Apple (AAPL) Unveils Biggest Software Update in a Decade at Developer Conference

Consumer electronics giant Apple (AAPL) has unveiled its biggest software update in more than a decade at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

While many analysts and investors were waiting for Apple to announce new artificial intelligence (AI) products and services, it was the software update that was the big announcement at the conference. The software update, which goes into effect later this year, will change the way all of Apple’s major devices, from iPhones to Mac computers, look and feel.

The software features a new design language that runs across all of Apple’s operating systems and is called “Liquid Glass.” For Apple, it’s the first significant redesign of its iPhone operating system since 2013, when the company announced iOS7. Apple says the lock screen will look like it’s made out of glass. Buttons will turn into little glass pills and slide over glass rails.

There are also new animations for each Apple device, including when answering a phone call.

Hype vs. Reality

While Apple did its best to hype the software update, the unveiling underwhelmed investors and analysts, many of whom wanted to see big changes to Apple’s AI strategy instead. Several analysts called the software update “incremental” and “cosmetic.”

Last year, Apple announced its “Apple Intelligence” AI strategy that showcased a more personal Siri digital assistant that can intelligently read through emails and text messages. This year, Apple has chosen to focus on its new Liquid Glass software. The new design language will be available to users once they upgrade their iPhones to the new iOS, which will be available for beta testing this summer.

Apple also announced some small changes to its Siri digital assistant and expanded its integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. When users take a screenshot on an iPhone, a new button will send the image to ChatGPT, which can summarize blocks of text in the image, and also decipher what’s happening. Apple said that it is also rolling out a new language translation function that has been enhanced with AI.

Since 2007, Apple has introduced a new version of its operating system each year. AAPL stock has declined 19% in 2025.

Is AAPL Stock a Buy?

The stock of Apple has a consensus Moderate Buy rating among 29 Wall Street analysts. That rating is based on 16 Buy, nine Hold, and four Sell recommendations assigned in the last three months. The average AAPL price target of $226.94 implies 12.65% upside from current levels.

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