Key facts
- Apple introduced a redesigned Siri AI at its "Surprise and Shine" event.
- The new Siri AI runs on Google's Gemini technology.
- Siri AI will not be available on any iPhone or iPad in the European Union at launch.
- The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max feature the new A20 Pro chip, built on TSMC's 2-nanometer process.
- The A20 Pro chip has a dual 32-core Neural Engine and a new vapor chamber cooling system.
- Apple's first foldable, the iPhone Duo, starts at $1,999 and will be available in October.
Apple introduced a significantly redesigned Siri AI and its new A20 Pro chip at its "Surprise and Shine" event on September 9. The new Siri AI, powered by Google's Gemini technology under a reported $1 billion annual deal, aims to offer more conversational and contextual interactions across more than 300,000 third-party apps. However, these advanced features will not be available on any iPhone or iPad in the European Union at launch.
John Ternus, in his first keynote as Apple's chief executive, debuted the A20 Pro chip, which is built on TSMC's 2-nanometer process. Apple claims it is the fastest chip ever put into an iPhone, featuring a dual 32-core Neural Engine, double the previous generation, and a new vapor chamber cooling system to sustain AI tasks. The CPU is up to 20% faster and the GPU up to 40% faster than the A19 Pro, with a 50% increase in memory bandwidth.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will ship with the A20 Pro, featuring new finishes and a smaller Dynamic Island. Apple also unveiled its first foldable device, the iPhone Duo, starting at $1,999 for 256GB and going up to nearly $3,000 for the 2TB model. The iPhone Duo supports the Apple Pencil and uses Touch ID, but will not be available until October, a month after the rest of the iPhone 18 lineup.
iOS 27, which includes the new Siri AI and other Apple Intelligence features, is scheduled for release on September 14. While the update will run on iPhones as far back as the iPhone 11, the full Siri AI and Apple Intelligence capabilities will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and newer models.
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