Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues.


The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data centers, chips, and large language model training. This has fueled criticism that Apple is falling behind in the AI space, particularly as Siri has significantly lagged behind more advanced, capable, and reliable conversational systems.

The report argues that market sentiment toward AI spending is beginning to show signs of skepticism, with questions emerging over whether such large investments can be justified by near-term revenue. Against that backdrop, Apple's decision to limit AI-specific capital expenditures has left it with more than $130 billion in cash and marketable securities, giving the company the option to pursue acquisitions or partnerships if valuations of AI startups fall.

Apple's biggest AI-related move in 2026 will be the long-anticipated overhaul of ‌Siri‌, which is expected to arrive in the spring. The updated assistant is set to be more conversational and capable of completing multi-step tasks. To power it, Apple is believed to be adopting Google's Gemini, reflecting an internal view that large language models may become commoditized and not worth the cost of large-scale proprietary development.

The iPhone is said to be a key strategic advantage. Unlike AI companies that rely on standalone apps or web services, Apple can distribute AI features directly through software updates and system-level integrations across its devices. Efforts by AI companies to build competing hardware face major challenges in manufacturing, distribution, and ecosystem development, areas where Apple has very strong footholds.

The Information also points to recent leadership changes as part of Apple's effort to refocus its AI work. ‌Siri‌ has been placed under Mike Rockwell, who was responsible for launching the Vision Pro headset, following significant delays to the assistant's overhaul. In addition, Apple's AI chief John Giannandrea announced his retirement earlier in December, with parts of his organization redistributed into product-focused teams amid internal concerns about a lack of clear product direction.

While Apple has a history of early but uneven AI efforts, including the original launch of ‌Siri‌ in 2011, The Information argues that these shortcomings have not materially harmed its core businesses. 2026 may be an inflection point in which Apple's cautious strategy could appear prescient if enthusiasm for large-scale AI spending continues to cool and the company finally delivers a more capable version of ‌Siri‌.
This article, "Report: Apple's AI Strategy Could Finally Pay Off in 2026" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple this week revealed its annual New Year Sale in Japan, offering Apple Gift Cards worth up to ¥38,000 alongside a free limited-edition AirTag for qualifying iPhone purchases.


The ‌AirTag‌ features a special engraving of a Daruma, a traditional Japanese talisman commonly associated with perseverance, good fortune, and the achievement of goals. The ‌AirTag‌ offer is limited to 65,000 units in total and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.



Customers can receive gift cards worth up to ¥12,000 for eligible ‌iPhone‌ purchases, up to ¥38,000 for Mac purchases, and up to ¥15,000 for iPad purchases. Apple Watch purchases qualify for gift cards worth up to ¥8,000, while AirPods purchases are eligible for gift cards valued at up to ¥12,000.

The promotion will run from January 2 through January 5 and is available through Apple retail stores and the Apple Online Store in Japan. The New Year Sale has become a recurring annual event for Apple in Japan, where holiday retail traditions differ from those in the United States and Europe.
This article, "Apple to Give Away Free Limited-Edition AirTag in Japan" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

2025 was a significant year of advancement for Apple's software, with a noticeable focus on visual design, productivity, and communication.


While Apple introduced and continued to iterate on a wide range of features throughout the year, several additions stood out for their scope and practical impact across multiple devices. As the year comes to an end, these five new features provide a useful lens for weighing up what the company focused on this year and how far its platforms evolved in 2025.

Liquid Glass

This year's most immediately visible change is the introduction of Liquid Glass, a new system-wide visual design language applied across Apple's operating systems. Liquid Glass replaces many of the flat, opaque UI elements introduced over the past decade with layered translucency, subtle refraction, and motion-responsive surfaces that react to underlying content.


Navigation bars, sidebars, control panels, and system overlays now appear as semi-transparent sheets that blend into their surroundings rather than sitting on top of them. Apple framed this as a unifying material across platforms rather than a purely aesthetic refresh, with the same visual logic appearing on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.

