Apple’s WWDC 2026 developer conference focused heavily on key operating system improvements, parental controls, and, of course, Apple Intelligence with Siri AI.

Performance Improvements

There are lots of new operating system speed and responsiveness improvements, as well as a Liquid Glass interface slider for configurable transparency. Apple says apps will launch 30% faster, photos will load 70% faster, and AirDrops will happen 70% faster. I believe this is an effort to counter the adage that Apple OS updates slow down old phones rather than speed them up. Apple also announced that the new version of macOS will be called Golden Gate and will include all the new Apple Intelligence updates.

Parental Controls

Apple also introduced Child Accounts, which give parents considerably more controls through features including Ask to Browse, Contact Approvals, and Ask to Buy Context. I believe this is Apple trying to get ahead of growing regulations on children’s access to adult content and the broader internet, and any apps that might be questionable for kids.

Compelling New Features

One of the coolest new features Apple announced was Spatial Reframing, which borrows from the Apple Vision Pro headset and creates a Gaussian splat that lets you reframe the shot, then uses a vision model to generate a new image from that perspective, giving you a better angle. Even more reasons for Apple to continue to invest in visionOS.

The New Apple Intelligence

The much-awaited Siri AI appears to deliver many of the features Apple initially promised with Apple Intelligence, supported by new foundational models built in partnership with Google. I believe that Apple will finally deliver the experience that it promised two years ago, and that it will deliver meaningful improvement to users’ daily lives. Especially with personal context and memory, it seems odd, but Android and Pixel still don’t really access your text messages when you need it to. Apple’s on-device focus, bolstered by Private Cloud Compute, sets it apart from other AI approaches and aligns with the company’s overall privacy focus.

Apple says the new Siri experience is “most powerful” on the latest-generation iPhones, the M4 on iPad, and the M3 on Mac, with 12GB of RAM on Mac and iPad. Apple also took a dig at regulators, stating that the new Siri AI wouldn’t be available in the EU or China until regulatory environments there improve.

Final Note

I believe that Apple is finally catching up in the AI space, but still has plenty of work to do. The regulatory environment is one of the most challenging aspects of Apple’s rollout, and the hardware limitations are quite considerable, too. Apple’s competitors won’t stand still, especially as more companies in the AI space enter the hardware market. It will be interesting to see if Apple’s approach finally pays off and whether being behind really hurts it at all.