7 Realistic Things I Want Apple to Announce at Tim Cook's Final WWDC | PCMag
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(Credit: Tyler Hayes)
Each year at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple showcases the new software and features expected in the fall. This year's event, scheduled for June 8-12, will be particularly noteworthy, as it will be the last WWDC with Tim Cook as CEO. He hands over the reins to John Ternus, current SVP of hardware engineering, on Sept. 1, so iOS 27 and the other OS upgrades will close out the Cook era.He's not expected to go out with a huge bang. By all reports, iOS 27 and other operating systems will primarily be incremental improvements, from efficiency fixes to AI enhancements.That’s OK. In fact, I think a lot of customers might settle for Liquid Glass refinements, better battery life, and a more robust, Google Gemini-infused Siri. As someone who covers Apple and the tech industry, those minor upgrades sound good to me, but here's what I hope makes the list on iOS, macOS, wearOS, tvOS, and visionOS. You May Also Like
1. Better Writing Tools
The basic Writing Tools available on macOS 26 (Credit: Tyler Hayes)
When Apple Intelligence debuted in 2024, one of its headlining features was Writing Tools. You can select text across any of its operating systems and have it proofread or rewritten in different tones. That was a necessary feature at the time, but in 2026, people need more.I'd prefer a Grammarly-style, always-on spelling, grammar, and word correction. It wouldn’t need to be on by default, but I do think Apple needs to offer something like this in a privacy-preserving way. Sending third-party tools everything you write can be troubling.Most people probably don’t want a grammar lesson every time they fire off a few casual texts. But on the Mac, this could be an invaluable tool for Notes, emails, and in Safari, among other places. I would love to be alerted when I misspell a proper name, when a sentence’s tense is off, or when there are any other mistakes that normal spell-checks never see. I don’t want AI to write for me; I just want it to save me from easy-to-avoid embarrassments.2. Better AI Features to Bust BusyworkSiri doesn’t need to be the sole AI experience across Apple devices. I’d love to see more AI-infused ways to get busywork done. Right now, in macOS, you can right-click an image, select Quick Actions > Convert Image, and macOS will switch it from .webp to .jpeg. I hope we get more of these types of system tools just by asking—or typing.These capabilities don't have to be marketed or sold as "file management." For example, I’d love to type into the Spotlight bar, “Take the last three PDF scans and merge them into one file, and name it XYZ.” Or, “Find all the pictures of dogs in my text messages from the last two weeks and add them to a new folder called Dogs.”I’m not expecting to be able to run my Mac entirely with these types of commands. Even if this just means better integration between Siri and Shortcuts, that would be great.3. Siri Everywhere and Anywhere
Screenshot showing iOS 26 menu selection options (Credit: Tyler Hayes)
Right now, Siri is primarily a voice assistant. You can "Type to Siri" in different ways, but most people interact via voice. I hope iOS 27 brings native Siri access to more places in the software.The most obvious example of this would be adding Siri to text-selection menus. When you select and highlight text in iOS 26, you get options to copy, look up, translate, and search the web. Adding an "Ask Siri" option would make sense with a better integrated Gemini-powered Siri."Ask Siri" could search against world knowledge and bring up information from the internet. But it could also provide personal context from other areas of your phone that you’ve granted it access to. Asking Siri about a phone number in an email or text message could show you that you called that number two weeks ago. Apple may not have full buy-in with App Intents, but having robust knowledge across Apple’s apps would be a good start.4. Third-Party Watch Faces
(redit: René Ramos / Apple)
Early reports and rumors suggest that the new Apple Watch hardware will mostly look the same this fall. There's only so much you can do with a smartwatch, but minor adjustments make annual upgrades a tough sell. The bigger draw is often the watchOS upgrades. One obvious feature the company could seed with developers is the ability to build and release their own watch faces. Whether it's completely new watch face designs from indie developers or digital faces from established brands like Casio, having more options could energize would-be buyers.Since the widget framework has become more robust across Apple's operating systems, the process might not be that technically challenging. As a dedicated Apple Watch wearer, I'm still hopeful an abundance of third-party watch faces will make their watch to the App Store at some point, but with each passing year, the light becomes a little dimmer. Recommended by Our Editors 18 Handy Apple Messages Features You Should Already Be Using Tim Cook Avoided CEO Hysterics. And It Made Apple a Trillion-Dollar Company
5. A Better Workout BuddyWorkout Buddy is the Apple Watch's AI companion for exercise. Right now, it needs an Apple Intelligence iPhone connected to it. It's also a one-way street that delivers generic information. I think most people know how often they run per week and what audio they listen to. I would love to see Workout Buddy take the next step with watchOS 27. Having standalone support on a cellular Apple Watch would be a big win, but ultimately, I think it needs to be able to answer my workout questions using AI. I want to ask Workout Buddy things like, "How does my current pace compare to my last seven-day average?" or "How's my heart rate looking so far?" as I run.6. A New Apple TV Home Screen
Current Apple TV 4K home screen (Credit: Apple)
The default for Apple's 4K hardware box is to open the Apple TV app when you press the remote's home button. This interface blends various titles you're watching across a few streaming apps that have opted in, but not all of them. The other option is to set the classic grid of app icons as the home button's landing page. Neither option is great. While I wouldn't want Apple to directly copy Google TV's interface, I do think there are plenty of ideas it could borrow.I'd love to see a brand-new home screen for Apple TV 4K boxes that blends what you're currently watching with suggestions from your streaming apps. I think there are plenty of opportunities to integrate free live TV services like Pluto or Tubi. That way, all someone would need to do is buy an Apple TV streaming box, plug it in, and start watching. There should be a place to find and launch games running on the box, but more importantly, the home screen should better connect people with the shows they're watching or recommendations.7. More Siri on the Vision ProI've been using the Apple Vision Pro since it debuted. My gripes are more hardware-related; for example, the weight and tethered battery seem to get in the way more often than not. However, beyond Apple adding more environments, I would love the Vision Pro to get the same Siri AI features as the iPhone and Mac. Apple's VR headset could benefit from more tasks being done by voice. Whether it's multiple commands and operations done at once, file management, or other new Siri capabilities, I hope the Vision Pro doesn't miss out on expanded AI controls.Small But Useful UpdatesEven if Apple’s newest operating systems don’t feature any mind-blowing new features, they'll almost surely improve how we all use our devices on a daily basis. Having new ways to speed up mundane tasks or to save you from unnecessary typos would go a long way toward a better experience. We'll hear all about it during Apple's opening keynote on June 8.
About Our Expert Tyler Hayes Contributor