Last year there was palpable excitement around Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). The company was about to reveal its AI possibilities, with the technical world expected the company to indicate an AI platform that is able to compete with Google and OpenAi. The Demos Apple showed up at that time, but the order was underwhelming, so that both developers and consumers want more.
Apple’s wider struggles with AI have become clearer in the past year. The ambitions about personalized intelligence have had to deal with delays and the rollout of new tools has been inconsistent. The vision that Apple sold in 2024 is a seamless mix of AI on the device, renewed SIRI interactions and powerful new developer options must be completely released.
Apple Intelligence functions saw a spread rollout that was supplied with different hiccups. The personalized version of Siri that was exhibited last year is delayed, which counts because Apple has drawn up the new Siri as the cornerstone of its AI strategy-a context-conscious assistant who could understand user behavior in all apps. Without that, the AI value proposition of the company looks surprisingly thin.
This also meant that developers could not fully benefit from the new AI-driven Siri, and users could not trust the assistant to perform in-app promotions as promised. For developers, this is a lost opportunity to build more interactive, intelligent app experiences. For consumers it is a different promise unputable. And for Apple, it is concerned about how competitive his AI stack is really compared to its increasingly powerful rivals such as OpenAi, Google and Microsoft.
With WWDC 2025 just around the corner, the expectations for consumer-oriented Apple Intelligence functions are more careful than last year. Most developers and analysts now hope for incremental improvements: smoother integration of AI in native apps, and tools that enable developers to actually use the AI that Apple builds. (No expects a lot on the Siri front.)
One of Apple’s best opportunities is in making AI-assisted app development possible. The rise of tools such as Cursor, Replit and Bolt.new has made code generation a lot easier, helping developers and even helping non-developers brings products to life faster.
AI-driven apps have found the web an effective distribution platform. Chatgpt, for example, received enormous traction on the internet before launching native apps for iOS and Android. At the same time, tools such as WordPress, Hostinger, Canva and Figma now make non-technical users make simple apps using natural language prompts. Apple must also modernize here.
Ideally, new AI tooling should be able to make more developers to make apps and place them in the App Store. That would enrich the iOS app ecosystem and open new income options for Apple, which is now even more critical of part of the income from the App Store.
Apple has made some announcements, but many still have to materialize. Swift Assist, a coding assistant for XCode, was shown last year, but has not seen a wide release. Apple is reportedly also works on an anthropically driven Ai coding tool And plans to open access to its own AI models for developers. The goal is to lower the barrier for building iOS apps, both for pros and for newcomers.
However, there are two things to consider: the dominance of the web as an application distribution platform and new regulations that remember Apple from charging costs in the US for payments outside the app.
The second part is a special problem. In April Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers Apple asked to remove restrictions on linking external payment methods for digital purchases in apps for the American App Store. What is even more important, the ruling also forbade Apple to request any reimbursements for these types of payments. On Wednesday, an American court rejected Apple’s appeal to make a stay in the decision.
This means that developers will encourage customers to buy subscriptions and add-ons outside the App Store, possibly also at a discount percentage compared to their App Store prices.
This ruling can also encourage other supervisors to exert a similar pressure on Apple and Cull App Store costs for payments from third parties. Earlier this week, Apple reported that it generated $ 1.3 trillion in invoicing and turnover in 2024, with 90% of that value generation taking place without paying a committee. But even a part of the remaining $ 130 billion means many billions in income for the company.
In the midst of all this, Apple must re -confirm the value of its ecosystem. It is not clear whether Apple will reduce its committees, but it will be interesting to see what kind of App Store the company is launching to make Native iOS apps a more lucrative road for developers.
As WWDC 2025 approaches, Apple is in the unusual position to share a better story. The AI ambitions are not only challenged by faster moving competitors, but also by changing legal and economic reality. In order to succeed, Apple must show that the AI can deliver, for end users and the developers who can of electricity ecosystem. Especially in a world where AI accelerates everything, Apple cannot afford to stay behind.
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