Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) takes place on Monday, June 9, and the company is set to spotlight its biggest software updates of the year — but will any of its new Apple Intelligence features win over frustrated Mac users?
Apple Intelligence may have been the star of last year's show, but the platform, pitched as "AI for the rest of us," has mostly failed to capture the awe of Mac, iPhone, or iPad users, with the one update everyone really wants to see is nowhere in sight.
There's no doubt that Apple will liberally flaunt the term AI during this year's WWDC, but a claimed lack of any killer AI features to show could highlight how far ahead Apple's competition is.
However, to some, that's a good thing. Take a look online and you'll see many Mac users souring on AI, and until Apple is ready to change their minds with something truly groundbreaking, it might be best to keep it out of the limelight a little longer.
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WWDC will feature a rebranded macOS, but one key update will be missing
With WWDC 2025 now just a week away, we're getting our last, and arguably most exciting, wave of rumors about what to expect. The highlight, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, will be a major rebrand of Apple's operating systems along with the biggest visual overhaul since iOS 7.
For Mac users, that means the next OS update will be macOS 26, which will likely feature tweaked app icons and potentially changes to the overall UI, like more transparent elements. Rumors indicate that Apple is taking a lot of inspiration from visionOS for this sweeping visual overhaul across its platforms, giving a rough idea of what to expect.
What we're not expecting to see, however, is any major Apple Intelligence developments. Apple is expected to debut an AI battery optimization tool, which sounds useful, and potentially some other minor updates, but the big, large language model (LLM) Siri update we've all been waiting for is unlikely to make an appearance at WWDC.
That big Siri update is the AI feature its users really need. While it's disappointing we have to keep waiting for it, a lack of focus on AI in the meantime might actually be a good thing for Apple, judging by a cold response to AI from many Mac users.
One year later, Apple Intelligence still hasn't won over Mac users
Apple was undoubtedly late to the game in consumer AI, falling short of the innovations Google, Meta, and OpenAI have been announcing over recent years. OpenAI is even partnering with former Apple design chief Jony Ive to develop its own in-house AI device.
Considering all that, one might think Apple is in hot water, dropping the ball on AI like it has. However, that's assuming Apple users actually want a boatload of AI features on their devices, which might not be the case.
For instance, a user in one Reddit thread referred to Apple Intelligence as "5GB of pure bloatware," complaining that trying to disable or remove the feature can lead to bugs.
A user in another thread expressed frustration about not being able to completely remove Apple Intelligence, commenting, "Some of us don't like a service shoved down our throats we never asked for, and don't need. Sure, it can be turned off, but it should be optional to be installed to begin with. I’d like to use those few gigs of storage."
One user even described Apple's AI as "all hype, no value."
Comment from r/MacOS
Even users who don't outright dislike Apple Intelligence see little use in it, like one commenter who said: "I pretty much never use writing tools, even before they were integrated, so that’s been barely used. Sucks that what the majority of Apple AI is."
Another user pointed out the core of the issue: "Siri still seems dumb as a rock."
All of this effectively amounts to a lack of enthusiasm for AI in general, at least among Mac users. It makes me wonder, would Apple be better off differentiating itself by backing off on AI, at least until the new-and-improved Siri is ready?
So far, Apple Intelligence seems to be mimicking competitors' AI offerings, only with fewer features and years behind. That strategy clearly isn't winning over Mac users, though, who seem to be really looking for practical AI tools and a Siri update, not gimmicks like AI-generated emojis.
Instead of trying to convince us it's an AI brand now, maybe Apple could woo fans by showing it's focusing on launching AI tools that prioritize genuine usefulness and user privacy.
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