As Apple draws closer to a $1 billion-per-year deal with Google to power Siri with Gemini, it’s got me feeling nostalgic for the initial Apple Intelligence announcement at WWDC 2024 and the promise of Apple AI.
Nearly 18 months later, and we all know about Apple’s AI situation; in fact, it’s been so publicly documented, delayed, and ineffective that, as it stands, Apple Intelligence is up there with the Apple Newton as one of the company’s worst ever products.
Time to catch up
The 1.2 trillion parameters of Google’s AI make Apple’s 150 million parameters for the cloud-based version of Apple Intelligence almost embarrassing, and while I have little doubt that Apple, with the help of Google, will get AI on its devices right, it’s hard not to ignore the mess that the Cupertino-based tech giant has found itself in.
According to those same people in the know, this deal is going to remain on the down-low, with Apple choosing to power Siri with the Gemini system without singing about it from the rafters. In fact, Gurman goes as far as to say that this solution is being viewed internally as an “interim solution until Apple’s own models are powerful enough.”
If this new partnership with Google is a temporary solution, then it truly does highlight Apple’s panic to catch up with the AI race, despite constantly lagging behind. This news shines even more light on the fact that the initial Apple Intelligence reveal was slapped together at the last minute in an effort to showcase Apple as a trailblazer, rather than being left in the past while Google and OpenAI were heading for the future.
According to Gurman, Google Gemini will power Siri’s “summarizer and planner functions — the components that help the voice assistant synthesize information and decide how to execute complex tasks. Some Siri features will continue to use Apple’s in-house models.”
It’s essentially going to be a hybrid between Google’s AI model and Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers, allowing Apple to emphasize the privacy element of Apple Intelligence, keeping data private from Google.
According to the report, this new approach to “fix Siri with a third-party model” has been named internally as “Glenwood” and is being “led by Vision Pro headset creator Mike Rockwell and software engineering chief Craig Federighi.” Gurman adds that the voice assistant is codenamed “Linwood” and is set to launch as part of iOS 26.4 early next year.
But is it too late?
Last year’s iPhone 16 lineup was marketed as the best smartphone for Apple Intelligence, but ultimately ended up offering very limited AI in the form of Genmoji, Summaries, and Image Playground, to name just a few of the headline features.
With a measly AI offering to date, Apple chose to limit its mention of Apple Intelligence at the iPhone 17 reveal keynote in September, with barely any marketing, if any, focused on the power of AI in the current best iPhones.
It’s that 180 that makes me concerned for the future of Apple Intelligence. Does Apple really think people are going to forget the woes of the branded AI and just get back on the hype train once this new Gemini-powered Siri launches next year? If anything, publicly revealing Gemini’s part in the resurgence of AI on iPhone would give Apple credibility that it has since lost, because I don’t believe going back to the “AI for the rest of us” spiel is in the brand’s or consumer’s interest.
This deal is reportedly at the finalization stage, and with 2026 fast approaching, we won’t have long to wait to see the implementation in full flow. That said, I really think the ship might’ve sailed, especially if Apple continues to put its pride above humility.
Google could’ve powered Siri, just like it powers Samsung AI, back in 2024, and I don’t think anyone would’ve had an issue. Instead, now, Apple is going to launch a new Siri, when most of us already use the Gemini that will power it, or a competitor like ChatGPT. Is it too late to tempt users back to Apple Intelligence? I’m starting to think it is.
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