Recapping WWDC 2024 from Apple Park

There was no new Apple {hardware} at WWDC 2024, however Apple nonetheless had tons of stories round AI and its upcoming working techniques. On this bonus episode, Cherlynn and Devindra courageous the California warmth to debate Apple Intelligence and the way it’s totally different than different AI options. And so they dive into different new options they’re trying ahead to, just like the iPhone mirroring in macOS Sequoia and iPadOS 18’s surprisingly cool Calculator app.

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Credit

Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn Low
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien

Transcript

Devindra: What’s up, people? That is Devindra right here, and we’re reside at Apple Park. Cherlynn and I are in the course of masking Apple’s WWDC convention. Cherlynn, what’s up? How’s it going?

Cherlynn: We’re, I really feel fairly zen proper now, as a result of regardless that I’ve much more conferences arising, we’re seated exterior, it is good out, and regardless that it is actually sizzling, it isn’t dying. it is good. I am chill.

Devindra: It is good we’re each, we have gone by way of 4 to 5 conferences. For each of us. We have gone by way of the keynote. We’re writing a bunch of stories people. So we’re simply gonna sit down and Offer you our ideas about what is going on on. Cherlynn and I additionally did a video that is up on our YouTube channel recapping why we predict Apple intelligence is doing issues a bit in a different way and possibly higher than Stuff from Microsoft and Google, however yeah, Sherlyn, you have been speaking with Apple lots.

What’s your basic takeaway from this 12 months’s WWDC?

Cherlynn: Yeah, to set the stage a bit, I feel, this morning 8 a. m. I had my first assembly after which it has been 4 conferences such as you mentioned, Devendra, masking matters like Apple intelligence, privateness, iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 and watchOS 11 as properly. My important factor is that sure, we’ve got really all through the keynote, we heard issues that we have seen in different platforms, proper?

Like they’re blatantly copying magic eraser from Google’s editor on, this factor known as cleanup and pictures. and so they’re including various things like, oh, now you can rearrange your apps and pores and skin them the best way you possibly can in Android’s materials you. However, the best way Apple’s thought issues by way of proves and continues to show to be totally different from everybody else.

It’s kind of extra considerate, a bit cleaner, a bit extra refined. And, once more, I feel you see this most in Apple Intelligence. And, Devindra, you have been asking all people right here, can we are saying AI? Can we?

Devindra: I do not know. So one factor I began figuring it out, or a minimum of as we had been writing about Apple Intelligence, is that Making an acronym for it’s robust as a result of I am unable to simply name it AI after which discuss That stuff versus Copilot or versus OpenAI and I’ve began utilizing Apple AI as a solution to shorten it However I’ve been asking Apple people right here principally everybody we have encountered about how they shorten Apple intelligence and the resounding response I get is sort of a information processing error.

It is like watching a human sort of identical to cease having the ability to course of data. They give the impression of being over to the PR individual. They’re like, what do I see right here? However the response I all the time get is, Apple intelligence. That is all we are saying. We solely ever say Apple intelligence. One individual mentioned, private intelligence, which is a phrase Tim Cook dinner used.

However yeah, it’s humorous that it’s, it appears virtually like a company command to not name Apple intelligence AI or shorten it that manner in any manner.

Cherlynn: they consider the phrases AI, or the letters AI, to face for Apple Intelligence, it appears After which the phrase that they fall again on after they do not need to say Apple Intelligence is simply Intelligence. three syllables, is just one greater than saying AI. Nonetheless, although, AI is a lot simpler to say, for my part.

Devindra: It simply appears like they’ve stumbled themselves into this bizarre branding gap, the place they took the letters A and I, however they cannot use AI. However it’s also an AI powered factor. I simply suppose it is humorous, and exhibits, like, how I do not understand how absurd these corporations might be at some factors. however yeah, let’s briefly discuss Apple Intelligence, Cherlynn. I am extra impressed by what Apple’s doing right here as a result of it does appear to be they’re saying options that we really would need to use, and it is extra centered on options inside apps, stuff like making Siri higher, fairly than what Microsoft did.

