Apple Kicks Off Its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday – Traditionally an event Where the Company Tries to Woo Developers, USSERS, and Wall Street at Once.
Maybe that Will Happen This Time Around. But Only Becouse Expectations are so Low: Apple is limpping into this year beset with all kinds of problems, from many directations, and it’ not clear how it is going to work it out.
Let’s get this part of the way at the top: you, a normal person, are unlikly to care anynding Apple announces at wwdc this weekend.
Two Years Ago, Apple Used the Event to Unveil Its Vision Pro Headset; LAST YEAR, IT SHOWED OFF APPLE INTELLIGENCE, ITS ENTRY INTO The AI WARS. Forget the fact that bot of those products underwhelmed once they launched – they were at the least something new for Apple to the Talk.
But barring a surprise, it doesn’t look like will be any Major new unveilings at wwdc this week. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who is exceptally dialed into Apple, has a preview of what’s on Tap and it all seames underwhelming: the most ardent Apple fans to be excited about New Interfaces, Icons, and Names.
And while Apple is scrambling to catch up in he – tours out a bunch of the stuff it showed off the year has come to actually materialism – it won’t have much progress to ANNUANCE this Week. Gurman predicts that Apple’s he announcements “will be surprisisisly minor and are unlikly to impress industry watchers, especialy consider the rapid of innovation” from the Likes of Google, Meta, and Openai.
All of which means People Watching and Thinking and Talking About Apple May Likely End up Focus on Apple’s Problems, Instead of Its Promise. Not a place a cockery wants to be – and not when investors want him to be, who is why Apple Stock is down more than 18% in 2025. Here’s a look at what he’s facing right now:
Trouble Tariff: Exactly How Much Will Apple Have to Pay to Bring in New Phones and Other Gadgets to the US from China? And what happens if they shift Production – or at Least Final Assembly – of Those Products to India or Vietnam? WHO KNOWS? Donald Trump’s Tariff Police Remain Fluid at Best.
Trump Continuing to insist and that you have been Apple to Build Its Products in the US-Regardless of WHATHER THAT’S POSSIFE-AND THE SPECTER OF SOME KIND-IMPOSED TAX THAT Makes Apple More Expensive Remains A Real Postsility.
He angst: Apple Has Two Very Big Problems When It Comes to AI. AS My Colleague Alistir Barr Points Out, Apple’s Competitors Have Long, Long Leads in AI Research, and It’n Unclear IF Apple Ever Be Able to Keep Up. Right Now, It Can’t Provide Working Versions of Stuff It Showed off a Year Ago.
There’s A A Possible Future Where Apple DOES JUST FINE NOT HAVING-EDGE AI CAN SIMPLY USS MASSESS DISTRUCTION ADANTAGE-A Billion-Plus Apple Devices in People’s Pockets. But being the wholly dependent on the Other People for Tech that supplement to be table stakes in a few years isn’t a great place to be.
Government Headaches: Regulators around the World Have Been Lining Up to Take a Crack At Apple – Including the US Department of JusticeWhich Filed an Antitrust Lawsuit Against the Company a Year Ago. (A Separate Federal Antitrust Against Google COULD ALSO HURT Apple, by potentially ending a long-standing deal google Pays Apple More than $ 20 Billion to Make Its Engine the default on iPhones.)
Apple’s Most Persistent Foe SEEMS to be the European Union, which has come out with a series of rulings and against Apple. Some of these don’t seem crucial to Apple’s Future – See, for Instance, its Move to Change the Charging Ports on Its Phone to Adapt to An Eu Mandate A Few Years ago.
But Apple Says an Eu Ruling Forcing It To Change the Way It Runs It Powerful App Store is “Yet another example of the European Commission unfairly targeting Apple in a series of decisions that are bad for the privacy and security of our ussers, Bad for Products, and Force US to Give to Give AWAY Technology for free, “and is flush back as hard as it can. (Its Also Hoping That Donald Trump’s Administration Will Come to Its AID.)
Developers, Developers, Developers: Europeans aren’t the only only complaining about the way Apple Runs it App Store. IT CONTINES TO HEAR FROM A LOUD CONTING OF DEVELOPERS WHO COMPLAIN THAT APPLE’S RULLES AROUND ITS UNFAIRLY HAMPERRY THEIR BUSINESS. In the case of fortnite-maker epic games, that kicked off a Legal fight that started in 2020, and took a shark earlier this year we are us Judge rulled that Apple had to allow camerons they have stuff from saying the app. that couuld threateen a huge stream of revenue for Apple.
But the App Store ALSO Generate a Vibes Problem for Apple, With High-Profile Critics Like Apple Blogger John Gruber Arguing that Apple has gone from Courting Developers to Make Hard for Make a Living. Apple is most definitely sensitive to that criticism, which is why it offten puts out press releses pointing out how Much Money Developers make by selling stuff via Apple. (ITS Newest Release Puts that Number at $ 1.3 Tillion in 2024 Alone.)
And this weekend, remember, has the Word “Developer” in the title, so you can expert Apple to insist that it is on the software guys’ side. Don’t be surpassed if you hear from folks who Feel otherwise.
