After a period of delays and significant skepticism, new signs of life are emerging for Apple's ambitious "new Siri." Two recent developments suggest Apple is regaining momentum, with a major strategy shift reportedly at the center of the comeback.
Renewed Confidence from Apple Leadership
During Apple's latest earnings call, CEO Tim Cook offered a brief but notable update on the project.
"We’re also excited for a more personalized Siri," Cook stated. "We’re making good progress on it. And as we’ve shared, we expect to release it next year."
This comment is significant because Apple has recently been silent on Siri's progress, particularly during the iPhone 17 keynote. This silence was widely seen as an attempt to avoid repeating the mistake of overpromising at the iPhone 16 event. Cook's willingness to attach a "next year" (2026) timeline, even loosely, signals renewed confidence that a releasable product is finally on track.
A Major Strategy Shift: Using Google Gemini
The second, more significant development is a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, which claims Apple will utilize Google's Gemini AI models to power much of the new Siri experience.
This marks a fundamental change in strategy. Previously, Apple's challenge was catching up to a "rapidly moving target" set by competitors like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini itself. The new report suggests that rather than trying to build a rival model from scratch, Apple will instead integrate an existing, powerful AI.
According to the report, the custom Gemini model would run on Apple’s "Private Cloud Compute" servers. This approach would allow Siri to handle complex, personalized user requests—such as finding a specific book recommendation sent by a family member by searching on-device data—while still aligning with Apple's core focus on user privacy.
The New Challenge: Integration
This new direction greatly increases the credibility of a 2026 launch. However, it shifts the primary challenge from AI creation to AI integration.
While Apple may not be building the core model, the task of deeply embedding a third-party AI into the Apple ecosystem (including Messages, Mail, Photos, and other on-device data) remains a massive technical hurdle. The success of the new Siri will depend entirely on how seamless that integration feels.
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