Apple Intelligence Siri is over a year late, but that might be a good thing - 9to5Mac

Apple’s slow roll of Apple Intelligence–powered Siri may be a blessing in disguise. While Apple initially lagged in building its own AI models—partly due to privacy constraints and a cautious spend—the extra time means more users now have compatible devices and Apple can lean on cloud-scale models where it makes sense.

What changed

• Apple and Google announced that Gemini models will run on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute to power upcoming Apple Intelligence features, including the next-gen Siri revealed at WWDC24.
• Local on-device models still matter. At launch, Apple Intelligence required an A17 Pro or newer chip, originally limiting access to iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.

Why the delay helps now

• With two more iPhone generations in market, far more users own Apple Intelligence–capable devices. That includes anyone with an iPhone 16 or iPhone 17 model, plus existing iPhone 15 Pro owners.
• There are now 11 supported iPhone models that have had time to reach a broad user base. Instead of being a new-phone selling point, Apple Intelligence and the new Siri will arrive as a free software update for a large slice of iPhone users.

What to expect next

• Google Gemini on Private Cloud Compute will handle most intensive Siri requests, while local models continue to do significant on-device processing.
• Apple is likely to keep gating Apple Intelligence features to hardware that supports local models, even as cloud assistance grows.
• Timeline: new Siri begins rolling out with iOS 26.4 this spring, with additional Apple Intelligence features following in iOS 27.

Bottom line
The year-plus delay positions Apple to launch Apple Intelligence Siri into a much larger installed base while combining privacy-minded local models with scalable cloud support. If execution holds, the story shifts from scarcity to ubiquity.

Source: https://9to5mac.com/2026/01/18/apple-intelligence-siri-delay-comes-with-one-benefit/