Image: Skorzewiak / shutterstock.com
Thinner, lighter - but still very disappointing?
Apple unveiled the new iPhone 17 with great fanfare - and on top of that a new model called iPhone Air, thinner and more elegant than ever before. Tim Cook was jubilant: "A total game changer." But while the stage shone and the case sparkled, one thing stood out: There was hardly any mention of artificial intelligence.
Compared to last year's presentation of the Apple Intelligence initiative, the event seemed almost nostalgic: hardware instead of software, design instead of a digital breakthrough. And this at a time when competitors such as Google are throwing AI functions around. While Google is integrating its Gemini AI model into all cameras and apps in the Pixel segment, Apple is apparently still relying on what it does best: High-quality hardware - but with outdated brains.
Siri remains stupid - and Apple is watching
A year has passed since Apple grandly announced an AI version of Siri. Some of the promised AI functions have either been delayed or released with errors, while others have been quietly buried. Siri of all people, the former flagship of digital voice assistants, remains what it has long since become: a kind of talking alarm clock with a Wikipedia connection.
Meanwhile, Google is going all out - with real text and image generation, AI-supported editing and smart assistance functions that really do solve everyday situations. No wonder Google is already openly mocking Apple in TV commercials: "If your new phone promises features that have been 'coming soon' for a year - maybe you need a different phone." A sideswipe that works.
AI from the socket: Apple prefers to buy rather than develop
The truth is: Apple has gambled away when it comes to AI - and is now trying to catch up with external acquisitions. According to Bloomberg, it is negotiating with Google to integrate Gemini into Siri. Other sources report on possible takeovers of AI start-ups such as Perplexity or Mistral. As always, Tim Cook is open to "investments of any size" - but so far it has mostly been small fish.
Meanwhile, companies such as OpenAI, Google, Meta and Nvidia are investing billions in their AI infrastructure. Apple? Is playing in the spectator's box - and losing the attention of the stock market. Nvidia has now knocked Apple off the throne of the most valuable companies. And Alphabet (Google's parent company) is far ahead of Apple (-6%) with +25% share growth since the beginning of the year.
Trump, tariffs and promises of billions
There is also another area of tension: the political situation. Apple has most of its devices produced in China - which regularly infuriates Donald Trump. He recently threatened to impose 25% punitive tariffs on iPhones, regardless of the country of manufacture. Tim Cook countered with a PR coup: Apple wants to invest 100 billion dollars in the USA. And although iPhones will continue to be built "elsewhere for a while", as Cook openly admitted, Trump currently seems appeased.
Apple shows once again that glossy cases alone are no longer enough. Anyone buying a smartphone today doesn't just want good hardware, they want smart software - and they want it now, not in 2026. The iPhone Air may be light, but Apple is in danger of falling off the cliff when it comes to AI.