Microsoft was identical to, hey, no person likes our search engine. Right here we put AI in our search engine then all people swiftly thought it was cool After which they put that copilot they rebranded as copilot They put that in Home windows and it is like dot revenue I do not suppose it really led to something.

I do not care about copilot in Home windows It hasn’t been functionally helpful for me However simply trying on the stuff right here that Apple has proven off like I need to use this new Siri I need to use plenty of these new options that they are displaying off. I do not know for those who really feel in a different way

Cherlynn: I feel Siri is just one a part of the Apple intelligence puzzle.

I feel there’s plenty of different stuff that they had been, that they demoed that might be very intriguing. I do really feel like plenty of their writing instruments, issues that we will see on Mac and iPad, are issues we have seen elsewhere, like Copilot, like Gemini and OpenAI, have all provided some model of rewriting one thing for you, summarizing it for you, offering a TLDR.

Apple clearly being the kind of, vertical integration king that it’s good at Bringing it in order that whenever you spotlight a physique of textual content or one thing, you possibly can see this like blue or yellow or no matter circle up right here on the prime left, the place you discover your copy and paste choices, you may additionally go there to get a writing software like, yeah, assist me regulate the tone of this cowl letter that I am writing, for instance. it is Stuff that we have seen, however but utilized a only a bit higher, a bit extra thoughtfully. the Siri stuff, they’ve redesigned Siri to raised perceive you for those who, interrupting your self in the course of, issuing a command. for those who’re like, Oh, regulate this timer. Oh, sorry, set it for 15, not 20 minutes, that kind of factor. it would do it. It is sensible sufficient. it’s positively, extra thought out and extra system large and deeply built-in. And to make use of their very own phrases, Private, extra personally, contextually conscious than say, Gemini on a Pixel cellphone. And that is the one actual different place I can evaluate it to as a result of the Copilot on Floor PCs do not appear that deeply built-in simply but.

Devindra: It virtually looks like Copilot is directionless. It is like Microsoft was identical to, Hey, OpenAI is cool, do you want ChatGPT? look, we put it in Home windows. are you not entertained? Aren’t you content about this? And I wasn’t, I’ve examined these items for some time. I feel Google’s a minimum of making an attempt to be a bit extra, Considerate additionally about the way it’s doing it with Gemini.

Prefer it’s making an attempt to love hook into all of the Google providers and all of the stuff you are already counting on. However Apple’s complete factor is like they’re constructing on the privateness requirements that they’ve talked about earlier than plenty of this Processing is occurring on gadget with their native fashions They do go to the cloud for a few of their like extra advanced issues.

However we additionally learn in regards to the what’s it the personal cloud? connection that they had been speaking about and even that appears cool I might advocate you all it is like bizarre to even focus on one thing like this, however they’ve principally Created a cloud answer that’s they are saying is safer You it is an anonymized connection.

Like when, to start with, Apple’s fashions solely ship little bits of knowledge to their cloud. It is anon anonymized in a manner, just like the, the VPN relay factor that they’ve on iPhones is, these servers do not save your information. They do not save logs. In order that’s additionally one thing that may stop, authorities like police or the FBI from getting information of what you are doing. however Apple’s identical to retaining your self out of that. And so they additionally say that they are publishing the photographs. of the software program getting used on the servers for researchers to audit and to try and your cellphone can solely speak with principally servers working the precise software program that they count on it to so your cellphone should hold getting up to date there’s like simply a number of layers of safety which isn’t the kind of factor I feel most individuals take into consideration after they’re doing like cloud providers, a minimum of from what I’ve seen.

