Experience Apple’s Mesmerizing Kick-Off to WWDC 2024 – Live!

Apple will kick off its weeklong Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2024) event today with the customary keynote at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. There’s a stream on YouTube as well, but that has a tendency to lag a bit. The latest reports have put a name to Apple’s AI efforts: Apple Intelligence, along with the caveat that not all recent Apple devices will be able to use the new system. And you can bet that many of iOS 18’s AI features will make their way to macOS 15, as well. TechCrunch will be reporting on the ground at Apple Park, bringing you the news as it happens.

Apple is set to kick off its highly anticipated Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event today with the traditional keynote at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. This weeklong event will highlight the company’s software offerings and the developers behind them, featuring the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS.

You can watch the live stream on Apple’s dedicated events page or catch it on YouTube. However, some might prefer the Apple page as the YouTube stream has been known to experience slight lags.

In recent years, Apple has faced criticism for lagging behind Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI in terms of generative AI research. Our own Ivan Mehta pointed out the need for the company to prioritize AI products that are truly useful rather than flashy keynote demos. CEO Tim Cook has acknowledged these concerns and has promised to address them, making WWDC the perfect platform to do so at the iconic Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino.

Rumors are circulating about a potential partnership with GPT-developer OpenAI, aimed at closing the gap with competitors. The latest reports have revealed the name of Apple’s AI division as Apple Intelligence, with the caveat that not all recent Apple devices will be compatible with the new system. Other speculations surround the AI upgrades coming to iOS 18 and the possibility of a revamped Siri.

While hardware announcements are not always a guarantee at this software-focused event, Apple has made it a trend in recent years with the introduction of Apple Silicon updates and last year’s groundbreaking Vision Pro debut.

However, sources close to the company suggest that this year may be an exception, with no major hardware reveals expected. This comes in spite of increased pressure following a lukewarm reception to Apple’s first foray into mixed reality and the recent decision to discontinue its electric car project.

Nevertheless, the highlight of WWDC will undoubtedly be the unveiling of iOS 18. The company is also expected to introduce significant design changes to one of its most useful apps on the iPhone, the Calculator. Additionally, many of the AI features showcased in iOS 18 will likely be integrated into macOS 15.

TechCrunch will be covering the event live from Apple Park, reporting the latest updates as they happen.