Summary of Key Points
Tim Cook attended his last WWDC as Apple's CEO, where he unveiled Siri AI, which was delayed for two years. However, the underlying technology behind Siri comes from Google's Gemini. The system update focuses on making the devices faster and more stable, ensuring that even older models can function smoothly. AI has been integrated into popular apps such as Safari and Mail. Nevertheless, Chinese users are unable to utilize these features due to regulatory restrictions and limitations associated with Google's technology. Apple has not disclosed its domestic partners, resulting in a lower AI experience for premium iPhone users in China compared to those using domestically produced smartphones.
1. The Delayed Siri AI: Apple Borrowing Intelligence from Google
Two years ago, Apple promised that Siri would become more intelligent, but it never delivered on that promise. Finally, Siri AI has been released; it can understand context, perform tasks across apps, and engage in multi-round conversations. However, the core technology is Google's Gemini model. Apple pays Google $1 billion annually for this partnership (compared to Google's annual payment of $20 billion for using Safari as its default search engine—this fee seems like a drop in the bucket for Google).
Why did Cook make this compromise? Previously, Siri's delayed release led to a lawsuit, and Apple was required to pay $250 million in damages. Cook needed to fix this issue before stepping down from his role. Apple didn't forget to highlight its differences: while other companies focus solely on technology when developing AI, they use users' data for various purposes; Apple, on the other hand, ensures that its AI data is only used for current requests (both on the device and in a private cloud), providing better privacy protection. In essence, Apple is using Google's technology while wrapping it in its own privacy framework—a typical Apple approach.
2. System Update: Simple but Effective
The main goal of this system update is to make devices faster and more stable. App launches have been accelerated by 30%, photo imports by 70%, and file transfers via AirDrop by 80%. Even the older iPhone 11 has not been left out (although some expected it to be discontinued).
There are also several long-awaited features: iCloud Photo Library now supports uploads from Android and Windows users, and AirPods now offer customizable equalizers—these are tangible improvements that users can experience.
3. AI in Everyday Apps
AI has been integrated into many commonly used apps:
- Safari: Automatically organizes open tabs by topic and reminds users of camping registration notifications.
- Calendar: Creates appointments with a single sentence (e.g., "Meet President Li at 3 PM tomorrow") and automatically identifies the time and contact information.
- Phone: When booking a flight change with an airline, it retrieves the confirmation code from emails.
- Photos: Features like "Spatial Reconstruction" allow users to reframe photos after taking them and remove unnecessary objects.
- Shortcuts: Users can describe their needs (e.g., "Send my spouse a message with my arrival time at home"), and the system generates the necessary actions automatically.
However, these features are currently only available within Apple's own apps and have not been integrated with third-party applications.
4. Chinese Users: Waiting Again?
Chinese users will have to wait for Siri AI to be made available due to regulatory requirements. The reason is simple: Google's Gemini technology cannot be used in China, and local AI services must be developed in collaboration with domestic companies (such as Alibaba or Baidu) and approved by the Cyberspace Administration of China. Although Apple has previously mentioned partnerships with these companies, they were not mentioned during this event.
In contrast, Chinese manufacturers like Huawei, Xiaomi, and OPPO have already incorporated AI features extensively into their products (e.g., photo editing and voice assistants). It's quite frustrating for premium iPhone users in China to be unable to access the latest AI technologies.
5. Cook's Retirement: A Pragmatic Compromise
Cook's farewell from Apple did not involve any major breakthroughs in independent research and development; instead, it focused on making practical compromises to fix Siri's shortcomings by leveraging Google's technology. This is a more pragmatic approach rather than the "genius-level innovation" associated with Apple in the past. Unfortunately, Chinese users will have to wait further to see which company's technology they will ultimately be using.
Overall, this WWDC was more about addressing existing issues (such as Siri's shortcomings) and pleasing existing users by improving system performance. The lack of AI features for Chinese users remains a significant disappointment, especially considering the progress made by other Chinese smartphone manufacturers.