Cherlynn: I feel, so one factor, the irony of Copilot being directionless is simply fairly humorous to me. you do not need a Copilot or a Pilot to be directionless. However anyway, yeah, the personal cloud computing is certainly one thing that, Apple is approaching in a different way in comparison with Microsoft and Google, the place they explicitly lay out how anonymized and the way protected and encrypted your information is. and true. Apple’s level, which one thing that Craig Federighi identified through the keynote as properly, they really put it on the market. They need impartial verification and validation that their stuff is securely occurring and all of the switch of your course of. for instance, proper after the keynote, a sure co, CEO or proprietor of a sure social media community or platform was like, OpenAI integration with this factor goes to be a safety threat, proper? I’m referring to Elon Musk’s tweets on X. And, from my understanding, having taken plenty of conferences since, the OpenAI integration is occurring like this. everytime you ask Apple Intelligence gadgets a question, Siri for instance, the very first thing it is doing is determining whether or not it may well do it on gadget or if it must ship by way of privateness cloud compute to the servers to course of.

Then, on gadgets clearly like fairly direct, proper? But when it must go your data on to speak GPT since you’ve requested it one thing that, no matter. It can first floor hey, do you need to go your data to speak GPT? And it’ll do it each time. you are not going to say sure as soon as after which afterwards by no means need to be requested chat GPT entry once more. after which there’s a contractual factor between OpenAI and Apple which prevents OpenAI from storing your requests. and in addition Apple is simply not handing any IP deal with data over. It’s utilizing that kind of personal relay factor, to go on like several IP deal with data wanted. It is simply hiding the precise information. after which as soon as OpenAI has performed chat GPTing your solutions for you, It’s presupposed to erase your data or no matter and do away with it. It’s a contractual factor supposedly, and that continues to be to be seen, proper? that is how a lot you belief OpenAI to try this. after which the same kind of ideas for privateness, cloud compute right here.

So once more, very properly thought out, proper? simply very Apple in its strategy.

Devindra: Considerate, I feel, is the phrase. I do not need to sound like I mentioned this within the video. Not an excessive amount of of a fanboy. Now we have not seen these items in motion but or within the wild. However, I feel just like the preliminary I do not know. Issues we noticed was one thing like Microsoft Recall, which was a cool thought.

However Microsoft, it was like a blunt power strategy to Hey, we’re simply going to recollect all the things you probably did in your laptop by capturing all the things we did in your laptop. And we will serve it, we will put it aside in a database in your system that, Hey, anyone can apparently entry with like little or no protections round it.

And it actually took days for safety researchers to even be like, what the hell is that this? that is. Very simple to interrupt by way of. Microsoft ended up having to, principally rework how that characteristic is. Initially it was, it was a characteristic that was all the time enabled and also you needed to choose out of it. Now it is choose in. individuals needed to complain to alleviate these very apparent points. And I feel on the very least, I haven’t got that sense with Apple. Like I really feel like they’ve a minimum of sat down, possibly additionally talked with researchers and be like, is that this cool? Is that this really copacetic by way of like privateness and person security and all the things?

So I do not know in case you have any additional ideas on that.

Cherlynn: As a result of Apple is aware of that the kind of worth to pay if it is caught with egg on its face is so excessive and really arguably larger for it than any of its different rivals to be, is all of the extra invested in ensuring that is going and being performed the best manner and truthfully I want Google and Microsoft would take notes. I’ll say there’s plenty of different privateness issues which might be very intriguing to me. I did, I’m contemporary from like a privateness associated demo that, was very, so the passwords app is a brand new factor that I am very enthusiastic about, I am very welcome. I really feel very welcome. Or I am welcoming it? No matter. they’re additionally altering sure issues just like the permitting entry to all of your contacts or limiting entry or no matter within the permission settings for varied apps that want.

Like for instance, if I am enjoying Match Manufacturing facility, why do they should get all of the entry to all my contacts they do not want? I additionally suppose it is humorous, no, possibly not humorous. one of many new options coming to iOS 18 is locking and hiding. particular apps. locking is sensible. I get it. Hiding, although, looks like you are, like, Ashley Madison ing issues for everyone, letting the cheaters of the world hold secrets and techniques.

