Apple will open the doors to developers at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) next week. Beyond a big push on AI and new OSes focused on stability and performance, what should developers expect? Mostly it’s about new APIs, Foundation Models, and App Intents; here’s what I’ve been able to figure out so far.

Foundation Models

Apple has been building new Apple Intelligence APIs. One way it is achieving this is to take models made with Google Gemini, then distill and shrink them to fit inside (and run on) its devices. The progression will be to introduce these as a new crop of Foundation models developers can use in their apps. There’s more:

• New APIs mean developers will be able to run Apple Intelligence tools such as summarization directly on the customer device, all offline, all private.
• Developers that use Apple’s standard text editing/entry views will gain access to improved Apple-developed tools inside their apps without custom-coding.
• Because intelligence takes place on the user’s device, neither developers nor users will need to pay for those AI tokens. This is a distinct cost and privacy-saving advantage for customers and developers.

App Intents: The next generation

Apple continues on its quest to convince developers to make features of their apps available for use via Siri with App Intents. Doing so requires developers to wrap their apps into semantic structures, enabling speech/text-based interaction. To help them achieve this, Apple is expected to introduce a complete redesign of its App Intents framework.

Speak as you wish

While users must say “Hey Siri” to invoke its attention today, the assistant will respond more dynamically to natural language. Combined with App Intents, that means users should be able to ask Siri to use a combination of apps to make things happen on the device.

A developer might build a travel app that can take an itinerary and hand it across to a budgeting tool, for example. The idea is that with a spoken or typed command, a person will be able to call on a collection of apps to identify the destination, create an itinerary, put together a to-do list, prepare relevant letters or emails, and assemble a budget — all invoked by the original command.

What about context?

We’re expecting Siri to become better at using the content of your screen, location, and other personal data as it seeks to provide more contextualized responses. We don’t yet know the extent or form in which Apple will make that information available to third-party developers to help contextualize their own apps. Apple’s focus on privacy matters a great deal, as does its relationship with regulators, some of whom will demand that data made available to Apple’s own apps be made available to third-party apps. These are important matters for Apple, app developers, and customers who want the convenience of AI without loss of privacy.

More consistent UI tools on Swift

Swift should get better at migrating legacy code, but the big speculation around it concerns Liquid Glass. Will Swift make it easier for developers to build consistent user interfaces that work properly across all Apple’s platforms? If it does, then it will help overcome one of the big criticisms of Apple’s liquid-inspired UI. Swift will also usher in the tools developers need to support agentic application coding.

Better vibes for Xcode

Vibe coding is everywhere, including within Xcode, which is expected to gain improved contextual and predictive understanding to help boost developer productivity. Xcode could also  introduce improved real-time architectural debugging hints, aiming to make it easier for developers to build bug-free apps.

A Mac you can wear: Vision OS

All the AI enhancements made available across Apple’s other products will also be offered to visionOS. That access takes the headset another step closer to becoming the Mac you wear like sunglasses.

Elsewhere

• A new Camera API means developers can build specialized, interactive buttons that users can deploy directly within the native iOS Camera interface. This should be a great way to use more sophisticated camera apps more naturally.
• Wallet Pass means apps will be able to ingest things like barcodes or gym passes for use within Wallet.
• Icon Composer might offer more tools designed to promote consistency.

Intel finally retires

Apple will abandon Intel support in macOS 27, which means developers will likely end support for legacy Intel applications in response.

After the gold rush

Once the lights go down on WWDC, Apple’s real test will be to see if its announcements help make AI useful, private, and affordable to developers and their customers. After all, if Apple gets AI right on a platform basis, it should be able to offer the kind of on-device intelligence no one else can match, at no charge to developers or users — a move that might yet kick-start AI innovation across its platforms. This will provide a moat around the Apple ecosystem, inside which developers can explore new potentials for AI to give customers the tools they need at costs they can afford.

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