Apple unveils software redesign while reeling from AI missteps, tech upheaval and Trump’s trade war

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE CUPERTINO Calif After stumbling out of the starting gate in Big Tech s pivotal race to capitalize on artificial intelligence Apple tried to regain its footing Monday during an annual developers conference that focused mostly on incremental advances and cosmetic changes in its system The presummer rite which attracted thousands of developers from nearly countries to Apple s Silicon Valley headquarters was more subdued than the feverish anticipation that surrounded the event during the previous two years Apple highlighted plans for more AI tools designed to simplify people s lives and make its products even more intuitive while also providing an early glimpse at the biggest redesign of its iPhone solution in a decade In doing so Apple executives refrained from issuing bold promises of breakthroughs that punctuated new conferences prompting CFRA analyst Angelo Zino to deride the event as a dud in a research note In Apple unveiled a mixed-reality headset that has been little more than a niche product and last year WWDC trumpeted its first major foray into the AI craze with an array of new features highlighted by the promise of a smarter and more versatile version of its virtual assistant Siri a goal that has hasn t been achieved yet This work needed more time to reach our high-quality bar Craig Federighi Apple s top program executive explained Monday at the outset of the conference The company didn t provide a precise timetable for the Siri s AI upgrade to be finished but indicated it won t happen until next year at the earliest The silence surrounding Siri was deafening mentioned Forrester Research analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee reported No amount of text corrections or cute emojis can fill the yawning void of an intuitive interactive AI experience that we know Siri will be capable of when ready We just don t know when that will happen The end of the Siri runway is coming up fast and Apple demands to lift off The showcase unfolded amid nagging questions about whether Apple has lost specific of the mystique and innovative drive that turned it into a tech trendsetter during its nearly -year history Instead of making a big splash as it did with the Vision Pro headset and its AI suite Apple took a mostly low-key approach that emphasized its effort to spruce up the look of its tool with a new design called Liquid Glass while also unveiling a new hub for its video games and new features like a Workout Buddy to help manage physical fitness Apple executives promised to make its tool more compatible with the increasingly sophisticated computer chips that have been powering its products while also making it easier to toggle between the iPhone iPad and Mac Our product experience has become even more seamless and enjoyable Apple CEO Tim Cook explained the crowd as the -minute showcase wrapped up IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo commented Apple seemed to be largely using Monday s conference to demonstrate the company still has a blueprint for success in AI even if it s going to take longer to realize the vision that was presented a year ago This year s event was not about disruptive innovation but rather careful calibration platform refinement and developer enablement positioning itself for future moves rather than unveiling game-changing technologies Jeronimo stated Besides redesigning its tool Apple will switch to a method that automakers have used to telegraph their latest car models by linking them to the year after they first arrive at dealerships That means the next version of the iPhone operating system due out this autumn will be known as iOS instead of iOS as it would be under the previous naming approach that has been used since the device s debut The iOS upgrade is expected to be disclosed in September around the same time Apple traditionally rolls out the next iPhone models In an early sign that AI wasn t going to be a focal point of this year s conference Apple opened the proceedings with a short video clip featuring Federighi speeding around a track in a Formula race car Although it was meant to promote the June release of the Apple film F starring Brad Pitt the segment could also be viewed as an unintentional analogy to the company s attempt to catch up to the rest of the pack in AI instrument While various of the new AI tricks compatible with the latest iPhones began rolling out late last year as part of free tool updates the delays in a souped-up Siri became so glaring that the chastened company stopped promoting it in its marketing campaigns earlier this year While Apple has been struggling to make AI that meets its standards the gap separating it from other tech powerhouses is widening Google keeps packing more AI into its Pixel smartphone lineup while introducing more of the tool into its search engine to dramatically change the way it works Samsung Apple s biggest smartphone rival is also leaning heavily into AI Meanwhile ChatGPT in recent weeks struck a deal that will bring former Apple design guru Jony Ive into the fold to work on a new device expected to compete against the iPhone Related Articles Denver s Vinyl Me Please sold as it sues execs for starting RiNo plant Is a coffee kiosk a restaurant In Aurora a judge must decide Lockheed Martin and workers in Colorado Orlando reach new contract How to use your smartphone to photograph the Northern Lights Twitter ordered to pay million for current Boulder lease Besides grappling with innovation challenges Apple also faces regulatory threats that could siphon away billions of dollars in revenue that help finance its research and evolution A federal judge is at this moment weighing whether proposed countermeasures to Google s illegal monopoly in search should include a ban on long-running deals worth billion annually to Apple while another federal judge in recent days banned the company from collecting commissions on in-app transactions processed outside its once-exclusive payment system On top of all that Apple has been caught in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump s transaction war with China a key manufacturing hub for the Cupertino California company Cook successfully persuaded Trump to exempt the iPhone from tariffs during the president s first administration but he has had less success during Trump s second term which seems more determined to prod Apple to make its products in the U S The multidimensional gauntlet facing Apple is spooking investors causing the company s stock price to plunge by so far this year a decline that has erased about billion in shareholder wealth After beginning the year as the the bulk valuable company in the world Apple now ranks third behind longtime rival Microsoft another AI leader and AI chipmaker Nvidia Apple s shares closed down by more than on Monday an early indication the company s latest announcements didn t inspire investors Get more business news by signing up for our Market Now newsletter