I do not understand how I really feel about that, however, it is the, atomic bomb factor, proper? Do you make it after which let individuals use it how they are going to, or, I do not know who at Apple determined this was a needed characteristic. Are you going to make use of this characteristic Devendra?

Devindra: hear, I might have my Tinder account by some means.

I do not know. however I do suppose the app blocking factor is cool as a result of dad and mom usually have to offer their gadgets to children and Oh, you do not need them to swipe away, you do not need them to do different stuff. So this manner you possibly can lock an app if you wish to showcase your pictures or showcase one thing to someone and simply have them not poke round, which has been.

It is also like a quite common downside we see on like TV exhibits and films the place someone could be like, Hey, can I check out this photograph? And so they’re like, get all of your private information out of your cellphone immediately as a result of it is open. So it looks like a really sensible manner of coping with privateness too.

Cherlynn: And really Apple esque in that, for those who lock an app, say, your messages, for instance, then it, additionally the contents of that app will not present up, and search will not present up, and sequence strategies, or highlight strategies, or, even map strategies. there’s only a lot right here. and, simply to remove broader notes from WWDC2, like I mentioned earlier, there’s plenty of, small adjustments that, that make all the things appear very meaty. iOS 18 really is perhaps a giant improve. the messages updates which might be coming. the brand new faucet again, emoji.

Lastly, we will do greater than exclamation marks. Typically I simply need to make a tragic face. I am unable to try this. I’ve to do thumbs down. I like that they are coming. Oh, and I am again to the Apple Intelli I do know I am leaping round a bit, however speaking about emoji, one other factor that Apple did proper from the get, I feel as a result of it has been in a position to observe the pitfalls that different individuals have fallen into is to be like, okay, we’re limiting it to those very clearly cartoonish kind of graphic like illustration, so no photorealistic.

After which when it is creating photos of individuals in gemmoji, you possibly can solely use your individual creation. So that you’re principally selecting from a template or primarily based in your like individuals that you’ve got in your pictures or your individuals gallery kind of state of affairs. However as a result of it is in a cartoonish illustration, persons are by no means going to mistake it for somebody that is really an actual life.

You’ll be able to’t, for instance, there are guardrails in place that like, stop you from making the picture playground generate one thing that appears dangerous or violent or is exploitative. which once more, goes to point out, Apple’s thought this by way of, proper?

Devindra: And I feel lots of people are asking, what are, the place, what are these fashions skilled on?

As a result of Apple’s speaking about plenty of its personal fashions, small ones that run instantly in your gadget, bigger ones which might be within the cloud. And infrequently they will attain out to OpenAI for chat GPT stuff. Apple has instructed us that they’re coaching their fashions on licensed information, like photos, issues like that.

Some stuff from the open net, publishers can refuse to take part. Like they will say their web site shouldn’t be crawlable by Apple stuff. and so they say that, Apple will, if someone adjustments down the road, like what they need to be accessible to their very own fashions, Apple will replicate that with additional updates.

So once more, it is opaque, however a minimum of what they’re telling us. To me sounds higher than what I’ve heard from Google and definitely from open AI. so I feel that is cool actual fast. Let’s discuss macOS Sequoia, which has many of the options once more All these options just about come throughout all of its merchandise.

So apple intelligence goes to be a factor that is by the best way goes to be engaged on Max working Apple Silicon, so M1 to M4 No M4 Max but, however M1, M sequence Max and in addition the iPhone 15 Professional Sherlyn you wrote a bit in regards to the options individuals can count on in case you have an iPhone 14 Professional Principally, you are sore out of luck.

You get some iOS 18 options, however not all the things, proper?

Cherlynn: Yeah, all of the iOS 18 options, however not one of the Apple intelligence options, sadly In order that redesigned Siri with the glowing edges. That is not coming. It’s so fairly I additionally need to say that the iPadOS issues that appear actually cool, all of the pencil options, the handwriting stuff.

