On November 2nd local time, renowned technology journalist Mark Gurman revealed in his Power On newsletter that Apple... Apple Intelligence, an AI feature originally planned for mid-2025 launch in the Chinese market, has yet to materialize, and its release has been delayed again. Gurman pointed out that the overall development process of Apple Intelligence faces technical challenges, including engineering problems and poor model performance, and its deployment in China is even more complex.
According to Gurman, Apple had planned to advance the project through localization partnerships, but no substantial progress has been made. The iOS 26.1/26.2 versions, originally intended to include this feature, have been released, but the AI functionality has not yet materialized. Latest news indicates that Apple may be shifting its focus to iOS 26.4, planning to launch it simultaneously with the next-generation Siri, but internally, they remain reserved about the specific release date.
Apple last mentioned Apple Intelligence's entry into the Chinese market on October 18th. At that time, CEO Tim Cook appeared in Shanghai and revealed at the Global Wealth Management Forum 2025 Shanghai Suzhou Creek Conference that Apple Intelligence is currently working to enter the Chinese market.
In October of last year, Cook visited Weibo. When asked by a reporter from Jiemian News about when Apple Intelligence would enter the Chinese market, he said, "We are working hard to move forward. There is a very specific regulatory process behind this. We need to complete this process and hope to bring it to Chinese consumers as soon as possible."
Apple Intelligence is an artificial intelligence developed by Apple Inc. The technology aims to provide users with smarter and more personalized services. However, Apple Intelligence's entry into China is a collaboration with local technology companies. In May of this year, according to Gurman, Apple AI was expected to enable some functions in mainland China for the first time in iOS 18.6, backed by Alibaba and Baidu. Provide technical support.
Specifically, Baidu 's Wenxin Yiyan Big Data Model will serve as the core cloud-based intelligent engine for the Chinese version of Apple's AI. Meanwhile, to ensure that AI content complies with domestic regulations, Apple will also introduce a review mechanism provided by Alibaba to conduct local compliance reviews of AI-generated content. In February of this year, Alibaba co-founder Joseph Tsai confirmed the partnership between the two companies.
Since Apple's AI was launched overseas, it has received mixed reviews. In terms of functionality, its writing tools can proofread, rewrite, and summarize text, making them quite practical in email and messaging applications. Siri has been improved, featuring new visual effects, support for text input requests, and the ability to maintain conversational context. However, some users have pointed out its shortcomings, such as a poor experience when using ChatGPT and mediocre performance in basic functions.
Regarding the latest developments in Apple's AI, Cook stated during the Q4 2025 earnings call that Apple is making good progress in AI, and the next generation of Siri is still planned for release in 2026. Cook also mentioned that Apple is open to mergers and acquisitions in the field of artificial intelligence , and will actively pursue relevant transactions if it believes that an acquisition can advance its development roadmap.
The financial report shows that Apple's total revenue in the fourth fiscal quarter was $102.466 billion, a record high for the same period, up 8% from $94.93 billion in the same period last year; net profit reached $27.466 billion, a significant increase of 86% from $14.736 billion in the same period last year.
However, Apple's revenue in Greater China was $14.493 billion, a 3.6% decrease from $15.033 billion in the same period last year, making it the only market with a revenue decline among all regions globally. The Americas, Europe, Japan, and other parts of the Asia-Pacific region all saw growth. In the third fiscal quarter, Apple reversed a seven-quarter decline in revenue in Greater China by implementing price reductions.
In today's increasingly competitive global smartphone market, AI has become one of the factors consumers consider when choosing a new phone. This latest delay in its entry into the Chinese market may further disadvantage Apple in competition with domestic smartphone manufacturers like Huawei and Xiaomi, who have already made significant progress in AI.
(Article source: Jiemian News)
