Apple’s WWDC AI demos looked more realistic after $250 million false advertising settlement

The atmosphere at Apple’s 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference felt like the pair were proudly listing off all the items on their to-do list they had finally completed. Instead of showcasing something exciting and new, Apple launched a keynote detailing the fixes “Liquid Glass” last year design; that Fixed the terrible search function; Improvements to the stadium featureetc.

Perhaps most importantly, After two years of promising but failing to launch a smarter SiriApple finally showed off a modified version of its AI-powered voice assistant.

But the most telling detail wasn’t what Apple announced. It was the way she chose to show some things. Several Apple Intelligence demos showed a person standing, holding the phone in their hand, pressing buttons or using voice commands in real time, while another camera showed the phone responding.

These were not live on-stage demos, and anything could go wrong; They are pre-recorded. But it looked like much more evidence of business features than what Apple showed off at WWDC 2024, when the company did Apple Intelligence and the new Siri have been revealed for the first time to the world through brilliantly produced videos that turned out to be more promising than a product.

This demo style was noticed, as comments on X on Monday compared today’s keyword to one called “2024.”vaporware“Demos.

Apple said at the time that the features would soon be available to those who had upgraded to them iPhone 15 Pro and later devices with M1 flakes or better. But by March 2025, Apple admitted it Daring fireball Rolling out features showcased via production video “will take us longer than we thought it would.” It wasn’t long after the Cupertino company He faced a lawsuit in federal court Alleging false advertising about features on display at the 2024 event – ​​a case that carries real risks for the reputation of a company that has long built its brand on the promise that its products just work.

Last month, Apple agreed to pay $250 million settlement On the lawsuit, without admitting error.

Monday’s offer appears designed, at least in part, to avoid a repeat. There are still plenty of fully produced videos with features, like one that shows how to adjust Siri’s voice and another that demonstrates improved audio-to-text transcription. But many AI features were demonstrated in this “live-like” format, where someone uses the feature on an actual device. The implicit message is that these features work on actual devices, and you’ll get them soon.

Apple also does not require users to purchase the latest version of the iPhone to get these features. The new Siri will be available through the new iOS 27 on iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, and all iPhone 16 models and later. According to the company. The current model is the iPhone 17, which means most users who upgraded in the past two years will not need to purchase new hardware to access the service.

This may be a concession, as Apple won’t lock features behind new devices to create upgrade pressure when it promised, two years ago, that those features would be available on the iPhone 15.

Apple also said the new features will be available across its broader lineup of devices, including iPad mini (A17 Pro), iPad models with M1 or later, MacBook Neo (A18 Pro), Mac models with M1 or later, Apple Vision Pro, Apple Watch Series 10 or later, Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later, and Apple Watch SE 3 when paired with a nearby iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence technology.