Tomorrow evening, the moment arrives: Apple opens its biggest stage of the year. The week before it had plenty in store – a Siri rebuilt from the ground up, an App Store ecosystem beyond the trillion-dollar mark, and a foldable iPhone slowly leaving the lab phase. Months of speculation will then finally give way to certainty.
WWDC 2026 begins on Monday, June 8, at 7:00 PM German time – and rarely has an Apple week built so clearly toward a single date. Almost every major report of the past seven days revolved around what Apple is expected to show on stage: a new iOS 27, a revamped Siri, and design adjustments across all operating systems. The expected overall picture of hardware hopes and software innovations is more extensive than at most developer conferences in recent years. This issue therefore looks not only back at an unusually packed week, but also ahead to what, starting Monday, will turn rumors into facts.
🔥 Story of the Week: The WWDC Countdown Is On
With the "All systems glow" teaser, Apple has already set the tone for the keynote – and this week the rumor mill delivered a fitting soundtrack. At the center is a promise many have been waiting on for a year and a half: a Siri rebuilt from the ground up. According to reports, the assistant is set to get its own app, be summoned via a systemwide "Search or Ask" gesture, and optionally delete its conversations automatically. The technical foundation isn't provided by Apple alone: a customized Gemini model is said to serve as the brain of the new Siri, which Apple reportedly even runs on Nvidia chips in Google's cloud.
Even more interesting is what Apple is planning beyond that: through an Extensions system, users will reportedly be able to choose between different AI models in the future – alongside Gemini, for example, Claude as well. With that, Apple would go beyond what was promised on stage in 2024.
Around it, a rather quiet year is taking shape. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman describes iOS 27 as a "Snow Leopard update" – a release that focuses less on spectacular new features than on speed, stability, and the fine-tuning of the Liquid Glass design. Still, a few new things should become visible: a fully customizable Camera app with its own Visual Intelligence mode, new AI tools in the Photos app, and a "Create a Pass" feature in Wallet. macOS 27, too, is likely to mainly fine-tune the design, while the recent name candidates were "Emerald" and "Big Bear." watchOS 27 is also said to open the Modular Ultra watch face to all Apple Watch models.
On the hardware side, by contrast, expectations should remain muted. The Mac Studio with M5 isn't expected until October because of the global memory shortage, and the upgraded MacBook Ultra not until early 2027. WWDC 2026 is therefore likely to become what it traditionally is: a software show. Just one with an unusually large lead actor.
📰 What Else Mattered
Epic counters at the Supreme Court: In the dispute over App Store commissions, Epic Games is now urging the US Supreme Court to reject Apple's petition, countering both of the company's core arguments. The case thus remains up in the air even shortly before WWDC.
Apple comes to Berlin: With Europe's first Apple Developer Center in Berlin, Apple is moving a good deal closer to the local developer scene – a notable signal in, of all weeks, the one before the developer conference.
Office support ends for older devices: Starting July 13, Microsoft is ending support for its Office apps on older Mac and iPhone models. Anyone still working on aging hardware will have to brace for limitations.
Anya Taylor-Joy for Apple TV: With the trailer for the heist series "Lucky", the streaming service presents its next star-studded summer title.
Apple as an OLED trailblazer: A market forecast sees Apple's first OLED MacBook as the trigger for an industry shift – with consequences that could reach far beyond its own lineup.
💡 Rumor of the Week: The Foldable iPhone Leaves the Lab
Apple's first foldable iPhone, expected to arrive as the iPhone Ultra, is said to have reached an important development milestone. According to the Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital, Apple has sent initial prototypes to carriers around the globe so they can carry out network and compatibility tests. If that holds true, the pure lab phase would be over – an indication that the device is far enough along for the certifications required before a market launch.
Also intriguing is the component that was long considered the biggest sticking point: the hinge. According to the report, Apple is relying here on liquid metal, an amorphous alloy said to be considerably more durable than titanium and able to minimize the visible crease in the display. With this, Fixed Focus Digital contradicts earlier reports claiming that, of all things, the hinge had not reliably passed the stress tests. None of this is confirmed – but the details fit into the overall picture of the foldable iPhone known so far, which envisions a market launch in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro.