In practice, it is one of Apple's biggest visual redesigns since the original iOS 7 shift away from skeuomorphism, and it signals a renewed focus on making the interface feel fresh, spatial, playful, and responsive rather than static.

Revamped iPad Multitasking

On the ‌iPad‌, the most consequential change is the introduction of an all-new multitasking system with windows and a macOS-style Menu Bar and cursor in iPadOS 26.


Apps can now run in freely resizable windows rather than being constrained to fixed split-screen layouts, allowing multiple overlapping windows to coexist on screen. Alongside this, a Menu Bar appears at the top of the display when invoked, exposing app commands in a structured, searchable format similar to macOS.

Instead of asking users to adapt desktop workflows to a touch-first model, Apple has now explicitly imported desktop interaction styles into iPadOS, addressing a significant number of user complaints about the software limitations of the ‌iPad‌. For users who want to use the ‌iPad‌ with true multitasking and desktop-style workflows, this is one of the most substantive capability upgrades the platform has ever received.

More Powerful Mac Spotlight

On the Mac, Spotlight received its most extensive overhaul to date, transforming it from a passive search tool into an actions-first command interface, similar to third-party apps like Alfred or Raycast.


Spotlight in macOS Tahoe can now execute hundreds of actions directly from the search field. Users can create and edit notes, send emails and messages, start timers, run Shortcuts, adjust system settings, and perform app-specific commands, without opening the corresponding app.

Apple also redesigned Spotlight's results presentation with richer, more structured browsing views. Instead of returning a flat list of matches, Spotlight now surfaces grouped results for files, applications, actions, and suggestions, allowing users to scan and refine results more quickly.

Spotlight now includes a built-in clipboard history, allowing users to view and reuse previously copied text or images directly from the Spotlight interface. Apple also integrated an app library-style view, providing a centralized, searchable overview of all installed applications.

Live Translation

Another major addition is Live Translation. Real-time translation now operates inside Messages, FaceTime, and the Phone app, translating both text and spoken audio during conversations.



In Messages, incoming and outgoing text can be translated inline. In ‌FaceTime‌, Live Translation provides real-time translated captions during video calls, allowing participants to speak naturally while reading translations as the conversation unfolds. In phone calls, spoken dialogue can be translated in near real time, with translated audio and on-screen text presented during the call.

Apple also extended Live Translation to AirPods, enabling real-time spoken translation directly through the earbuds during in-person conversations. When Live Translation is active, speech from another language can be translated on the paired ‌iPhone‌ and played back in the user's AirPods, while the user's responses can be translated and spoken aloud by the ‌iPhone‌ for the other participant.

Communication Screening and Hold Assist

Call Screening allows the ‌iPhone‌ to automatically answer calls from unknown numbers on the user's behalf. The system asks the caller to identify themselves and explain the reason for the call, then presents the user with a live transcript of the response before the call is connected.

With Hold Assist, when a user is placed on hold during a phone call, the ‌iPhone‌ can remain in the queue on their behalf and monitor the call until a live agent becomes available. Once the system detects that the call has resumed, it notifies the user to return to the conversation.

In Messages, Apple introduced more aggressive screening for unknown senders. Messages from numbers that are not in the user's contacts are automatically routed into a separate area, keeping potential spam and scam attempts out of the main conversation list.
This article, "The 5 Most Important Apple Software Features Introduced This Year" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple has asked the UK Court of Appeal to overturn a £1.5 billion ($1.76 billion) antitrust ruling that found the company overcharged millions of App Store users, escalating one of the most significant competition cases ever brought against the company in the country (via The Guardian).


The application follows a decision in October by the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), which concluded that Apple abused its dominant position by charging excessive commissions on ‌App Store‌ purchases between 2015 and 2024. The tribunal found that Apple's control over app distribution on iPhones and iPads allowed it to impose commission rates of up to 30% that were higher than would have prevailed in a competitive market, resulting in consumer harm estimated to be worth £1.5 billion.

