Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Ng sees heavy AI emphasis at Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) Worldwide Developers Conference, forecasting developer access to Apple’s in-house models and potential Gemini AI integration on iPhonesechoing Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai remark that a mid-2025 Apple partnership could be imminent.
Ng, who maintains a Buy rating with a $253 price target, notes that Apple will need to showcase compelling Apple Intelligence features (think AI-enhanced Siri, on-screen awareness and personal context slated for late 2025/26) before Wall Street fully underwrites AI as a growth lever.
Ng expects Apple to refresh iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS and visionOS with standardized interfaces and convenience features, including public Wi-Fi syncing and AI-driven battery optimization in iOS 19.
He also anticipates Apple opening its large language models to third-party developers and enhancing Siri’s capabilities. While AAPL has outperformed the S&P 500 by 12% year-to-date, it slipped 2.31% today as investors weighed near-term AI proof points against lofty expectations.
Compared with last year’s WWDC, which focused on lock-screen widgets and privacy upgrades, this year’s event could mark Apple’s most significant AI push yetone that rivals Google’s I/O showcase in early May.
Why It Matters Investors looking for catalysts will gauge whether Apple’s AI demos and OS unification translate into tangible developer enthusiasm and, ultimately, stronger service-revenue growth amid slowing hardware demand.
This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
