Apple is preparing to introduce its artificial intelligence platform, Apple Intelligence, in mainland China.
On October 14, people familiar with the matter said that Apple plans to officially launch Apple Intelligence in mainland China in December via the iOS 27.3 update, with the rollout covering the AI feature suite that first debuted in the United States two years ago.
The launch will exclude the new Siri AI assistant released this year and other new features, as that version of Siri was rebuilt on Google's Gemini model.
According to reports, Apple is jointly developing compliance safeguards with Alibaba. In addition, Apple is cooperating with Baidu to advance the localization of search and Siri-related functions.
Apple had once expected to complete the China launch by May 2025, then postponed it to the end of 2025, and later delayed it again to this spring. On September 29 this year, Apple obtained the relevant approval allowing recently released iPhones to support Apple Intelligence and Alibaba's AI models.
First batch of features is fairly basic, competitiveness remains in question
The initial version of Apple Intelligence features set to launch includes Genmoji custom emojis, notification summaries, writing tools, and the removal of specific objects from photos. These are all versions that Apple first released in the United States two years ago.
It is worth noting that the new Siri AI assistant that Apple heavily promoted this year and rebuilt based on Google's Gemini model is not part of this China launch plan.
Part of the reason Apple introduced this upgraded Siri was to respond to widespread criticism that the initial Apple Intelligence features performed poorly and lagged behind competitors.
China's AI application market is highly competitive, and domestic manufacturers have already launched a number of competitive products. Whether Apple can create differentiated appeal by entering with basic features from two years ago remains to be tested by the market.
Comments