san francisco — Apple unveiled new artificial intelligence features with a focus on privacy and everyday life at its annual developers conference on Monday, the last to feature CEO Tim Cook before he hands over to John Ternos in September.
While the popular iPhone maker has been trying to catch up with competitors when it comes to AI, it has sought to differentiate itself from its peers by focusing on a privacy-focused approach and integrating AI across its devices and apps.
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Cook received extended applause and told the audience he was “so grateful to have been on this journey with you” and said “the energy surrounding Apple platforms has never been stronger.”
The World Developers Conference, which was launched on Monday with the participation of thousands of developers from about 65 countries at Apple’s headquarters in Silicon Valley, focuses on software, in contrast to the unveiling of the latest iPhone devices in the fall.
Cook announced his retirement in April, ending a 15-year period that saw the company’s market value rise to more than $4 trillion during the iPhone-fueled boom. Ternus has worked with Apple for the past quarter-century, including the past five years overseeing core engineering for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac — a role that made him a prime candidate to succeed Cook.
The transition to a new CEO comes at a pivotal time for Apple. Artificial intelligence has unleashed the most disruption within the industry since Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007. Apple has gotten off to a rocky start in the AI space after faltering in its efforts to deliver new features built on the technology, as it promised nearly two years ago.
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