On September 9, 2025, Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered a speech at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California.
This event, one of his last major public appearances as Chief Executive, is expected to provide Wall Street with a long-awaited answer: a full disclosure of Apple's artificial intelligence strategy.
The tech giant is anticipated to unveil a new generation of its Siri voice assistant at its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday. This update, coming roughly 15 years after Siri's debut, aims to bring the virtual assistant up to the technological level of competitors like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
Apple will also release a series of system updates for its billions of active iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches globally. However, the revamped Siri is likely to be the most visible demonstration of how Apple plans to re-architect its entire product line to adapt to the new trend where the public increasingly relies on conversational chatbots and smart AI assistants for daily tasks. The market will be watching closely to see if Apple's renowned ability to turn emerging technologies into blockbuster products can be replicated in the field of artificial intelligence.
In the AI race, Apple has fallen behind its peers. Its comprehensive Siri upgrade plan has been delayed multiple times, and several AI features announced in 2024 have yet to materialize. The current AI suite, "Apple Intelligence," available on phones, tablets, and computers, lacks distinctive features and struggles to differentiate itself from competing products.
Apple's currently available AI functions include voice translation, on-screen content search, and custom emoji generation. However, companies like Google and OpenAI have already launched versatile AI assistants that claim to handle a full range of complex tasks for users.
Gene Munster, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of the technology investment firm Deepwater Asset Management, stated, "Apple has yet to release any AI product that truly wows the public."
The upgraded Siri is expected to help Apple close this technological gap. The new digital assistant will gain several capabilities, including the ability to chain multiple task operations from a single command. It will also launch as a standalone application featuring a conversational interface.
In January, Apple and Google announced a partnership where Google's large language models will provide the underlying computational power for the new Siri. Anurag Rana, Senior Equity Analyst for Software and IT Services at Bloomberg Intelligence, believes this collaboration could significantly enhance the voice assistant's overall performance.
Rana noted, "The Gemini large language model is currently developing rapidly, and its overall performance is very impressive."
Over the past year, investors and analysts have repeatedly questioned Apple about its AI strategy during earnings calls. Despite continued strong iPhone sales, Wall Street is eager to understand what role artificial intelligence plays in Apple's long-term development blueprint.
In September, John Ternus, the current head of hardware engineering, will succeed Cook as CEO, and the responsibility for the AI strategy will soon be in his hands. After stepping down as CEO, Cook will transition to the role of Executive Chairman of the company's board.
Nevertheless, Apple holds a significant market foundation with a unique competitive advantage: over 2.5 billion active Apple devices worldwide.
This also represents a major opportunity for Apple to regain ground. Rana pointed out that more than half of the iPhones currently in use globally, approximately 1 billion devices, are incapable of running Apple Intelligence features, as the technology is only compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro and newer models.
Munster commented, "Apple absolutely will not mess up this launch event. The stakes are too high for the company; they cannot afford to lose."
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