Siri Expected To Be Center Stage As Apple Developers Gather

If Siri weren’t so darned discreet, she’d tell you that she’s going to be one of the stars at the Apple Developers Conference kicking off in San Francisco this morning — along with a new iOS 10 and macOS 12, if all goes according to rumor. WWDC16 will also be viewable on all compatible devices starting at 10 a.m. PDT.

“Apple is opening Siri up to third-party apps, the [Wall Street Journal] says, meaning that developers could leverage the voice assistant to help with tasks like checking in for a flight or booking an Uber. The Information reported news of this expansion last month. The WSJ also says that Siri is going to land on the Mac this year, which was previously reported by 9to5Mac,” Sam Byford sums up for The Verge

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“What does that potentially mean to consumers? Think of ordering an Uber ride or Airbnb room through Siri,” Jon Swartz and Jefferson Graham ask and answer for USA Today. “What has emerged this developer season is a laser focus on artificial intelligence and its ability to stitch together technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data and natural language learning.”

“Opening up Siri — if true — would be a big step for Apple, which has tightly controlled Siri's capabilities since its debut almost five years ago. Select third-party information and features, such as Yelp restaurant reviews and OpenTable bookings, have long been available via specific partnerships,” writes Dan Frommer for Recode. “But the vast majority of iOS developers still have no direct access to Siri, which is now built into every iPhone and iPad, the Apple Watch and the latest Apple TV streaming box.”

Some observers are pointing out that the company could be looking to dazzle after a bit of a financial fizzle.

“After facing some headwinds in the past year — such as posting a decline in quarterly revenue for the first time in more than a decade and receiving a mixed response to the launch of the Apple Watch — Apple may want to roll out more than just some minor upgrades. A new approach to artificial intelligence and big data, or an embrace of communal devices, could go a long way in keeping Apple competitive with other tech industry giants,” writes Stephanie Condon for ZDNet.

But Apple “is expert at offering a more polished, more accessible version of products and services that rivals have offered for years,” writes Christopher Mims for the WSJ. Which is why it would be a “terrible” idea to, as some are wishing/hoping/looking for, “unveil something no one has done before.” 

Right now — and into the foreseeable future — its strength is mobile, and mobile’s strength is in the power of its apps. 

“Software now differentiates devices as much as hardware,” Mims writes. “New Apple products that attract outside developers will sell well.” Which is why, as of last week, it will “allow all developers to charge subscription fees for their apps and [it] reduced the company’s cut of their revenue after the first year of a subscription.” 

“That changes a lot about the App Store, where people are accustomed to paying upfront (if they pay at all) for an app, and maybe, occasionally, indulging in an in-app purchase, points out Hayley Tsukayama for the Washington Post. “Until now, unless you were using a news, cloud service, dating or music/movie streaming app, you couldn’t subscribe. Now, it’s time to brace yourself for the possibility that many more of your apps — particularly your games — will come with a regular price tag.”

Just like Amazon’s Washington Post, IOW.

But wait, there’s bound to be more, as there always is.

“Also on the likely update list is Apple Music. The company launched its streaming-music service a year ago, but Apple Music hasn't measured up to the hopes of some users. Many market watchers expect an overhaul of the service's design and functions, writes Shara Tibken for CNET. “Then there are all the tweaks to Apple's other software and services, like Apple Pay, which could roll out peer-to-peer payments.”

“Apple tends to use WWDC to talk about smaller future updates, Lisa Eadicicco points out for Time. “There’s a chance we’ll hear about what’s next for the Apple Watch and Apple TV, for instance.” But Gartner research VP Mark Hung tells Eadicicco he “expects these to be fairly ‘minor’ announcements, however, so don’t expect to see a new Watch or other overhauls.”

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