Apple enters WWDC 2025 under scrutiny after delays in AI feature rollouts and mounting pressure from rivals and developers.
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| With rivals racing ahead in AI and developers demanding change, Apple’s WWDC 2025 becomes a critical moment for the tech giant. Image: CH |
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA — June 8, 2025:
Apple is under growing pressure to prove it still leads the tech world as it prepares to kick off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on Monday in Silicon Valley. Once seen as the gold standard in innovation, Apple now faces doubts over its ability to keep pace in the rapidly evolving world of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).
A year ago, Apple unveiled a suite of GenAI features under the brand "Apple Intelligence," including a long-overdue overhaul of its Siri voice assistant. But many of those features never materialized, frustrating users and analysts alike.
“Apple advertised a lot of features as if they were going to be available, and it just didn’t happen,” said Gadjo Sevilla, senior analyst at Emarketer. “WWDC might be less a celebration and more an attempt to restore credibility.”
Industry insiders expect updates to Apple’s operating systems and potential new AI partnerships. Speculation includes collaborations with Google or Perplexity, in addition to an existing alliance with OpenAI. Still, many believe Apple is playing catch-up in a field where competitors have surged ahead.
"Apple seemed to underestimate the AI shift, then over-promised features, and is now racing to catch up," analysts Gene Munster and Brian Baker of Deepwater Asset Management wrote.
Beyond AI, Apple is also under pressure from its developer community. Long-standing frustrations over restrictive App Store policies and high commission fees have resurfaced, especially as promised new functionalities remain missing.
“There’s still a lot of strife between Apple and developers,” Sevilla added. “Failing to deliver on functionality—that’s a double black eye.”
Further complicating matters, former Apple design chief Jony Ive is now working with OpenAI on a new AI-focused device, drawing comparisons to the iPhone and putting Apple on the defensive.
“It puts Apple on the defensive because the key designer for your most popular product is saying there is something better than the iPhone,” said Sevilla.
Although WWDC typically centers on software, analysts say Apple may unveil new hardware to demonstrate its ongoing capacity for innovation. Meanwhile, unresolved issues like U.S. trade tensions with China and tariffs loom in the background.
Despite the setbacks, Apple’s loyal user base may buy it some time.
“Do people want a smarter Siri? Hell yeah,” said Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi. “But if you’re in Apple, you’re in Apple—and you’ll continue to buy their stuff.”
With all eyes on WWDC, Apple now faces a pivotal moment to either reassert its dominance or risk falling further behind in the AI race.