Apple. Although it contained strong efforts, such as the integration of AI with privacy, it essentially admitted that Apple was caught off guard by the explosive success of AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT and had to play catch-up. The fact that the bold promises of Apple Intelligence have yet to be realized and that the smarter Siri has been indefinitely delayed (for more information) has further intensified this sense of lagging behind competitors.
For Apple, this was a bitter pill to swallow. Few companies in the world champion their public image and their traditional image of relentless innovation as earnestly as Apple. The dilemma surrounding Apple Intelligence has wounded both aspects.
However, it appears that almost nothing stumps Apple. As history has shown, Apple is rarely the first to introduce a new technology - the iPhone wasn't the first touchscreen smartphone, the Apple Watch wasn't the first smartwatch, the Mac wasn't the first computer, and the iPod wasn't the first MP3 player. Yet, these products are celebrated as groundbreaking innovations overwhelmingly because they were more thought-out, painstakingly crafted, and simply way cooler than what had come before.
AI - Almost in the Rearview Mirror
Surprisingly, Apple struggled to create the hype around AI, despite driving AI technology for years. With Siri, they introduced the first-ever voice assistant, and several features of Apple devices are powered by AI, though often not heavily marketed.
At the WWDC 2025 keynote, the AI topic was noticeably dialed back. Yes, Apple Intelligence still exists, Federighi confirmed at the outset. Many of the new features continue to build on AI, he emphasized. But the focus was on looking ahead and the exciting new design.
Here, the company could once again demonstrate its strength. The "Liquid Glass" redesign spans all systems from the iPhone to the Mac, Apple TV, and CarPlay. Not only does it bring a fresh look with animated glass-based design elements, but it also changes the user experience with menus that slide in, partially or fully transparent surfaces, and expanding, floating windows. This could directly impact users' daily lives more than many AI promises made in the industry currently.
A Peek into the Future?
Interestingly, the new design might indicate more than just a new coat of paint. The glass surfaces hint at two devices that Apple is suspected to be working on in its secret labs.
One is the 20th-anniversary iPhone, set for launch in 2027 to celebrate the iPhone's 20th birthday. According to industry sources, Apple is believed to be planning an astonishingly glasses-based device, including the frame. The new operating system's design would be perfect for such a smartphone.
But the new design could be even more significant for Apple's anticipated successor to the iPhone - a fully-fledged augmented reality headset, housed in a regular glasses frame. This evolution of the Vision Pro, as per Tim Cook's vision, is expected to eventually replace the smartphone by overlaying content directly onto our field of view. And what could be more appropriate than an operating system with a glass-like look?
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- WWDC
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Additional Insights:
- Liquid Glass Design: The Liquid Glass design features semi-translucent elements such as redesigned widgets, notifications, and a focus on streamlining user interfaces, improving productivity, and providing a more modern look with real-time physics effects.
- Rebranding Operating Systems: Apple changed from using sequential version numbers to year-based naming for its operating systems, simplifying the naming process, aligning with industry practices by competitors like Samsung and Microsoft, and making it clearer for users to identify the latest updates.
- 20th-Anniversary iPhone: Apple is rumored to be planning a glasses-based smartphone for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027.
- Augmented Reality Headset: Apple's planned successor to the iPhone is speculated to be a full-fledged augmented reality headset housed in a regular glasses frame, overlaying content directly onto our field of view.
The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down the rules for the application of this Regulation as smartphones, gadgets, and other devices using Apple's new operating systems, such as the 20th-anniversary iPhone and the anticipated augmented reality headset, are expected to embody the 'Liquid Glass' design and rebranded operating systems with year-based naming, starting from iOS 26. This consistency in technology and design illustrates Apple's charismatic brand magic, brimming with confidence, and setting the tone for the industry to follow.
