Apple on Thursday released its earnings report for the September quarter, announcing a record $102.5 billion in revenue, with the iPhone accounting for $49 billion. The iPhone 17 series started selling during the final weeks of September, and three of the four models sold out during preorders. iPhone 17 stock has been constrained since launch, with consumers reacting positively to the new devices. Interestingly, the iPhone 17 is outselling previous models even though Apple Intelligence isn’t a key selling feature. Apple tried to market Apple Intelligence as the main feature of last year’s iPhone 16 series, but that move backfired earlier this year, when the company had to postpone the release of the smarter Siri features unveiled at WWDC 2024. Those features are still unavailable to iPhone users, as Apple Intelligence has yet to catch up to competitors.
In that context, Apple Intelligence is still an important topic. Apple CEO Tim Cook gave iPhone users who want more AI features on their devices some good news. Speaking to CNBC about Apple’s September earnings and the company’s outlook for the December quarter, Cook said the smarter Siri experience is on track to launch next year, without providing any release estimates. Apple’s longtime leader also addressed partnerships like the ChatGPT integration in Apple Intelligence, saying that more models are coming. “Our intention is to integrate with more people over time,” Cook said, without naming those people.
What can Apple Intelligence do in iOS 26?
The comments are reassuring but not surprising. Most reports expect Apple Intelligence to feature a revamped Siri experience that includes app data access and the ability to perform more actions on behalf of the user. Siri might also get ChatGPT-like chatbot capabilities in the future. Apple’s iOS 26.4 update, which should arrive this spring, might include a new Siri version. That said, a Bloomberg report said a few days ago that early builds of iOS 26.4 caused some internal concerns over Siri’s performance.
As for Apple Intelligence supporting ChatGPT competitors, that has been in the works since WWDC 2024. At the time, Craig Federighi indicated that more models would be available in Apple Intelligence, without committing to anything in particular. Gemini has long appeared in reports saying Apple and Google would partner on integrating the AI into iOS. Also, AI models developed in China might eventually be available to Chinese iPhone users.
As of this writing, ChatGPT remains the only third-party chatbot available in iOS 26. Apple included a few Apple Intelligence upgrades in this year’s operating systems, but they’re not as flashy as what Google has been doing with Gemini. For example, Apple Intelligence supports Live Translation in Messages, Phone, and FaceTime. AirPods Pro users can also take advantage of Live Translation. Also, Visual Intelligence received a big upgrade in iOS 26. The feature works by letting you ask questions about the content on the screen, similar to Google’s Circle to Search functionality.
