APPLE plans to kick off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on Jun 10, when the company is expected to unveil its long-anticipated artificial intelligence (AI) strategy. The iPhone maker announced the timing on Tuesday (Mar 26), saying the event will run till Jun 14. Though Apple did not say what it plans to unveil – in usual fashion – sources familiar with the matter have said that the presentation will focus heavily on AI. Continuing an approach used since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, the conference will be hosted for free on Apple’s website and app for developers. The opening day announcements will take place in person at the company’s campus in Cupertino, California. Apple is expected to unveil its next major software updates for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro headset and smartwatch – and its new AI strategy will be front and centre for the planned iOS 18 upgrade. In announcing the event, Apple marketing executive Greg Joswiak said: “It is going to be Absolutely Incredible” – a clear nod to AI. Apple’s AI strategy will include a slew of new proactive features to assist users in their daily lives. The company is not planning to debut its own generative AI chatbot, though. Instead, Apple is holding talks with potential partners such as Alphabet’s Google and OpenAI to supply generative AI services, Bloomberg News has reported. The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone’s software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade. The company is also planning a minor refresh of the Apple Watch’s software and the first major update to the operating system running on the Vision Pro headset. BLOOMBERG