Apple Preps 'Intelligence v2' for WWDC

Apple's AI push is powered by a massive and sustained investment in silicon. The Neural Engine, first introduced in 2017's A11 chip with 0.6 trillion operations per second (TOPS), has seen exponential growth. The M4 chip, released in May 2024, now boasts a 16-core Neural Engine capable of a staggering 38 TOPS, providing the on-device horsepower for complex AI tasks. The first iteration of Apple Intelligence, which began rolling out with iOS 18.1, introduced a suite of practical, system-wide tools. These include Writing Tools for proofreading and summarizing text, a "Reduce Interruptions" focus mode that intelligently surfaces only urgent notifications, and the ability to create "Genmojis" from text descriptions. In Photos, users can now search their library using natural language ("show photos of plants on my desk") and remove unwanted background objects with a tap. For developers, Apple is democratizing on-device AI through frameworks like Core ML and Create ML, allowing them to build and train models without deep machine learning expertise. The new Foundation Models framework provides direct access to Apple's on-device models, enabling developers to integrate summarization and other intelligent features into their apps with as little as three lines of code. A key part of Apple's strategy has been its aggressive acquisition of AI startups, leading all other tech giants with 25 AI companies purchased between 2016 and 2020 alone. This trend continues with the recent acquisition of Q.ai for nearly $2 billion, a startup specializing in technology that can interpret silent speech from facial micro-movements, hinting at future, more subtle ways of interacting with Siri. The long-awaited Siri overhaul, however, has faced delays, with the most advanced features like deep personal context and in-app control now expected in 2026. To bridge the gap and compete with rivals, Apple has pragmatically partnered with Google, confirming in January 2026 that Gemini AI models will help power future Apple Intelligence features. Analysts anticipate that the full realization of Apple's AI ambitions will trigger a major hardware "supercycle." Features in "Apple Intelligence v2" are expected to require the advanced processing power of newer chips, creating a compelling reason for the large base of users with older iPhones to upgrade.