The case was raised as a collective action on behalf of approximately 36 million British consumers. Under UK collective proceedings law, eligible consumers are automatically included unless they opt out, meaning that anyone in the UK who made ‌App Store‌ purchases during the relevant period could be entitled to compensation if the ruling stands.

In its judgment, CAT said Apple should have charged lower commissions, estimating that rates of around 17.5% on app sales and 10% on in-app purchases would have been more appropriate. The tribunal acknowledged that this assessment relied on "informed guesswork" based on the evidence presented.

Apple strongly disputes that approach. After the October ruling, the company sought permission from CAT to appeal, but the tribunal refused in November, concluding that Apple had not met the legal threshold to challenge its decision. Apple has now applied directly to the Court of Appeal, which has the authority to grant permission even where CAT has declined.

Apple said it disagrees with the ruling and argues that the tribunal took a flawed view of the app economy. In a previous statement responding to the decision, the company said the ‌App Store‌ operates in a "thriving and competitive app economy" and provides developers and consumers with security, privacy protections, and access to a large marketplace. Apple also noted that most developers now pay a reduced 15% commission and that the ‌App Store‌ facilitated more than $55 billion in sales in the UK last year.

If Apple's appeal is rejected and the ruling is upheld, the £1.5 billion award will be distributed among eligible UK consumers, with individual payouts likely to be relatively small but collectively significant.
This article, "Apple Appeals $1.8 Billion UK Antitrust Ruling Over App Store Fees" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple now has additional time to allow for tariffs on Chinese semiconductors, thanks to a delay on any actual cost impact until June 2027.


While the United States will still apply new tariffs on semiconductor imports from China, the effective tariff rate will be set at zero for approximately 18 months, according to a Federal Register filing (via CNBC). The tariff rate will increase on June 23, 2027, with the specific percentage to be announced at least 30 days in advance.

For Apple, the decision removes the near-term risk of higher import costs on a wide range of chips used across its products. While Apple designs its own A-series and M-series processors, which are manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company in Taiwan, the company continues to rely on China-based suppliers for many other semiconductor components, including power management integrated circuits, display driver chips, connectivity controllers, and various supporting logic chips embedded throughout its devices. Many of those components would fall within the scope of the China-specific semiconductor tariff once the rate increases in 2027.

Although the tariff is technically being imposed immediately, the zero percent rate functions as a delay mechanism rather than a suspension. This preserves the legal and regulatory framework needed to raise tariffs at a later date, reducing immediate trade friction while retaining leverage in future negotiations, and provides clarity to firms like Apple amid long-term supply chain decisions.

The timing is particularly significant for Apple because of its ongoing efforts to diversify manufacturing and sourcing beyond China. Apple previously faced concerns about a potential 100% semiconductor import tariff. In August, Apple committed $600 billion toward domestic manufacturing and infrastructure efforts.
This article, "Apple Avoids New China Chip Tariffs Until 2027" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple's costly Detroit-based Developer Academy program relies heavily on taxpayer funding while delivering mixed job outcomes, according to WIRED.


The Apple Developer Academy in Detroit launched in 2021 in partnership with Michigan State University. The tuition-free program offers a 10-month course focused on building apps for Apple platforms, providing students with MacBooks, iPhones, mentorship, and monthly stipends intended to cover living costs. The academy has welcomed over 1,700 students since 2021, with about 600 completing the 10-month program.

An investigation by WIRED found that nearly $30 million has been spent on the academy over four years, equating to roughly $20,000 per student. Previously undisclosed records show Apple contributed about $11.6 million, while more than $8.5 million came directly or indirectly from Michigan taxpayers, including state funding used to provide student stipends. Additional funding was supplied by private philanthropy, including the Gilbert Family Foundation.

