2026-01-31 03:16:45
In a new report about Apple losing at least four more AI researchers in recent weeks, in addition to a high-ranking Siri executive, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that the company is preparing to release two new versions of Siri.
First, Apple announced that it plans to release a more personalized version of Siri powered by Google Gemini this year. It is expected to be part of iOS 26.4, which should enter beta testing in February and be released to the general public in March or April.
Back in June 2024, Apple said the revamped Siri will have understanding of personal context, on-screen awareness, deeper in-app controls, and more.
Second, Siri will reportedly get even better on iOS 27, as Apple is said to be planning to turn the assistant into a full-out chatbot, allowing users to have sustained, back-and-forth conversations with the assistant. This will essentially turn Siri into ChatGPT or Gemini, except it will be built right into the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with no app required.
Gurman said the Siri chatbot will be "competitive with Gemini 3," and "significantly more capable" than the more personalized Siri coming with iOS 26.4.
The high-ranking Siri executive who left Apple was Stuart Bowers, according to the report, which described him as "one of the company's most senior executives working on Siri." He joined Google's artificial intelligence research laboratory DeepMind.
The four researchers who left are Yinfei Yang, Haoxuan You, Bailin Wang, and Zirui Wang.
2026-01-31 02:50:23
In a recent interview with the tech podcast TBPN, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman revealed that Apple was initially "going to rebuild Siri around Claude," the large language model and chatbot developed by the company Anthropic. In the end, though, Apple announced that it had decided to use Google's Gemini platform instead.
According to Gurman, Apple went with Google due at least in part to money.
"Anthropic was holding them over a barrel," said Gurman, in a podcast clip shared by TBPN. "They wanted a ton of money from them, several billion dollars a year, and at a price that doubled on an annual basis for the next three years."
Nevertheless, Gurman said Apple currently "runs on Anthropic" internally.
"Anthropic is powering a lot of the stuff Apple's doing internally in terms of product development and a lot of their internal tools," he explained. "They have custom versions of Claude running on their own servers internally, too."
Apple was "not going to use Google" for the revamped Siri until "a few months ago," he said.
Apple announced that it plans to release a more personalized version of Siri powered by Google Gemini this year. It is expected to be part of iOS 26.4, which should enter beta testing in February and be released to the general public in March or April. The new-and-improved Siri likely requires an iPhone 15 Pro or newer.
Back in June 2024, Apple said the revamped Siri will have understanding of personal context, on-screen awareness, deeper in-app controls, and more. At the time, Apple showed an iPhone user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation plans based on info retrieved from the Mail and Messages apps.
Bloomberg's @markgurman says that even though Apple partnered with Google Gemini for Siri, they actually run their business on Anthropic.
— TBPN (@tbpn) January 29, 2026
"Apple runs on Anthropic at this point. Anthropic is powering a lot of the stuff Apple's doing internally in terms of product development and… pic.twitter.com/NpW0Pyj03J
2026-01-31 02:04:31
Following a January that saw Apple release a new AirTag and the Creator Studio bundle of creative apps, it is now time to shift our attention to February.
Below, we have outlined some key items to expect from Apple in February. Of course, these are only the things that are known, so stay tuned for even more.
2026-01-31 00:46:08
A newly surfaced resale operation is seemingly offering Apple Store–exclusive display accessories to the public for the first time, potentially giving consumers access to Apple-designed hardware that the company has historically kept confined to its retail environments.
Apple designs a range of premium MagSafe charging stands, display trays, and hardware systems exclusively for displays in its global retail stores. They have never been made available through Apple's online store or physical retail locations.
"AppleUnsold" surfaced this week as an Australia-based seller that has begun offering Apple Store display hardware for sale through both an independent website and an eBay storefront. From company's website:
AppleUnsold exists because too many people were asking the same question: "Where can I buy that?" The store display stands, retail accessories, Genius Bar tools and employee gear, and until now, the answer was always the same: you can't. Despite large demand, Apple simply won't sell them. That's where we come in. Display models, store exclusives and Apple-only equipment are exactly what we specialise in.
We give you access to products you simply can't find anywhere else. Every item is genuine Apple, carefully inspected and graded before listing.
2026-01-31 00:24:46
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Apple's newly launched AirTag 2 and Apple Creator Studio.
2026-01-31 00:23:00
Apple today shared a short film to usher in the Chinese New Year, aka Lunar New Year, which begins February 17 and will be celebrated through March 3.
