WWDC 2025 Live: Apple announces new OS for MacBook and iMac: macOS Tahoe

Apple is all set to kick off the much-anticipated annual Worldwide Developers Conference 2025 (WWDC), with its keynote presentation broadcasting live from Apple Park. The keynote will begin at 10:30 PM IST and continue until midnight. Viewers can catch the live video stream of the keynote on the company’s official YouTube channel.

This year’s conference comes at a time when Apple faces mounting pressure to prove its relevance in the artificial intelligence space. While the company made bold promises during WWDC24 about its AI ambitions, the months that followed failed to deliver on that excitement. Momentum fizzled out as promised features arrived late or in diminished form.

Tech rivals such as OpenAI and Google have consistently pushed the boundaries with AI tools capable of integrating personal data, generating realistic video content, and delivering highly interactive chatbot experiences that have reshaped user expectations.

The focus this year is expected to be on steady, strategic upgrades rather than headline-grabbing breakthroughs. While artificial intelligence will take centre stage in Apple’s announcements, analysts suggest the implementation will remain restrained, mostly woven into user experience and system-level enhancements across Apple’s platforms.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that the event will focus primarily on productivity and design improvements across Apple’s operating systems.

Gurman revealed that Apple is expected to introduce a new version of its foundational large language models, optimised for both on-device and cloud-based processing, with a strong focus on developers. For the first time, third-party app makers will gain access to these models, the same technology powering features like Writing Tools, Genmoji, and document summarisation. This will enable the developers to build their own AI-powered tools.

Mark Gurman has revealed that Apple might roll out the most comprehensive redesign since iOS 7, touching everything from the iPhone to the Apple Watch, TV and even the Vision Pro headset.

The new design language, internally dubbed “Solarium,” is expected to bring a more modern, unified interface across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, in his recent post on X, wrote that Apple’s AI strategy might take center stage at WWDC 2025, with UI and OS updates playing a secondary role. While no major AI breakthroughs are anticipated, Apple might clearly communicate how AI features will work and provide a development timeline.

Kuo notes that the focus is expected to be on deeper AI integration at the OS level, tools for third-party developers, enhanced privacy, and partnerships with leading AI providers.

Despite last year’s optimism, slower AI rollouts may temper excitement, and although Apple’s hardware strengths enable effective AI delivery, they don’t guarantee a sustainable competitive advantage.

Android has maintained a significant head start in generative AI since 2022, offering more advanced features such as conversational assistants, AI personalities, and robust third-party app integrations. In contrast, Apple’s AI approach has been more privacy-focused, emphasising on-device processing and tight ecosystem control. While this enhances user privacy, it also limits the scope and speed of AI deployments compared to Android.

There is expectation that Apple Intelligence might get some attention at WWDC this year, including new features for developers. Still, there is no expectation of any headline-grabbing AI breakthroughs.

Nevertheless, Apple’s services segment has shown consistent growth, currently accounting for about a quarter of the company’s overall revenue, according to a note by Counterpoint Research. The research firm noted that popular services like iCloud enjoy high subscription rates among iPhone users—46% in the US, 52% in China, and 54% in the UK. Furthermore, a strong majority of iPhone users (84%) worldwide express willingness to pay for Apple Intelligence services. This suggests substantial revenue potential if Apple can evolve Siri into a true AI companion.

"At WWDC 2025, (Apple) needs to make a big impact when it comes to AI features like increased use cases, on-device convenience, in-cloud options, personal context awareness, AI ecosystem integration and other broad customisations. Apple needs to provide a powerful signal that it is ready to ship some meaningful updates, or have a good story to explain why it has been lagging behind. Once Android users start enjoying a much enhanced service experience, the gap is going to become too wide to ignore. Apple needs to narrow the gap with the competition with this WWDC edition and AI will be a key step to achieve that." the note stated.

Apple CEO Tim Cook dedicates WWDC to app developers, reaffirming Apple’s commitment to their success. The event kicks off with a light-hearted conversation between Cook and software chief Craig Federighi, touching on new features, including noise cancellation in AirPods.

“This work needed more time to reach out high quality bar, and we look forward to sharing more about it in the coming year,” he said.

Apple has introduced a new version of its foundational large language models, optimised for both on-device and cloud-based processing — with a strong emphasis on developer integration. For the first time, third-party app developers will gain access to these models, the same technology behind features like Writing Tools, Genmoji, and document summarisation. This opens the door for developers to build and integrate their own AI-powered tools directly into their apps.

