Next-generation Siri to Finally Debut in Spring 2026? — A Comprehensive Overview of the "Apple Intelligence" Strategy Set to be Implemented in iOS 26.4

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Why the Siri Revamp is Capturing Global Attention

2. The Full Scope of the Upgraded Siri

3. Behind the Delays: Three Technical Hurdles

4. Comparison of Apple Intelligence and Competing AIs

5. Benefits and Concerns for Users

6. Developer Perspective: New Opportunities with App Intents API

7. Privacy Design and "Private Cloud Compute"

8. Market Impact Forecast (Hardware, Services, Advertising)

9. Conclusion—What Will Change in Spring 2026

10. List of References

11. 
    

1. Introduction: Why the Siri Revamp is Capturing Global Attention

Introduced in 2011, Siri was a pioneer in smartphone voice assistants. However, in recent years, with the rise of generative AI like ChatGPT, Siri has been mocked as "outdated." What Apple entrusts to the next-generation Siri is a comeback to counter criticisms of falling behind in the AI race.theverge.com

2. The Full Scope of the Upgraded Siri

2-1. Understanding "Personal Context"

• Analyzes message history, calendar, emails, and photo metadata locally to generate answers tailored "just for you."

• Example: "What time does Mom's flight arrive?" → Combines e-ticket information from emails with real-time flight API to provide arrival time.en.wikipedia.org
  
  

2-2. "On-Screen Actions"

• Reads URLs and addresses displayed on the screen, allowing seamless sharing, booking, and payment with just Siri commands.
  
  
  

2-3. Integration of "Apple Intelligence"

• Automatically switches between on-device small models and cloud large models

• ChatGPT 4o integration is opt-in, with future options to choose Google Gemini and others.en.wikipedia.org

3. Behind the Postponement: Three Technical Hurdles

1. Difficulty in Privacy Design

   • Unexpected latency occurred in Private Cloud Compute, which ensures end-to-end encryption and "software verification."
     
     

2. Preparation of Developer APIs

   • Lack of use case verification for App Intents, awaiting testing from major apps.
     
     

3. Gap with Competitor Performance

   • Lagging behind Gemini/Copilot in multimodal inference, requiring redesign of hardware optimization.
     
     

These factors combined led to the abandonment of the "simultaneous release with iPhone 16 in the fall,"Bloomberg considers "26.4 = around March next year" as likely.theverge.com

4. Comparison of Apple Intelligence and Competing AIs

5. User Benefits & Concerns

Benefits

• Reduced Operation Time: "Smart Automation" without taps

• Digital Detox: Accomplish tasks succinctly with natural language to reduce screen dependency

• Multi-device Integration: Consistent UI across Vision Pro/CarPlay/HomePod
  
  
  

Concerns

• Risk of Malfunction: Misoperation due to runaway context inference

• Bias in Learning Data: Personal history bias affecting responses

• Possibility of Monetization: Charges after exceeding a certain number of high-load cloud inferences?
  
  

6. Developer Perspective: New Business Opportunities with App Intents API

• “Full-Auto Operation” Layer: Enables more detailed command creation than traditional SiriKit

• Revenue Model: New monetization through in-intent purchases, ads, and subscription integration

• Porting Costs: Expected to reduce code volume by 30% by referencing existing Shortcut scripts
  
  

7. Privacy Design and “Private Cloud Compute”

Apple adopts a structure where "external researchers can verify server-side binaries." In the event of a discrepancy detection, the device side is designed to refuse connection, aiming to link “transparency in the AI era” to brand value.en.wikipedia.org

8. Market Impact Forecast (Hardware, Services, Advertising)

• Increased Sales Post-iPhone 17: Differentiation with enhanced AI-specific Neural Engine

• Service Revenue: Rumors of an “AI Pass” plan expanding ChatGPT integration on a monthly basis

• Advertising Model: New revenue sources through “partner promotions” during App Intents execution
  
  

9. Conclusion—What Will Change by Spring 2026

Despite disappointment due to delays, the **“Hybrid AI” that balances personal context and privacy** is unique to Apple. If implemented in iOS 26.4, the smartphone UX will enter the final stage of evolution from "tap→type→conversation," bringing us closer to a world where the “OS aligns with the user” in our daily lives.

Reference Articles

Jay Peters, “Apple’s upgraded Siri might not arrive until next spring,” The Verge, 2025-06-12. theverge.com

• Mark Gurman, “Apple Targets Spring 2026 for Release of Delayed Siri AI Upgrade,” Bloomberg, 2025-06-12. bloomberg.com

• Apple, “Apple Intelligence gets even more powerful with new capabilities across Apple devices,” WWDC25 Keynote Press Release, 2025-06-09. apple.com