Apple's WWDC 2026 keynote touched on a number of things, from its fresh MacOS Golden Gate to new Siri AI. Honestly, it wasn't a riot of excitement, but Apple absolutely nailed one thing: It knew how to speak to real people. 

Having been appalled by the tone-deaf rhetoric at Google's recent Android Show, I found Apple's approach refreshing. I'll explain.

During its Android Show, Google appeared to have lost all sense of who its customers are and which planet they live on. It talked about buying coffee tours of Costa Rica for six people, about taking vintage shopping trips to Tokyo, and it even roped in everyone's favorite down-to-Earth celebrity, Paris Hilton, who smugly smirked about turning her luxury car into her own private movie theatre.

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At a time when many of us are struggling to afford life's essentials, Google's tone left a nasty taste in my mouth -- and not just because of my disgust at the rampant consumerism on display. Google, once a so-called champion of the people (Chrome has always been a free browser, and Android phones are available to suit every budget), now simply assumes that all its customers are wealthy enough to spend their time planning shopping trips and having middle-of-the-day brunch dates with friends -- who are evidently also wealthy enough not to need to work or drive their kids to preschool.

Apple's approach was different. It spoke to real people. The show opened with Tim Cook discussing how it was creating more developer training academies. The keynote directly addressed real concerns many (if not all) parents have about how much their kids use devices and what shady content they may access, showing how Apple's updates can help parents regain control.

One demo involved asking Siri to book tickets to a concert. Those tickets were suggested for a free event, and Siri explained how someone can enter a raffle to get one. Google's demo, by contrast, was rife with bluster as we were shown someone asking Gemini to book "floor seat" concert tickets -- always among the most expensive options for any show. 

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Meanwhile, Apple's Justin Titi asked Siri for help in planning a football World Cup watch party at home. Crucially, what he didn't do was ask for help buying tickets to see the final in person with him and all his mates (which, at the time of this writing, start at $7,800 on the ticket retailer SeatGeek, for reference). 

Instead, it was about having a party at home, with his daughter roped in to make her cookies -- though it wasn't clear if she was on board with this idea or if the keynote would be the first she'd hear about it. He even used Siri to compare shed sizes. Sheds, for crying out loud. There's nothing unattainably luxurious about a shed. Unless it's filled to the rafters with Faberge eggs and Paris Hilton's $65,000 handbag. 

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OK, fine, it's twee as all hell and specifically designed to make us go "aww" and leave us with a nice warm feeling that Apple is a company that cares, rather than a tech behemoth that wants every last cent in our bank accounts. But it also didn't push the "we're just like you" messaging to an unnatural degree. 

Tim Cook wasn't wearing tired, thrifted denims, and Craig Federighi didn't suggest he had to queue for government cheese. Neither of them showed their six-figure bitcoin wallets, as literally happened at Google's event (see the screenshot above). 

Apple's presentation wasn't all great. At one point, a man named Robert brought a fruit bowl to someone's house, which frankly raised more questions than it answered (who the hell sneaks a fruit bowl into your garden? Someone give that man a restraining order), but at least the raccoon subsequently stealing the fruit was a bit more true-to-life. Or would be for me if I lived anywhere with raccoons.

And sure, the actual stuff Apple talked about was pretty lackluster. I mean, fine, it's nice that apps have more uniform corners now, and I'm sure Google is amused at how Apple's revolutionary new Siri skills are just about matching what Gemini was doing years ago. (Siri is partly powered by Gemini now.) Then there's Apple's comment about respecting the craft of photography, followed by a demo of generative AI features for your photos that frankly craps all over "the craft of photography." 

But my point isn't about what Apple announced. It's the way that its presenters announced it. It addressed real people here. It knows that real people may have kids. And they have concerns about those kids. The company knows people are prioritizing their security and privacy, and its presenters repeated many times that its new AI queries run only on your phone. They even talked about how iOS 27 will have features specifically designed to make it run well on older iPhones -- so don't worry if you can't afford to upgrade from your iPhone 11 just yet. (Though if you bought an Apple Watch before 2024, you're out of luck.)

At the end of the day, Apple and Google are two sides of the same coin. They're both vast companies battling over who gets to take more of our money. But Apple didn't parade Paris Hilton around in a gross salute to wealth and all that it brings, and it didn't assume everyone using an Apple product is so rich they just need a quicker way to buy things with all their money. 

Apple didn't say anything remotely exciting either, but I'd take boring and predictable over cringeworthy and depressing any day.