📊 Number of the Week: $1.4 Trillion
That's how much revenue the App Store ecosystem facilitated worldwide in 2025, according to a study by the Analysis Group commissioned by Apple – a new record and an increase over the $1.3 trillion of the previous year. More than 90 percent of that flowed directly to developers and merchants without any Apple commission, for instance through orders in shopping, delivery, and travel apps. The lion's share, at $1.1 trillion, came from physical goods and services, plus $149 billion for digital goods and $151 billion from in-app advertising. That Apple is publishing this figure just days before WWDC is no coincidence: it underscores the message that, for developers, the App Store is far more than a commission machine – an argument that gains weight in light of the ongoing legal disputes.
👎 Flop of the Week: Apple's Shrunken Vision Plans
The grand vision of an entire family of glasses is apparently shrinking. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports that Apple has trimmed its roadmap from an original seven planned Vision devices down to just two glasses models – AI glasses in the style of the Ray-Ban Meta and a full-fledged AR pair, both reportedly under the direction of future CEO John Ternus. All Vision Pro successors are said to have been scrapped as a result.
The situation isn't quite so clear-cut, though – and that comes down to the sources. As a supply chain analyst, Kuo reads primarily from manufacturing, whereas Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman draws on internal Apple sources. Gurman contradicts on one central point: a Vision Pro 2 is indeed in the testing phase, even if the category is on ice for now, and Apple is said to be still working on a slimmer, more affordable successor – no earlier than 2028 or 2029. The fact that a device that hasn't yet entered mass production doesn't show up in the supply chain at all explains the differing accounts. Neither version is confirmed.
But regardless of which reading is closer to the truth: the fact that development does continue behind the scenes, yet the big headset chapter is frozen for years, remains a disappointment for everyone who had hoped for a broad Vision ecosystem.
🔭 What's Coming Next Week
The answer this time is simple: WWDC 2026. Apple's developer conference runs from June 8 to 12, with the big kickoff being the keynote on Monday at 7:00 PM (CEST), which can be watched live via apple.com, the Apple TV app, and YouTube. Expected are the unveilings of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27 – above all the new Siri, which at launch will likely still carry a beta label. On the evening of the keynote, the first developer betas should traditionally follow; the public beta versions are then expected for July. It's the most important Apple week of the year – and the next issue of the Weekly will be packed accordingly.
💬 My Take
At last. After roughly 18 months of waiting, the new Siri is the fireworks of this WWDC – and Apple even goes one step further. What was promised in 2024 was a more personal Siri with ChatGPT integration. What's being delivered is an assistant rebuilt from the ground up: its own app, Gemini as the brain, and, via the Extensions system, the free choice between several AI models. That's more than what stood on the stage back then. That it arrives with a beta label and in stages isn't a drawback here – it's exactly the path you'd expect. You don't switch on an assistant of this magnitude overnight for hundreds of millions of devices; the cautious rollout is a strength, not a weakness. The real question, therefore, isn't whether Apple delivers this time, but how quickly the newcomer proves itself in everyday use – and that's the story of the coming months. On Monday, what counts first is this: the long-standing promise is being fulfilled, and then made a little bigger than it was.
📚 From Our Archive
Siri strategy: Why the freedom to choose an AI is Apple's most important step in years – The question of why the new Siri shouldn't be chained to a single AI model is explored in depth by this piece, fittingly tied to the main topic of the week.
These 10+ products Apple will launch first under CEO Ternus – Beyond software, a packed schedule lies ahead on the hardware side as well; this overview shows what's first in line under the new CEO.
This week was all about anticipation – starting Monday it turns into certainty, and what may be the biggest Apple overhaul in years takes shape. Until next Sunday, Apfelpatient wishes you a relaxed read and a good start to the week.
The best products for you: Our Amazon storefront offers a wide selection of accessories, including those for HomeKit. (Image: Apple)
