Technology & Science
Apple and Google Ink Multi-Year Gemini Deal to Rebuild Siri
On 13 Jan 2026 Apple abandoned its solo AI rebuild and announced a multi-year pact to run next-gen Siri and Apple Foundation Models on Google’s cloud-based Gemini LLM.
Focusing Facts
- Joint Apple-Google statement (13 Jan 2026) says Gemini will power Apple Intelligence across 2 billion active devices under a “multi-year” agreement.
- Revamped Siri is now slated to reach users with iOS 26.4, expected March 2026, after missing the earlier iOS 18.4 target.
- Elon Musk labelled the tie-up “an unreasonable concentration of power,” citing ongoing xAI antitrust litigation against Apple and OpenAI.
Context
Big Tech alliances have flipped before: in 1997 a cash-strapped Apple let Microsoft Office and IE onto the Mac to stay relevant; in 2005 Apple switched to Intel chips to regain a performance edge. Today’s Gemini pact echoes those pragmatic pivots—trading vertical purity for time-to-market when a technology wave threatens to leave Apple behind. It also underscores the broader 2010-2030 trend toward concentration of AI compute inside a handful of hyperscale clouds, challenging antitrust frameworks born in the railroad era (Sherman Act, 1890) and refreshed during the 1998–2002 Microsoft case. Whether this moment is remembered a century hence depends on if AI assistants mature into an infrastructure layer as essential as electricity or fade like 1980s expert systems; if the former, Apple’s decision to outsource its model core may mark the point the hardware giant ceded strategic ground to data-rich cloud platforms, much as handset makers became dependent on Android after 2008.
Perspectives
Technology and business press
e.g., The Star, FortuneIndia — Present the Apple–Google Gemini deal as a strategic, consumer-friendly shortcut that will fast-track a smarter, more personalised Siri later this year. Stories are largely built around the companies’ joint statements and upbeat analyst chatter, so they underplay antitrust questions and the fact that Apple is outsourcing core AI to a rival.
Elon Musk / xAI-aligned commentary
e.g., NewsBytes, National Herald, LatestLY — Frame the tie-up as an "unreasonable concentration of power" that strengthens Google’s dominance and harms competition. Musk’s objections come while his own xAI is suing Apple and vying for the same market, so the coverage amplifies a competitor’s self-interested alarm bells.
Apple-focused enthusiast media
e.g., 9to5Mac — Emphasises leaked timelines and feature details, predicting that a rebuilt, AI-infused Siri will surface in iOS 26.4 after engineering delays. Excitement over upcoming Apple features can overshadow scepticism about repeated postponements and Apple’s dependence on outside models.