Academy officials told WIRED that about 71% of graduates from the past two years moved into full-time employment across various industries, a figure broadly in line with many coding boot camps but below outcomes reported by some traditional computer science degree programs. Apple and the university declined to release detailed graduate employment data, despite requirements from one funder that such data be collected.

Student experiences have varied. Some graduates credited the academy with exposing them to technology careers and building confidence, while others said the Apple-centric curriculum and limited stipends left them struggling financially and unprepared for the broader job market. One former student told WIRED that many participants relied on food assistance, while another said recent stipend reductions forced students to juggle multiple side jobs.

A senior director at Apple who oversees the Detroit program and 17 other Apple Developer Academies worldwide, said increasing student financial support is a continuing priority and that the academy is designed to build broadly applicable skills such as teamwork, research, and technology literacy rather than train students for a single job outcome. The academy takes credit for 62 apps and 13 businesses.

He added that the curriculum is frequently adjusted in response to student demand and technological change, noting that workshops were added when students expressed interest in developing apps for the Apple Vision Pro and Apple TV, and that generative AI tools are now incorporated into coursework, provided students can fully explain the code they produce, with alumni also able to access ongoing virtual instruction focused on AI.
This article, "Apple's Developer Academy Faces Funding and Outcome Questions" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

One of Apple's Chinese assemblers suffered a significant cyberattack earlier this month, DigiTimes reports.


The cyberattack may have compromised sensitive production-line information and manufacturing data linked to Apple, and the scope of the breach and its operational impact is unclear. Sources quoted by DigiTimes indicate that the issue has been addressed, but that internal evaluations are ongoing to determine whether there were losses or disruptions tied to the incident. The specific company targeted has not been disclosed.

Clients such as Apple typically initiate internal risk assessments to determine the severity of such breaches, the type and volume of data exposed, and whether remediation measures implemented by the supplier are sufficient. Decisions about whether to adjust production orders are said to depend on the outcome of those assessments rather than being automatic responses to an incident due to supply chain complexity. The report added that, in most cases, companies prefer to require suppliers to strengthen cybersecurity infrastructure and tighten internal controls instead of immediately reallocating production.
This article, "Apple Supplier Targeted in Cyberattack" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Support for Apple Car Keys may now be more likely to come to Tesla vehicles, amid new evidence that the automaker is embracing native, system-level digital car keys.


According to Not a Tesla App, 4.52.0 of Tesla's mobile app contains multiple code references to Harmony Wallet Key Cards. The discovery is notable because it represents a shift in how Tesla appears to be approaching mobile device integration.

Tesla's current Phone Key relies on Bluetooth communication between the vehicle and the Tesla app running in the background on a smartphone. By contrast, a native wallet key is stored at the operating system level and uses secure hardware elements, often making it more reliable and accessible.

The code strings identified in Tesla app version 4.52.0 specifically reference integration with Huawei's HarmonyOS, suggesting that the initial implementation is designed for Huawei Wallet on HarmonyOS devices. HarmonyOS is widely used in China, where Huawei is a dominant presence in the smartphone market. Tesla has historically used the Chinese market as a testing ground for new software capabilities before expanding them globally.

Although the references do not mention Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, the underlying functionality closely mirrors how Apple implements native digital car keys on the iPhone. Apple introduced Car Key support in Apple Wallet in 2020, allowing compatible vehicles to be unlocked, locked, and started using NFC, Bluetooth, or ultra wideband. Car Keys are stored in the Secure Enclave on the ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch, enabling features such as Express Mode, which allows a vehicle to be unlocked without Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode, and even functionality even when the device battery is almost totally depleted.

Earlier this month, Rivian announced native support for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet digital car keys as part of its 2025.46 software update. In recent weeks, Porsche, Toyota, and General Motors all appear to be following suit.
This article, "Tesla Could Be Planning to Support Apple Car Keys" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums