Apple’s AI endgame: Why waiting for Siri could make it a winner

Not only does Apple already make the world’s best AI PC with the M5 Max MacBook Pr o capable of handling up to 90-billion parameter models, now it’s preparing to introduce what it hopes will be the world’s leading personal AI app. Bloomberg tells us Apple has a big plan for iOS 27 with a massive Siri revamp , turning it into a full-scale chatbot like ChatGPT or Gemini. The update might extend to Siri gaining its own dedicated Siri app, deeper system integration, and potentially replacing or integrating Spotlight search.  The idea is that Siri will be as good as any other chatbot you use, but will also be equipped with information personal to you — only on the device, private, and secure (insofar as there is any privacy and security anymore). Hey Siri, will the future be better tomorrow? If this sounds like something to look forward to, then it’s worth noting that this isn’t really the first time we’ve heard high-placed Apple speculation claiming Siri will be better tomorrow. Tomorrow has been a long time coming, since similar claims were made at WWDC 2024, and even now it looks as if the meat of these improvements won’t hit the table until late 2026. Supporters can make the point that the company has made major efforts to get to this point, with executive departures , strategic excursions , and unheard of partnerships put in place to enable the company to achieve its aims. Hopefully, that will be realized by fall. Managing expectation s The big reason this speculation is appearing now is easy to surmise. Apple announced its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference this week, and is likely working to set expectations for the event. It must, as we have until recently hoped to see some of the AI features the company has promised for Siri appearing sooner than WWDC. However, we’ve recently heard even some of these improvements won’t be ready by Apple’s most recently suggested deadlines. With the world’s attention — and the attention of shareholders — preparing to descend on Cupertino in early June, Apple knows it needs to avoid yet another wave of “Apple has failed in AI” headlines. Maybe the new story of tasty, tasty jam tomorrow’in iOS 27 will be strong enough to keep expectations realistic. What Apple is doing We do know that Apple’s is building a new Siri powered using a combination of Google Gemini and its own AI tech ; we should see some of those features appear with iOS 26.5, as they failed to make the cut in iOS 26.4. One big promise in all of the reporting concerns intent. Apple is not interested in shipping something half-baked, which means it would rather delay introduction than commit further self-harm with the rollout of anything that disappoints. The company is also in a good position to lean back into the advantages it does have. I mentioned its biggest advantage right at the top, which is that its current crop of A- and M-series processors are already highly-optimized for artificial intelligence . Even without its own AI services, the company already offers the world’s best combined mobile, tablet, PC, headset ecosystem on which to run AI services, on or off device. It’s the platform, stupid That’s not an advantage to sniff at, since it means anyone already on its platforms can easily use all the available AI services quite effectively. More to the point, you can use many models on the devices themselves , rather than sharing data with the cloud. So what? Well, in this the “what” is that even if Apple fails to ship its own take on AI services (which it won’t), it already provides the best platform for the services that do exist. That advantage isn’t limited to its high-end products , either; even the newly-minted MacBook Neo is capable of doing some of this work, and will certainly be robust enough to handle the on-device models Apple is building for Siri in iOS 27. You don’t need Siri to tell you where the wind blows Zoom out a bit and the extent to which Apple being behind on AI is turning into an advantage for the company. After all, while competitors in the space spent vast fortunes in shareholder capital on massive server deployments and LLM development, Apple did not. While others in the industry become deeply reliant on vast stacks of memory to run models in the cloud, Apple’s parsimonious approach means its systems can do more with less, and as GenAI becomes a commodity, Apple remains unique in offering the best platform on which to run those services. The result? It’s hardware sales are going through the roof amid the emerging PC industry decline, and it is on the cusp of establishing itself as a peer player based on strategically-managed tactical investments. While others invested in server farms, Apple invested wisely, giving it a competitive edge and a short road map to profit.The last will be another competitive advantage as some of the world’s wealthiest shareholders retreat investment as a consequence of flailing power politics in the Middle East. The endgame may yet be that unlike so many other situations likely to have existential impacts on our way of life, Apple management successfully built a strategic narrative in which victory conditions are both defined and achievable. We’re about to find out whether that’s true. You can follow me on social media! Join me on BlueSky , LinkedIn , and Mastodon .

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