So plenty of the, Keynote or like in demos I’ve taken, some options will probably be like, that is ML energy, it is like Good Script, for instance, is powered by ML, nevertheless it’s not a part of Apple Intelligence. So you’re nonetheless going to get that in iPadOS, 18 whenever you improve, no matter whether or not you’ve got the M1 iPad or like an older one. however yeah, I gotta speak to you about MathNodes, Devindra. Have been you blown away by that demo? Like, after they simply draw the equal signal, then that, factor simply sums itself. The answer simply solves itself. It is Imply Women Mathletes, however on an entire different stage to me.

Devindra: It is, it is cool, and that is additionally one thing they are saying is ML powered, not essentially Apple Intelligence powered.

So in case you have older iPads, you will notice some advantages of that. It is cool, however I additionally really feel like, Bye for now. It is like a superpowered calculator. I do not understand how many individuals have Apple Pencils and are like scribbling down math formulation, nevertheless it’s cool. I dig it.

Cherlynn: I feel to, to start with the truth that an iPad by no means had a calculator app earlier than this, it is like astonishing.

However then now that it is right here, Apple’s clearly thought of look, we’re bringing this to the larger display. We would like it to be pencil pleasant. We would like it to be large display pleasant. Let’s actually take into consideration the format right here. And that is explains why there’s been a delay. And I really get it. there’s you possibly can go into the historical past tab to see your earlier like calculations. There’s much more calculations you are able to do on this calculator, A foreign money conversion, which I forgot to ask, like, how is it pulling the precise price? However no matter, after which you possibly can go into the notes part after which I really feel like virtually really feel like calculator is a misnomer on this case as a result of it is doing far more than calculating and fixing equations.

It is like you possibly can draw like a blueprint of a home and have it measure the areas like size and width, no matter, however on the identical time, map that to love worth calculations, like worth estimates, like for those who use this materials. So one thing I noticed occur was such as you did Worth equals X, space equals Y, after which worth occasions space equals, and when you draw the world, it is like programming principally, however all performed within the notes app.

And that is actually it blew my thoughts a bit bit, which I hate to confess as a result of I do not prefer to be so like, fangirly, however rattling, that was cool.

Devindra: It was cool. Possibly the excuse for not having a calculator app constructed into the iPad. one factor I need to point out about macOS Decoy is iPhone mirroring. Which was one thing I like half predicted.

Like I wrote a want piece for what I’d need to see in Imaginative and prescient Professional and Imaginative and prescient OS 2. And one factor was I’d actually love to have the ability to mirror the iPhone simply the best way like you possibly can mirror a MacBook inside Imaginative and prescient Professional. have a full projection of the display. That is not coming to Imaginative and prescient OS 2. Imaginative and prescient OS 2 is like very minor updates it appears.

However It’s one thing coming to Mac Sequoia and to make use of that you should use a cellphone, an iPhone. With I 18 A Mac with Mac, Sequoia, you get virtually immediately. I have not seen projected, like the way it really works in actual time, nevertheless it does appear to be you hit a button, you get a window view of your iPhone and you utilize it.

In your Mac as you’ll in actual life you see your house display you possibly can scroll between apps You’ll be able to your notifications like very well are reintegrated into the max notifications. That is enjoyable you possibly can play video games in your iphone and whenever you launch a recreation, the window will go widescreen The audio appears to return by way of fairly shortly simply looks like a very cool characteristic as a result of Not less than on Macs, like I all the time have my cellphone close by.

It is all the time like doing different stuff, however I’d love to have the ability to like simply have that open and in addition see different notifications coming in. It is identical to very extensible by way of like the way you’re interacting along with your {hardware}. The iPhone, by the best way, keep the display stays locked. So it does not seem like someone is rather like you are identical to mirroring a direct laptop or one thing.

