Apple kicks off WWDC 2026 on June 8, with the main keynote starting at 8 PM Moscow time. The first day is packed with major announcements, including the unveiling of iOS 27 and a completely revamped Siri assistant. This event also marks Tim Cook’s last keynote as Apple’s CEO before he hands the reins to John Ternus this fall.
Live text coverage of WWDC 2026 keynote and iOS 27 launch
Tim Cook’s final Apple keynote
This is Tim Cook’s final WWDC as Apple’s CEO. Back in April, he announced he would step down on September 1, passing leadership to John Ternus, Apple’s hardware engineering VP with 25 years at the company. Cook took over in 2011, guiding Apple through the post-Steve Jobs era, the flat design shift, and the Apple Silicon transition. Tonight’s keynote will be his grand finale.
iOS 27 focuses on stability and polish
Compared to previous major overhauls, iOS 27 is being likened to macOS’s Snow Leopard update from 2009: the emphasis is on fixing issues, improving core stability, and cleaning up legacy code. Apple is refining its new Liquid Glass interface after last year’s rollout sparked complaints about readability.
Some standout features include:
- A transparency slider for the interface
- Keyboard improvements
- New satellite map layers in Apple Maps
- Safari’s automatic tab grouping
- ”Visual Intelligence” in the camera app with on-the-fly object recognition powered by Google Image Search and food composition scanning
Siri gets a massive AI upgrade in iOS 27
After years of hype without delivery, Apple finally unveiled a complete Siri overhaul at WWDC 2026. The new assistant rides on Google’s Gemini AI model, featuring a whopping 1.2 trillion parameters.
Siri now operates on three levels:
- Simple queries handled locally on the device using Apple’s own processing
- Moderate requests routed through Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers
- Most complex tasks sent to Google’s cloud running Nvidia Blackwell B200 GPUs
Each step anonymizes user data so that neither Apple nor Google can link commands to individuals.
According to Bloomberg, the updated Siri sports a chatbot-style interface that supports both voice and text input simultaneously-similar to ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude.
Apple debuts homeOS for smart home control
Apple previewed homeOS, a dedicated operating system for smart home devices built around the new HomePad. This device combines the classic HomePod speaker with a 7-inch touchscreen and runs on an A18 chip. Hardware won’t launch until later; for now, developers will get tools to build homeOS apps.
Updates across Apple’s other platforms
macOS 27 delivers a subtle redesign addressing longstanding user complaints about shadows and transparency effects. watchOS 27 adds new watch faces, including a simplified Modular Ultra for non-Ultra models, plus improved heart rate monitoring. visionOS 27 and tvOS 27 follow the Liquid Glass design trend but bring no major surprises.
No new Macs or iPads at WWDC 2026
Hardware announcements are on hold until fall. Memory shortages and supply chain issues have pushed all new Mac and iPad releases to later this year. Developers can access iOS 27 and macOS 27 betas right after the keynote, with a public beta dropping in July. Final releases will coincide with the new iPhones in September.
Apple’s choice to prioritize software stability this year-amid global component bottlenecks-reflects a pragmatic approach, contrasting with Samsung and Google’s aggressive hardware pushes at midyear trade shows. The Siri overhaul, powered by Google tech yet carefully anonymized, could mark a new direction in Apple’s AI strategy, balancing privacy with advanced capabilities.
Keep an eye on how the new Siri performs in real-world use and whether Apple’s homeOS can establish itself as a serious smart home contender against Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home ecosystems. Tim Cook’s exit signals a possible shift in Apple’s future priorities, especially with John Ternus bringing a hardware engineering lens to the CEO role. WWDC 2026 could be remembered less for flashy new gadgets and more for laying groundwork behind the scenes.