Over the past year, Apple has faced mounting criticism for falling behind in the artificial intelligence (AI) race. The delayed rollout of its “Apple Intelligence” initiative—especially improvements to Siri—has left many features announced at WWDC 2024 undelivered. Analysts argue that Apple may have underestimated the AI shift, over-promised, and is now scrambling to catch up amid intensifying competition.
As WWDC 2025 approaches, expectations are tempered: insiders predict a toned-down presentation featuring incremental software tweaks like OS redesigns and naming changes, rather than groundbreaking AI announcements. Apple is expected to focus on achievable features—such as enhanced on-device AI, deeper developer partnerships, and new collaborations with Google or Perplexity—rather than pushing out delayed Siri capabilities .
The company is also contending with broader headwinds: China tariffs threaten hardware margins; legal setbacks from the Epic Games App Store case continue to loom; and its Vision Pro headset has underperformed, leading to production slowdowns. These cumulative pressures—AI stumbles, hardware misfires, and regulatory challenges—have collectively contributed to an 18–20% drop in Apple’s stock performance in 2025, marking its weakest showing ahead of a WWDC in over a decade.
Despite the setbacks, Apple retains significant assets—its iPhone platform and deep user loyalty. Investors hope WWDC will deliver a humble acknowledgment of missteps, alongside a clear roadmap to restore credibility with developers and users. The presentation of reliable, privacy-focused deliverables now takes precedence over bold-but-empty AI promises.