Alan Dye, vice president - Human Interface, announces a massive overhaul of Apple's design language across every OS using "liquid glass", with the optical qualities of glass. It’s a sweeping overhaul of Apple’s design language across every operating system, built around a new “liquid glass” aesthetic. Inspired by the optical qualities of real glass, the interface brings a level of fluidity only Apple can deliver. It refracts light, reacts to movement, and responds in real time to your content, making navigation clearer and creating dynamic, live experiences.

Apple is shifting its operating system naming from version numbers to year-based names, starting with iOS 26 and watchOS 26. This change, announced by Craig Federighi at WWDC, accompanies the company’s biggest software redesign in years. The nomenclature of the Apple OS will now reflect the year

The Phone app, largely unchanged since 2007, gets a fresh, optional scrollable view in iOS 26 combining favorites, recent calls, and voicemails. Users can quickly identify important calls as callers share their name and reason before deciding to answer or ignore. The new Hold Assist feature maintains your place on hold, as soon as it detects the 'hold' music, and lets you use your iPhone freely, making waiting smoother and more convenient.

Apple has announced more refinements to Genmoji and Image Playground. Image Playground sends your descriptions to ChatGPT for a customised image generation while ensuring nothing is shared without your consent with ChatGPT. Meanwhile, Genmoji is now blending emojis with text inputs for enhanced customisation.

Apple Intelligence now offers live translation for FaceTime and Messages, fully processed on-device for privacy. While new to Apple, Galaxy introduced similar live translation features back in January last year.

Apple Music now features lyrics translation and pronunciation to help users follow along in multiple languages. It also introduces Automix, which seamlessly blends songs together like a professional DJ for uninterrupted listening.

Apple’s new preinstalled Games app centralises game downloads and Apple Arcade access with tabs including Home, Arcade, Play Together, and Library. The Home tab offers personalised updates, events, and recommendations. Subscribers get the latest Arcade content, while the Library stores all downloaded games. The Play Together tab lets friends compare scores, achievements, and invite each other to play. Challenges enable competitive score-based showdowns, with developers now capable of turning single-player games into competitive games with friends.

The new watchOS 26 introduces a revamped Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence, offering a personal and private fitness companion. It supports custom workouts with work and recovery intervals, while music adapts to your workout style and preferences. The redesigned Smart Stack prioritises the most relevant information based on your interests and trends.

Enhancements include smarter notifications, ambient noise detection with automatic volume adjustment, and a new wrist-flick gesture for easier control. Using machine learning, Apple Intelligence suggests quick responses to messages. For example, offering to share your location when someone asks "Where are you?"

Apple introduces a fully transparent menubar in macOS 26, allowing users to add or remove controls and personalise their Mac with folders, symbols, or emojis. Continuity sees major upgrades with features like Live Activities from iPhone showing up on Mac—like food delivery tracking—and a phone-like calling experience brought to Mac. New additions include live translation, call screening, and deeper integration of Shortcuts for seamless task automation.

Shortcuts in macOS 26 now let users automate multi-step tasks with ease, like saving files on a set day or triggering actions with simple text strings. Apple Intelligence brings intelligent actions such as summarising text with writing assistance, processed on-device using Private Cloud Compute or using ChatGPT. Spotlight gets its biggest update yet with faster content search and smart suggestions based on user routines. With Quick Keys, typing short triggers like “sm” for sending messages or “ar” for creating reminders, right where you’re working. Spotlight is now contextually aware.

Apple’s VisionOS 26 unlocks powerful spatial experiences, adding support for more languages and integrating Apple Intelligence. Widgets become fully spatial and customisable—like clocks floating in your environment—while the system remembers app placements for seamless continuity. New spatial photo scenes and more realistic, on-device personas enhance immersion. Users can now share Vision Pro experiences with friends, from watching movies to multiplayer gaming. PlayStation VR support coming on VisionOS.

While the update pushes a variety of use cases forward, Vision Pro remains unavailable in India.

With the addition of advanced features like AirPods integration for content creation and MacBook-style windowing, iPads are finally becoming powerful and versatile enough to be used like laptops—making them a more complete, logical choice for work and productivity. Apple brings Preview from mac OS to iPad OS