These are the Apple stories that were bigger than the iPhone in 2024

2024 is fast fading behind us and thus, as is our custom, it’s time to cast our eyes back at the year that was and see how things shook out for Apple.

A lot has happened to the company over the past twelve months–not all of it to Apple’s liking. As Apple has gotten larger and larger, it’s found itself increasingly in the crosshairs of governments, not to mention its equally weighty competitors. While the company remains wildly successful from a financial standpoint, it’s struggled somewhat when it comes to its vision of the future. In short, there are definitely cracks puncturing Cupertino’s traditionally invincible image.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane and see the stories that shaped Apple’s 2024.

Continental drift

If there’s one story from 2024 that is likely to have an outsized impact on Apple’s existence going forward, it’s the company’s clashes with the European Commission. This came to a head in 2024 as Apple was forced to comply with the region’s Digital Markets Act and release a substantial platform update that allows for third-party app distribution on iOS and iPadOS.

And yet, as simple as that sentence seems, the reality was anything but cut and dried. Apple did its darnedest to comply with the letter of the law but still keep its traditional App Store model on top, even as the EC attempted to enforce the spirit of its rules. The result has been an uneasy stalemate: yes, third-party app stores are currently available in the European Union, but they haven’t had a big impact yet. And Apple continues to throw its weight around, sometimes using its bully pulpit of notarizations for reasons that would seem to go beyond the stated intentions of platform safety and security.

The story’s hardly at an end, either. A preliminary ruling from the EC in June deemed that Apple was not in compliance with the DMA, with a final decision to be handed down in March of 2025. Depending on how it all shakes out, the App Store model may be on the wane.

Between that and other pending legal and governmental matters elsewhere around the world—including the U.S. where the company found itself targeted by an antitrust action—Apple may find itself fighting battles on multiple fronts in the year to come.

Intelligence gathering

After more than a year of being deemed late to the AI party—and what an awkward face-melting, variable number of fingers party it is—Apple made a splash at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference by unveiling its own foray into the market: Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI tools that touches everything from writing to image generation to improvements to Siri. With this announcement, Apple seemed to be banking heavily on its reputation of delivering not the first solution to market, but the best.

But even now, those Apple Intelligence features have only just started to roll out, with the arrival of the second round—including contentious AI image generation features—expected imminently, as of this writing. Response to the first round was mixed to underwhelmed, especially when compared to offerings from competitors that have already pushed well past where even Apple’s not-yet-here features promise to be.

Apple Intelligence is a multi-year endeavor, however, and next year will bring some of its most anticipated features, including a smarter Siri that’s aware of users’ personal context. More than anything else, that seems poised to answer the question of just how far behind Apple really is when it comes to AI features that set it apart from everyone else.

Apple’s clearly invested a lot of time and energy on this front, even if it started somewhat later than its rivals. The real question hovering out there is whether generative AI is a flash in the pan or a technology that really will transform the industry. The outcome of that larger issue could dictate just how relevant Apple Intelligence ends up being—and how smart Apple looks.

Automotive vision

Much attention in the Apple-watching realm is focused on what big project the company will tackle next. This year shows just how much of a struggle Apple itself has had in answering that question.

Foundry

After a decade, the Apple Car project drove its way into the grave without ever getting to the product stage. The stuff of perennial rumors, the car project was Apple’s attempt to find the next big thing, but it was mired in an unclear vision and high turnover in its leadership. In the end, the most positive sign was that the company had the courage to pull the plug on something that wasn’t working.

But with the car project gone, all eyes turned elsewhere for Apple’s future.

It’s almost quaint to think back to the beginning of the year, when the most anticipated Apple product was the arrival of the Vision Pro. But as was largely expected, its high price tag and limited feature set outweighed its impressive technology. It was only saved from being a flop by virtue of the fact that Apple didn’t really expect it to do a blockbuster business in the first place. The real proof will be in whatever changes the company makes for the product’s successor: will it shed features and cost to appeal to more customers, or will Apple stick to its high expectations and damn the torpedoes.

The rest of the story

Elsewhere, Apple made the jump to its latest chip architecture, which powered an impressive and well-regarded revamp to the Mac mini, as well as nice updates to the MacBook Pro line and the iMac. And, of course, the iPhone 16 line debuted, marking the first time ever the company added a physical control for the second year running, perhaps proving that Steve Jobs and Jony Ive’s stranglehold on Apple design may finally be coming to an end.

As for what looms ahead for Apple in 2025, well, there’s plenty on the horizon–it may just be one of the company’s biggest years ever. We’ll break down exactly what to expect next time.