Apple is not on its back foot, but there’s no question that it’s under intense pressure to deliver a razzle-dazzle WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8 at 10AM PT.
It’s been tradition over the past four or five years of quick in-person opening remarks before Tim Cook cedes the stage to a series of pre-recorded videos, but that may not cut it. It has to, for instance, tell and show, in real time, the product of deep AI foundation model work that it (and partner Google) is bringing to the all-new Siri.
We’ve seen videos before and then waited two years for a full Apple Intelligence delivery that never came. That won’t work this time. What we want is to see the all-new Siri working on an iPhone 17, demo gremlins and all.
Being that vulnerable on stage will break with recent tradition and whisk us back to the Steve Jobs era, when, without a digital net, Jobs would demonstrate new hardware and software on stage. It’s true, he occasionally admonished everyone in Apple’s Town Hall at One Loop to “turn off their WiFi,” but we’ll never forget those moments.
Give us the “Cook” moment
I also think developer and media attendees will demand more than a brief glance at the outgoing CEO. This WWDC keynote will be Cook’s swan song as Apple CEO before John Ternus takes over in September, just in time for the iPhone 18 rollout.
We’ll want Cook to remark about his impact on the company, a video retrospective, and maybe even some frank comments about highs and lows (“Okay, maybe we went a little too far with Liquid Glass…”).
Please, Apple and Tim, let’s get real here and embrace the moment in a way that, again, no one will forget.
A series of live presentations
If I had my way, the entire keynote format would be switched up so that Cook engages with each platform lead to walk through the big changes coming with iOS 27 and the rest of the “27” platforms.
The biggest chunk should be reserved for a sit-down with Tenrus, who could walk Cook through the new Siri. It will all be far more impactful than an hour or more of videos, even the humorous ones featuring Craig Federighi’s hair.
The hard truth
Any time I mention the possibility of “one more thing” at a WWDC Keynote, I’m reminded that it’s not a hardware event…except when it is. The trash can Mac Pro made its debut there, as did the Vision Pro.
I think it’s altogether possible that this WWDC 2026 keynote could be the one where Apple gives us a surprise glimpse of the iPhone Ultra (iPhone Fold).
As I’ve written before, a folding, and possibly two-screen iPhone would make special demands of iOS 27, ones that I think would be hard to hide from the public as dev and public betas start rolling out throughout the summer.
I’d suggest Apple embrace the sea change and reveal that “Of course, we’re working on a folding device!”
Tim Cook holding the iPhone Ultra prototype over his head as the company announces an important new entry in the iPhone lineup is quite the image. It will be a brief look, and I’m sure Apple will offer scant details, but can you imagine the excitement and satisfaction for Cook, who will not have the opportunity to do so in September when I suspect the iPhone Ultra officially launches alongside the rest of the iPhone 18 lineup.
The other possibility here is that Cook gets to preview Apple Glasses, maybe even casually walking out on stage wearing the AR spectacles and not revealing the fact until he closes the keynote. People would lose their minds.
For all the success Apple has had in 2026 (mostly thanks to the MacBook Neo), it’s clear it’s lagging in key areas like foldables, AR, and especially AI. Business as usual will not suffice.
So this is my call to Apple: Don’t play it safe, don’t prerecord those videos. Leave the comedy behind, and go for an all-live event with high stakes and real impact.
That, my friends, will be a WWDC keynote for the books.
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lance.ulanoff@futurenet.com (Lance Ulanoff)
