WWDC is fast approaching, promising several software announcements, but attention is also turning to future hardware releases like the iPhone 17 series and Apple’s smart glasses project.

This week had big news as former Apple design superstar Jony Ive teamed up with OpenAI to create the next generation of AI-based devices. Fortnite also returned to the U.S. App Store for the first time in 2020, breaking up the ongoing spat between Apple and Epic Games.

WWDC 2025 Preview: iPhone 17 Air specs leak, Apple smart glasses update, Jony Ive joins OpenAI, Fortnite back on App Store

Apple is also rumored to announce a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air later this year. New leaks have addressed its camera setup and slim profile, and now its weight and battery have been added to the mix. The 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air weighs in at around 145 grams, the Korean blogger “yeux1122” said, which is similar in weight to the iPhone SE or iPhone 13 mini.

The battery in a production sample is rumored to be 2,800mAh – the same as that found in the iPhone 12 – but Apple could add a 15% capacity bump with high-density battery tech. With just over two weeks until WWDC, Apple confirmed additional conference details.

The keynote begins on Monday, June 9th at 10:00 a.m. Pacific, and the Platforms State of the Union is at 1:00 p.m. The conference will be predominantly virtual, with group and one-on-one labs, as well as community events connected to WWDC. At Google’s I/O event this week, Google showed off the lightweight smart glasses it has put Gemini AI inside, which will go up against Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses and Apple’s as-yet-unconfirmed smart glasses.

Apple’s first smart glasses won’t offer full AR but will include AI functions, microphones, and cameras for photo/video capture and visual intelligence similar to recent iPhones. These glasses could launch by the end of 2026. Apple is working to make Siri more competitive with AI chatbots like ChatGPT. Internally, the new “LLM Siri” is reportedly on par with ChatGPT, but fully replacing Siri’s current hybrid system with this monolithic AI model will take a few years. At WWDC, Apple will focus less on Siri enhancements and more on other AI advancements, being cautious not to announce features before they’re ready to avoid past missteps.

WWDC will also reveal macOS 16, expected to bring design tweaks aimed at unifying Apple’s product interfaces, influenced in part by visionOS. The update may include Google Gemini integration as a ChatGPT alternative, plus various accessibility improvements. Jony Ive, along with other former Apple designers, is collaborating with OpenAI to develop a new class of AI-driven devices. OpenAI purchased Ive’s startup, io, for $6.5 billion.

Their goal is to create a subtle “third core device” that complements phones and laptops, potentially resembling a neck-worn device akin to an iPod shuffle. Fortnite is back on the U.S. App Store for the first time since 2020 after Apple approved Epic Games’ submission. The game quickly climbed the charts. Apple had initially resisted allowing Fortnite’s return, but a judge overseeing their legal dispute pushed for a resolution, even threatening to summon Apple’s app decision official to court. This pressure apparently convinced Apple to reinstate Fortnite on the App Store.