macOS Sonoma was announced at last year's WWDC event and turned out to be my favorite macOS update, and I hope to see another new version of Apple's desktop operating system, namely macOS 15, at WWDC 2024.
Apple's biggest competitor, Microsoft, jumped headlong into the AI race and implemented a host of AI-powered features and somewhat useful tools like Copilot, as well as including features throughout the operating system. Even Chromebook Plus laptops are reaping the benefits of Google Gemini. It's about time Apple finally enters the AI race and shows what it's got.
You may already know that the company is rarely the “first” at anything: Apple will play a long game and watch before deciding to incorporate a new feature, in an attempt to produce the most perfect version of it. Although we knew that Apple would not be in a hurry to bring some AI into your Macs, we're pretty sure we'll see a fair amount of AI at this year's WWDC.
So, with that in mind, let's look at the top prospects for adding features to macOS 15 that we could see at WWDC 2024.
Finally a change in the system configuration.
Perhaps the most interesting potential move will be an update to menus and apps in macOS 15, with System Settings rumored to see the biggest change. If you're a long-time Apple user (or use multiple Apple products), you're probably very familiar with the layout of the Settings menu, so perhaps a fresh coat of paint will add to the feeling of newness that comes with an operating system. . update.
According Apple insider information, the respective settings will be sorted by priority and importance. So, for example, notifications and sound settings will be lower in the list, while general settings will be higher up (just below network settings). A source apparently involved with these changes told Apple Insider that the wallpaper and display settings will also be changed and will no longer have their own section, but will instead be merged with other options.
To add my own speculation, I think there might be a dedicated section in the Settings menu for managing AI-related features over time. I don't think we'll see anything like this since the OS launches, but I do think Apple will lay the groundwork with macOS 15 to introduce a Copilot-style assistant, hopefully giving Siri a massive boost. Speaking of which…
A smarter Siri and more AI
After much hope, I'm pretty sure we'll see a complete transformation with Siri. While Apple's assistant may not be on the level of ChatGPT's voice capabilities, I expect Siri to take a slightly more active role outside of setting timers.
That said, we'll likely see a more improved version of Siri on iOS before macOS, but we can use those iOS rumors to possibly deduce what could eventually come to our Macs. According to the latest iOS 18 rumors, Siri will have a deeper app integration, which will allow the virtual assistant to control what apps on your phone can do, move files, email documents, and more.
We can assume that Apple can transfer those skills to the Mac once they have made their way to the iPhone. I don't think we'll see all the features have been carried over, but it would be interesting to see what Siri could do on a powerful M3 MacBook running a new macOS.
Tom's Guide points out that at a shareholder event, Tim Cook stated that Apple will “break new ground in generative AI” this year, which gets me talking about the upcoming WWDC event. Although iOS 18 looks like it has a lot more potential features on the way (or at least, there's more information floating around than macOS), we're sure the love for generative AI will carry over to Macs.
These AI features will no doubt take advantage of the powerful M-series chips, which should be good news for AI enthusiasts who have been waiting for Apple to join the race. We already know that the M3 Max and M3 Pro chips are very powerful processors, so it will be exciting to see what these features will look like with access to all that raw processing power.
Overall, as a fan of Sonoma and all its new features, I'm very excited about a new version of macOS. We still know very little about macOS 15, as macOS updates seem to be cards that Apple plays closer to the chest compared to iOS. So while I can only sit here and hope to see a better Settings layout and improved Siri, I'll have to wait and see until WWDC itself to find out what Apple has planned.
