Apple's first breakthrough was the Apple II computer in 1977. And while the company launched more market-making devices after that, it took nearly a quarter of a century for its next transformative product when the iPod was released in 2001.
Then came the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods and an endless parade of services that have served as benchmarks for the wider industry. Coming soon: the long-awaited foldable iPhone and smart glasses scheduled for a 2027 release.
Now, the world's second most valuable publicly-traded company is trying to do the same transformation with artificial intelligence. Next week's Worldwide Developers Conference, California-based Apple's software showpiece, would be the perfect time for that.
And WWDC 2026 is also chief executive Tim Cook's swansong before John Ternus takes over on September 1 – so why not go out with a bang and a have strong start?
But both men know what's at stake: the latest on the long-awaited overhaul of Apple Intelligence and Siri. We know the lead-up, now all signs point to a major announcement.
"Connecting Large Language Models to Siri has the potential to create a genuinely useful voice assistant rather than another chatbot,” Alisa Zhur, an international marketer based in Paris, told The National.
"The challenge is that real-world adoption often looks very different from a keynote demo.”
Siri, Gemini and … Nvidia?
In January, Apple teamed up with Gemini developer Google to create an enhanced search service that utilises private data. That hinted at what would be next for Apple.
At last month's Google I/O summit, presenters on stage were seen using iPhones and MacBooks to demonstrate the latest Gemini features – perhaps a tease?
"Getting Siri right is the most important thing for Apple right now. While Apple has had tremendous success thus far, despite being behind in AI, consumers are reaching that tipping point where AI will soon become a strong purchase driver,” Nabila Popal, a senior director for data and analytics at the International Data Corporation, told The National.
"Getting Siri up to par with the competitor AI models will be crucial for Apple to remain competitive in an AI-first world.”
And this week, talk of a deal between Apple and Nvidia ramped up: reportedly, Apple plans to use Nvidia's Blackwell chips for its AI game, and it would be announced at the WWDC.
Interestingly, this came just after Nvidia unveiled Nemotron 3 Ultra, which it says is its most powerful AI model, at Taipei's Computex.
In any case, these all boil down to what kind of Siri would emerge after its integrated with Gemini – and Nvidia, if the rumours are true – giving that "far more conversational interface that actually understands personal context and navigates on screen content with ease”, said Maaz Hasnain, a senior consultant at KPMG Pakistan.
"The real star of this year’s show is … Siri, [and] the big story is how Apple plans to marry these high-powered AI capabilities with their signature commitment to privacy, ultimately setting the standard for the future of the entire ecosystem,” he said.
Is the post-iPhone era here?
The iPhone is Apple's flagship product. However, Smart Analytics Global forecasts the iPhone’s share of Apple’s hardware volume to decline from about 52 per cent in 2025 to 48 per cent by 2030 as wearables and AI-connected devices gain importance.
The company's wearables and AI-connected devices – the Apple Watch, AirPods and future products such as the smart glasses – would rise from 29 per cent of hardware volume in 2025 to 37 per cent by 2030, California-based SAG said.
But that does not mean a significant drop-off: Those sets of products will increasingly complement Apple's smartphone experience rather than replace it, as the iPhone would still be Apple's biggest business driver for several years, SAG founder and principal analyst Linda Sui said.
Shipments of iPhones remain strong. In the first quarter of 2026, Apple posted a 5 per cent annual increase to hit 21 per cent and, for the first time, take the lead in the January-to-March period, data from Counterpoint Research shows.
"The post-iPhone era has already begun, [but] this does not mean the iPhone will disappear,” Ms Sui said.
"Instead, it means the iPhone’s dominance will gradually weaken as a growing number of AI-powered wearables and connected devices take on larger roles within Apple’s ecosystem.”
Meanwhile, with the smartphone already established as central to a user's daily life, it becomes even more important that any AI embedded in it will perform as expected, while minimising the shortcomings of AI.
Ms Zhur – a trilingual speaker – noted that she still runs into trouble using Siri, particularly in the times when the digital assistant does not understand her. She is also in favour of more security and control on AI.
"Giving AI the ability to act on behalf of a user [on a smartphone] creates a very different security conversation than using AI in a browser,” she said.
"The technology is moving quickly, but I don’t think we’re yet at the stage where most people should be comfortable handing over full control.”
What we'd like to (literally) see
The WWDC has also been known to throw out insight on Apple's hardware – and there are some things we would like to see beyond all the AI confetti.
Apple does not comment when it comes to its road map, but we would absolutely want a hint – just even a tease – of its upcoming devices.
Of course, the most anticipated is the foldable iPhone, which is said to take on a wider form factor that, when opened, resembles the shape of an iPad (or a passport, as some claim). Samsung Electronics' next Galaxy Z Fold is expected to also have a wider form.
It is unclear if the big reveal will come at the traditional September special event, or later this year – but whatever the case, Apple joining the foldable phone game is long overdue.
Then, there are the smart glasses, said to be released in late 2027. Details are even thinner on this – maybe Apple and Google would also team up on this, giving the latter the opportunity to (somehow) make up for its failed Google Glass project over a decade ago?
But David Ripert, a venture partner at Helsinki-based FOV Ventures, noted a pattern in Big Tech's strategy in branching out to other lucrative sectors; in the case of Apple glass, the $200 billion eyewear market.
"Every major player is now attacking the same idea from a different wedge: Samsung came at it from the phone ecosystem. OpenAI is designing a camera-first device. Meta Platforms and Anduril Industries are testing display glasses on soldiers,” he said.
"Apple's wedge is fashion: make the computer something you'd want to wear anyway,” he said, noting that the Apple glasses "playbook is pure Apple Watch: frame styles and colours first, technology second.”
Legacy defining
Mr Cook, an operations expert, took Apple through a myriad product launches, in the process taking the company's market capitalisation from $350 billion to a record of nearly $4.6 trillion this year through the 15 years he was at the helm.
Mr Ternus, a hardware expert, is expected to balance things out in the age of AI.
This year's WWDC, then, could – and should – be remembered as more than just the passing of the torch: it may be that key moment for Apple, in which Mr Ternus would make a strong first impression and build upon the groundwork Mr Cook started in 2011.
"The WWDC is shaping up to be an intriguing event … expect that [Mr Cook] will deliver a confident and perhaps emotional opening,” said Ben Wood, chief analyst and chief marketing officer of London-based research firm CCS Insight.
But "Apple needs a win here … it would make sense for [Mr Ternus] to take a leading role in presenting the major platform updates this year,” he said.
"The company is embarking on a rare transition in leadership at the same time as trying to convince developers and investors that it now has a clear road map for agentic, on-device AI. These areas are critical to Apple’s future – and any missteps could have significant implications.”
