Apple sets WWDC for June 8 — and this may be its last best chance to fix Siri and deliver the AI we were promised | Tech Radar

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Apple sets WWDC for June 8 — and this may be its last best chance to fix Siri and deliver the AI we were promised

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Craig Federighi at WWDC 2025 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Apple has officially announced its all-important WWDC 2026 keynote for June 8, setting the stage for a slew of platform updates that will impact the near future of i Phone, i Pad, Macs, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and, yes, even Vision Pro.

No category may be more closely watched during this keynote and the sessions that follow at Apple's World Wide Developers Conference than AI or, more specifically, Siri.

If you don't think AI is top-of-mind for the Cupertino tech giant, just take a look at this line from the press release announcing the event: "WWDC26 will spotlight incredible updates for Apple platforms, including AI advancements and exciting new software and developer tools."

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It's no accident that AI is called out in a sentence that doesn't even mention i OS by name. Little is known about the event right now, except that the keynote and "State of the Union" will be on June 8. Much of the conference will be held online via 100 video sessions. However, there will be an in-person component for developers on the 8th, which will let them participate in "special labs and activities."

Still, the focus will be on the possibly two-hour keynote that should finally clarify how Siri will ingest Gemini, or at least the Gemini foundation models will be used to enhance Apple Intelligence and Siri.

Since Apple Intelligence and Siri are available across i OS, mac OS, i Pad OS, and Vision Pro, this update should have wide-ranging and significant implications.

WWDC is generally not a moment where Apple officially releases any new hardware platform. Instead, they'll show us what each platform update can do and then set a schedule for developer and public betas. The keynote will, though, give us a timeline for when we can finally try out the smartest and most AI-ready Siri ever, assuming that's what we get.

As in previous years, we expect Apple CEO Tim Cook to briefly take the stage at Apple Park Campus to introduce the video presentation. He might take a moment or two to recognize the company's 50th birthday, but then it will be a whistle-stop tour through all the platforms:

Each platform should get its moment in the sun. We may hear more about some new development kits (like Home Kit, Store Kit, App Kit, etc.). But the lion's share of the day might be devoted to Apple Intelligence and Siri.

Surely Apple knows it has to not only wow us with Siri's new intelligence, but convince us that what we're seeing on stage and in the videos is real. After all, it's been almost two years since Apple promised us a Siri that could, with your permission, know everything about you based on the data in your phone and could see what you were doing on your phone, all to be a more proactive and helpful assistant.

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That promise was never fulfilled, and Apple's AI offerings generally pale in comparison to those of Google, Open AI, and Anthropic. Now Apple has a blockbuster deal with Google that will let it use Gemini Foundation models to power part of Siri's intelligence.

Many thought we'd see these changes sooner rather than later, but with WWDC fast approaching, it just makes more sense for Apple to wait a little more than two months to really wow us.

Tim Cook at WWDC 2025 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

As for what else we might see on the day, expect lots of details on i OS 27 that help us form a mental vision of what the i Phone 18 might look like.

There might be some adjustment of Liquid Glass, which seems to have split consumers. i Pad and mac OS will grow even closer, with the former adopting more of the latter's desktop capabilities.

Some have predicted a touch-screen Mac Book, which would mean a major touch-enhancement to mac OS, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

There's always a chance we see a hardware tease. Remember, Vision Pro was the surprise reveal at WWDC 2023. Maybe this is the moment for a big vision OS update that rides on the back of a much more affordable, lightweight Vision Pro Lite.

If we do see any hardware, the more likely reveal is a glimpse of the i Phone Fold. That would make sense, especially if i OS 27 has any special, flexible display-centric features.

There's also a good chance that we won't see any hardware, just more software updates than we can count.

Whatever happens, Tech Radar will be on the ground, covering every single bit (and byte) of it.

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A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.

Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Mark, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC.

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Key Takeaways

• Apple sets WWDC for June 8 — and this may be its last best chance to fix Siri and deliver the AI we were promised

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

• Craig Federighi at WWDC 2025 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

• Apple has officially announced its all-important WWDC 2026 keynote for June 8, setting the stage for a slew of platform updates that will impact the near future of i Phone, i Pad, Macs, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and, yes, even Vision Pro

• No category may be more closely watched during this keynote and the sessions that follow at Apple's World Wide Developers Conference than AI or, more specifically, Siri