Apple is heading into 2026 with one of the highest stakes software launches in its history, as pressure mounts on the company to prove it can still shape the future of artificial intelligence without relying on new hardware.
The technology giant has told investors that the next generation of Siri will arrive in the coming year, following a delay announced in March. The upgraded assistant is expected to be far more personal and capable than earlier versions, marking Apple’s most direct response yet to the AI wave triggered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022.
For a company that rarely discusses its product roadmap, Apple’s public commitment to a revamped Siri signals how central the feature has become to its business strategy. Originally planned for a 2025 release, the new assistant was pushed back after internal development took longer than anticipated, despite marketing campaigns already promoting the feature.
CEO Tim Cook said in October that progress on Siri had accelerated, setting higher expectations for what users should anticipate next. Gene Munster of Deepwater Asset Management described the message to investors as clear. “They basically said that this year, don’t bother us about AI, and we’ll blow you away by what we show next year,” Munster said.
The stakes are rising as consumers grow accustomed to conversational AI from rivals such as ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude. Across Silicon Valley in 2025, AI dominated product launches and investment plans, while Apple remained notably quiet.
OpenAI released Sora 2, its video generation tool, which briefly topped Apple’s App Store rankings. Amazon refreshed Alexa with new AI capabilities. Microsoft rolled out software enabling companies to manage autonomous “AI agents.” Even Meta made moves to prepare its next major AI model, known internally as Avocado.
Meanwhile, Nvidia overtook Apple earlier this year as the world’s most valuable technology company, driven by demand for its AI focused chips and data center systems. The chipmaker now ships high-end AI computers costing millions of dollars per unit, underscoring how infrastructure spending has become central to the AI race.
Apple has chosen a different path. The company spent $12.71 billion on capital expenditures in the year ended September, a 35 percent increase from the prior year, but far below the combined $380 billion committed by Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon. Apple says it relies on its own custom chips rather than Nvidia hardware, citing user privacy as a core principle.
The company’s last major AI reveal came in 2024 with Apple Intelligence, a bundle of features including image tools, text rewriting, notification summaries and integration with ChatGPT. While some functions, such as improved notification filtering and photo editing, earned praise, others faced criticism. Apple briefly disabled an AI feature that inaccurately rewrote news notifications before restoring it.
At June’s Worldwide Developers Conference, AI received limited attention. Apple highlighted machine learning features such as live AirPods translation and intelligent call screening, but avoided headline grabbing chatbot announcements that competitors had embraced.
Behind the scenes, Apple has been reshaping its AI leadership. In December, the company confirmed that John Giannandrea, head of machine learning and AI strategy, will retire in 2026. His responsibilities are being divided among chief operating officer Sabih Khan, services chief Eddy Cue and software head Craig Federighi.
Apple also announced the hiring of Amar Subramanya, formerly a senior engineering leader at Google Gemini and Microsoft. The public disclosure of his appointment stood out in a company known for keeping engineering hires quiet, highlighting how important it has become for Apple to reassure investors about its AI direction.
A central question remains whether Apple will partner with an external AI provider to power Siri’s next evolution. The assistant is expected to handle more complex tasks, such as making reservations based on personal context and relationships. Today, Siri often routes advanced queries to ChatGPT, and Apple has previously said other models, including Google’s Gemini, could be integrated.
Cook has also said Apple is open to large acquisitions, a rarity for the company. That option appears limited, however, as leading AI labs now command valuations well beyond Apple’s historical deal sizes. OpenAI reached a $500 billion valuation in October, while Anthropic was valued at $350 billion a month later.
Investor patience is thinning. “Investors have already gotten enough gray hairs waiting for Apple to come out with their AI strategy,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. “It’s time to come out and show the world what the strategy is.”
So far, Apple’s core business has remained resilient. The iPhone 17 has exceeded expectations, and the company projects 10 percent revenue growth in its holiday quarter. Apple is on track to lead global smartphone shipments in 2025 and 2026, according to Counterpoint Research.
Still, executives acknowledge that AI driven devices could eventually disrupt the smartphone itself. During court testimony in May, Eddy Cue said AI is advancing quickly enough that users may not need an iPhone within a decade.
With competitors experimenting with AI glasses, wearables and new form factors, Apple’s delayed Siri upgrade has become more than a feature update. It is a test of whether the company can define the next interface era while staying true to its privacy focused and hardware light approach.
As Munster put it, Apple has little room for error. “But as far as the near-term, they’ve got to deliver a 10 out of 10 when this new Siri comes out.”
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