Apple's WWDC 2025 did not disappoint, but it didn't inspire either. I wanted answers to some of my burning questions, like when is Siri going to glow up, what's the future of Apple Home, and how will you inspire consumers to buy into the Vision Pro...er..vision?
None of that was forthcoming. Instead, we got a new, glossy design language (Liquid Glass), a ton of minutiae on iOS 26 feature updates (camera app overhaul, background on group messages, edge-to-edge Safari), more intelligent Apple Intelligence, and a much-needed iPadOS reinvention.
Apple spent 90 minutes telling us how the world of iPhones, Macs, Apple Watches, Apple TVs, and iPads would change, but unlike developers conference keynotes from Google or even Meta, they didn't tell us how they are changing the world. Apple's developers' conference was focused squarely on the platforms and how your experience with each of them would change.
No moment stood out as an "Oh, that's gonna change everything."
Not the star you expected
To be clear, there are big changes. iPadOS 26 in particular might be unrecognizable (but in a good way) to people who've been using Apple's tablet for well over a decade. If you asked me 48 hours ago the biggest story to come out of the keynote, I would've guessed the new naming convention (years but not the one you're in!), Liquid Glass (like glass but much Apple-ly-er), or a surprise. iPadOS 26 was not on my bingo card.
Apple kept the keynote neatly focused on software, which I thought might bode well for a hardware surprise at the end.
I had visions of Apple AR glasses tease, the unveiling of a new, tethered, and much more affordable Vision Pro Lite.
I lieu of those fanciful "one more things," I hoped that maybe Apple software engineering lead Craig Federighi would circle back to the dismissive Siri mention at the beginning, preview the full-realized Apple Intelligence Siri and deliver a blood-oath promise that it would arrive at the same time as the first iOS 26 Public betas.
None of that happened. Apple dismissed its challenging year and presented a, to be far, exhaustive collection of platform updates. At least now we know why Siri is delayed.
To be certain, everything that was unveiled at WWDC 2025 is a lot, and I struggle to wrap my mind around it all. There are bits in there, for instance, like the macOS Tahoe Spotlight update, which won't reveal the true depth of its impact until we test-drive the new platforms.
On that note, I know you're tempted to download all the developer betas, but use caution. They're usually buggy and, in the case of the iPhone, most dev betas tend to suck the life right out of your battery (mainly because they're not yet optimized).
It's about certainty
The larger issue here, though, is that, unlike previous years, where I knew Apple would deliver on its promises, I know that that's no longer a lock. I want to trust that the incredible Vision Pro personas update, the one that makes those floating heads look absolutely real, will arrive in the fall, that Spotlight with contextual awareness will work as demonstrated with the next new Mac, and the iPadOS 26's windowing and background activity prowess will be just as powerful as they looked during the keybote.
Even some of the stuff I'm reasonably certain will arrive will be limited. Digital IDs are expanding, but Apple is unable to get it working in all 50 US states (for now, nine support it), and watchOS 26's Workout Buddy, which relies on Apple Intelligence on the iPhone, will only support English, and what if it's only in the US?
There are now always limits to Apple's dream scenario, and I find that it's smart to wake up long before the first public beta drops.
Apple may surprise us and overdeliver, but if we've learned one thing from the WWDC 2025 keynote, it's that, for now, it's no longer in the business of big surprises that leave it in a position of underdelivering.
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