Apple Intelligence: Is It Really Here This Time?

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TEC348: Two years and a class action suit after Apple first promised Apple Intelligence, WWDC 2026 finally brought real capabilities, or at least what Apple hopes are real capabilities.

Dom Bettinelli, Joanne Mercier, and Pat Scott cover all 3 pillars of Apple’s 2026 developer conference, starting with the AI overhaul that’s been the headline for two years running.

Apple Intelligence and the new Siri

The new Siri runs on Apple Foundation Models built on Google Gemini, with on-device processing and a private cloud fallback that stores nothing. Apple announced this openly in the keynote, a pointed signal that they want users to trust it. There’s a new dedicated Siri app, chatbot-style, with persistent conversation history. The Dynamic Island finally gets a real purpose: Siri lives there now. Pinch it open to continue the conversation.

The capabilities vary by hardware. M4 Macs and iPhone 17 or later get the top-tier models. Older devices get a lesser version. How that inconsistency plays out as users move between devices remains to be seen.

Some standout features: the Passwords app can now act as an agent, quietly logging into your accounts and updating insecure passwords without you touching anything. Safari’s “Notify Me” monitors any web page for changes, a price, a job posting, or anything else. Shortcuts gets natural language creation. Describe what you want and the system builds the automation. And “Writes with Siri” learns how you communicate with specific people, adjusting tone from formal to casual across your contacts.

Everything shown in the keynote ran in real time, with all the awkward silences intact. Apple isn’t compressing the lag in the demo, which is a lesson learned from the last two years.

One thing not announced: MCP support. The open protocol that connects AI assistants to outside apps isn’t coming to Siri yet, which means the Apple walled garden still can’t tap into the tools many users rely on.

Apple Intelligence won’t be available in the EU, China, or a few other regions. Local regulations would require Apple to give third-party AI the same deep device access Apple uses internally. Apple said no.

The panel also covers Apple’s redesigned parental controls with guided setup and pediatrician-recommended defaults, a diplomatic rollback of Liquid Glass, iOS 27 going back to the iPhone 11, macOS Golden Gate dropping Intel entirely, and picks of the week including Canva as a Microsoft Publisher replacement and USPS Informed Delivery.

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Disclaimer: Hosts, panelists, and guests may have a financial interest in the companies discussed through investments or other means. Their opinions and recommendations are not affected and do not present a conflict of interest. We offer this statement in the interest of full disclosure.

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