One factor we discovered from Apple as a result of I have been asking round about this. Should you mirrored your Mac inside the Imaginative and prescient Professional, After which that Mac was additionally mirroring an iPhone. Would you really have the ability to do the iPhone stuff from throughout the Imaginative and prescient Professional? And I’ve heard from a few people that’s principally not going to occur.

You’ll be able to run one continuity characteristic. iPhone mirroring is a part of continuity. So these options that allow you to like copy and paste throughout gadgets and stuff. You’ll be able to solely run one mirroring characteristic at a time. So principally you possibly can’t try this with the Mac. I am nonetheless sitting right here ready for iPhone mirroring in Imaginative and prescient OS.

Clearly although, like they’ve the aptitude. The Imaginative and prescient Professional is working an M. 2 chip. If iPhone mirroring works on M. 1 and M. 2 Macs, there is no such thing as a cause why that is not going to be in Imaginative and prescient Professional finally. So I am kinda, I really feel like we half received that guess, principally.

Cherlynn: I simply gotta say that Home windows and Android have been making an attempt to do that perpetually.

I can keep in mind like years in the past although, when the primary like Galaxy books attempt to do that. That is a minimum of my earliest encounter with it. It really works. I have not seen this occur, but on the iPhone aspect of issues, as in I have not personally taken a demo, so I could not let you know if it is really higher or extra considerate. figuring out Apple, figuring out its deep integration prowess might be gonna work higher.

Devindra: in all probability. Apple additionally offers excellent demos, in order that’s one thing we have discovered. do you’ve got any additional ideas about WWDC or what’s forward for Apple, Sherlyn?

Cherlynn: I’ve a lot to dive into intimately, just like the watchOS stuff, the iOS and iPadOS options.

I suppose broad strokes. It is it feels virtually revolutionary as a result of Apple is lastly leaping on board the AI prepare, and renaming the prepare, taking up principally. And you recognize what? The factor is, I hate this, however now persons are going to concentrate. As a result of what? now my associates really are going to comprehend what Genmoji is meant to do, what you possibly can really do by, feeding AI, generator.

It is gonna, and we’re gonna begin seeing extra, writing software assisted emails and critiques, I feel it is momentous. I feel persons are actually going to begin listening to what AI means and what it may well do. I do not know if it is good for the world, however yeah, it simply appears like large.

Devindra: We ran out of time speaking to Apple individuals, however I did need to ask them, do you suppose these writing instruments are literally useful?

As a result of then it simply, All our emails, all our conversations are going to begin to sound like weirdly robotic or further formal AI paperwork or AI texts and I am not a fan of that, not too , however the Genmoji stuff is cool as a result of it is like we’ve got had Dali and different issues like create these AI photos, what do you do with them? submit it on social media? I do not know. Genmoji is simply if you wish to create an emoji primarily based on a selected feeling, you possibly can create a factor to your liking. Only a actually sensible use of that. That expertise, So anyway, I’m within the course of of putting in the, the iOS 18 developer beta on my cellphone. I feel in accordance with the foundations, you possibly can’t discuss that, however we will discuss it after they launch the general public beta. In order that’s, later subsequent month, I consider. However we will be testing these items out. We will be occupied with these options. some other takeaways from Apple, Sherlyn?

Cherlynn: No, ship us your ideas although, proper? podcast@engadget.Com is essentially the most direct solution to attain us. however come again on, we do a Thursday livestream at podcast@engadget.com Jap on our YouTube channel the place we’ve got direct Q& A classes the place we will in all probability reply your questions, in actual time. And I am fairly positive we’ll nonetheless proceed to dig deep into what we discovered, this week on our episode, that drops on Fridays or Thursday nights, proper? come again for all of that.

Devindra: Yeah, positively. We’re nonetheless gonna be doing an extended, a traditional podcast episode this week. Cherlynn and I are in California now, however we’ll be flying again tomorrow and able to podcast on reside stream on Thursday. So we’ll be again people. tell us what you consider all this information, podcast@engadget.com. Thanks people. We’re out.

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