Source: Glonui.
Amid the eager anticipation of global developers, Apple announced that its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will be held on June 10, 2024. Unlike past years, this year's conference will focus specifically on software innovation and the deep integration of AI technology, especially the new look of the iOS 18 operating system. The integration of AI technology is expected to highlight various Apple applications, from Siri to photo editing. $Apple (AAPL.US)$Unlike past years, this year's conference will focus specifically on software innovation and the deep integration of AI technology, especially the new look of the iOS 18 operating system. The integration of AI technology is expected to highlight various Apple applications, from Siri to photo editing.
AI technology will be fully integrated into Apple applications.
AI will be fully integrated into Apple applications.
Siri, Apple's virtual assistant, is expected to undergo a major upgrade in iOS 18.
Based on the latest large language model, Siri will become smarter and more intuitive. The new version of Siri will be able to handle complex multi-step tasks, provide more natural voice responses, and automatically enable specific features based on user behavior. In addition, Siri will be able to transcribe voice memos in real-time, summarize text messages, web pages, and long documents, and even provide automatic reply suggestions and custom emojis.
iOS 18 will also bring AI-enhanced photo editor functionality that allows users to perform advanced editing with simple voice commands, such as smart cropping and object removal. In addition, iMessage will introduce AI-based custom emoji generation and text effects, making messaging more vivid and interesting.
Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman previously revealed that iOS 18 will make changes to the interface settings, including a simpler settings page and improved search functionality. The control center will also be redesigned to provide more personalized custom options.
The system settings page of iOS 18 and macOS 15 will be simplified to provide a more intuitive and clear layout for users to search and navigate. This shows that Apple is committed to improving the user experience and making daily tasks simpler and more efficient.
iOS 18 will support multiple devices from the iPhone 15 to the iPhone 11 series, demonstrating Apple's care for users of older devices and ensuring that they can also enjoy the latest system features.
In addition to Siri and iMessage, other native applications of iOS 18 will also receive AI enhancements, including smarter Spotlight search, AI-assisted programming in Xcode, and health and fitness guidance.
Apple will continue to make progress in accessibility features, such as eye-tracking and real-time captioning, which will be detailed at the conference.
Unlike last year's launch of the Vision Pro mixed reality headset, this year's WWDC will not introduce any new hardware products. Although this may disappoint some Apple fans who are looking forward to new hardware, software and AI feature updates are expected to be enough to attract attention.
In addition, the conference may also mention new chips with AI capabilities, with the next-generation iPhone processor possibly named the A18, bringing better AI performance and consistent with the new M4 chip.
The three consecutive drops within a year
Since the release of the iPhone 15 series, Apple has lowered the price three times, including during the November 11, Spring Festival, and the recent June 18 promotional periods.
On the first day of the Tmall June 18 promotion on May 20th, Apple Tmall flagship store launched new low prices for the iPhone 15 series, with the iPhone 15 discounted to 4599 yuan and the iPhone 15 Pro Max discounted by 2050 yuan, starting at 7949 yuan. In addition, the iPhone 15 was sold at a starting price of 4498 yuan on the 100 billion yuan subsidy program, and the lowest price of the iPhone 15 Pro Max's entry-level configuration was also reduced to 7544 yuan.$PDD Holdings (PDD.US)$Behind this price cut is Apple's significant decline in shipments and market share in the domestic market. According to Canalys data, in the first quarter of 2024, Apple's domestic shipments plummeted 25% year-on-year, and its market share fell from first to fifth.
Despite the short-term effectiveness of the price reduction strategy, such as Tmall data showing that Apple's transaction amount exceeded 1.5 billion yuan within an hour after the launch on May 20th, consumers have gradually lost interest in Apple's frequent price reductions.
Although the price reduction strategy has achieved certain effects in the short term — according to Tmall data, the turnover of Apple exceeded 1.5 billion yuan within one hour after the launch on May 20 — consumers have gradually lost interest in Apple's frequent price reductions.
Industry insiders analyze that apple's excessive inventory in the third and fourth quarters of 2023 has led to poor sales in China since this year, with large inventory pressure in the first and second quarters. Therefore, the price reduction during the 618 period this year is not surprising.
According to Canalys analyst Zhu Jiatuo, the current domestic mobile phone market is significantly differentiated, with mid-to-low-end models dominating the shipment volume, while flagship models maintain overall revenue stability by increasing the average price. Apple prioritizes the Pro series for shipment through price reduction strategies, and moderately gives up profit to cope with market pressure.
Editor / jayden