Posted on 01/12/2026 6:32:19 PM PST by SunkenCiv
It's official: Apple and Google will join forces to build the next version of Apple's Intelligence and Siri, with the help of Google Gemini. What does it mean for Apple moving forward, and the implications it has for future Apple products.
Apple Biggest AI Move Yet
- Google Gemini Will Power Next Siri & Apple Intelligence | 9:34
Brian Tong | 350K subscribers | 4,565 views | January 12, 2026
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
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YouTube transcript reformatted at textformatter.ai follows.
[Transcript]
What’s up? Brian Tong here back from hosting CES 2026 in Las Vegas. It was incredible. I’m still recovering. And if you didn’t notice, there’s a whole bunch of content that I put out for you on the channel with my co-host Austine from the greatest showcase of tech in the world in one place at one time.
Now, AI was everywhere, but the biggest AI story of 2026 might have just dropped because Apple has officially confirmed today that Google Gemini will indeed power the next generation of Siri this year. So, Apple is joining forces with Google to power its artificial intelligence features with a major upgrade to Siri that is expected this year.
In Apple’s statement, they said, “After careful evaluation, we determined that Google’s technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation models, and we’re excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for our users.” If they even start by incorporating just some of the new Magic Q features from last year and just have a more competent Siri because of everything Gemini can already do, that’s already a win for Apple users.
Now, this is a multi-year partnership that will rely on Gemini and cloud technology for future Apple foundational models, and the models will run on Apple devices and Certino’s private cloud compute. The terms of this actual deal were not reported, and it was way back in August when Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple was in early talks with Google, and over time, it became more and more clear that Apple and Google would be partners.
So, let’s break this down because Apple completely fumbled their position. And this idea of a personal assistant for your phone before it was even being called AI, right? Apple had the lead when they launched Siri back in 2011 with the iPhone 4S. And the reality is that little was done with it until the first unveiling of Apple intelligence that fell flat on its face. And that was a response to the constant pressure of having a significantly weaker product.
So that failure also then delayed new features and new Apple products that we’re expecting to see in 2025. You could argue it also resulted in Apple scrambling to do something new with iOS 26 without any new features. So it was a facelift to liquid glass in iOS, and that has been a misstep with poor legibility and bugs everywhere. It was really a step back for users on multiple Apple platforms with liquid glass.
Now, Siri and Apple Intelligence have arguably affected Apple negatively more than any product that I can remember in recent history over the last 20 years that I’ve been covering them. And the ripples are everywhere. It also shows how far Google has jumped ahead when it comes to an AI platform that has proven it’s viable for consumers.
Now, when this rolls out, I’ll be curious if these will just be Apple intelligence features or will they be features powered by Google Gemini. But a lot of you living in this Apple bubble will be surprised by how much more your phone can do once it arrives. I know there’s an understandable reaction for people to be worried about what’s happening because of how Google handles user data versus Apple’s hard stance on data privacy.
My guess is that Apple will use Google’s Gemini as the brains to power this, and it will be the backbone of the majority of new features, but your data will be protected and self-contained by a layer that will not allow Google to see any of the data coming in and out. That’s the only way to sell the security of this with Apple to consumers and many who have stuck with Apple because of their strong stance on user privacy.
So, we’ll just have to wait and see what exactly is happening when they make an official presentation around it. This is just an announcement that they’re partnering. Now, I’ve talked about how I always felt Google would be the best partner, even if it felt weird at times, but it’s happening now.
So, Apple may have lost this initial battle, and it’s not a good thing at all they did, but they would have spent so much more money trying to play catch-up, and then who knows how good or how bad it would have been. So, it makes sense to partner up. But when I really see this benefiting Apple is not just for the phone, but for the next user interface and user experience for the future of wearables.
CES was packed with so many different AR glasses of different shapes, sizes, and features that they focused on. You can’t ignore that this is going to be a major and next battleground in emerging tech. This also in the smart home, right? You had the growth in innovation for the smart home at CES 2026. That was more than any other year, and it was flat-out impressive.
Now, the smart home is also where Apple is still barely anywhere to be found other than what older HomePods and a little bit of the Apple TV if you consider it part of the smart home, but not much. And I’ve touched on this in a previous video, but even if Apple is late to the party with wearable glasses, they need a competent way to use them. And this partnership with Google Gemini now gives them a platform that they can leverage for wearables.
Let’s just get this out of the way. All right, Siri. It is elementary and has been so weak of a product that many of us just completely ignored it and almost completely stopped using it for other than what timers and alarms. You need something significantly more advanced to interact with wearable glasses as your primary experience. And that’s what Gemini is.
The biggest key is that Gemini is a multi-modal AI. So what does that mean? Well, it’s a system that can understand and interact with multiple data types at the same time, like text, speech, images, and video. That’s exactly what you need with a device that will likely have some sort of a camera on it to help interpret the world that you see.
Open AI is also multimodal, but it hasn’t shown off its capabilities to the extent that Google has because they don’t have an actual consumer device that people use on a daily basis. Now, Open AI conveniently is also poised to be a competitor to Apple with this next generation of, let’s call it physical AI or devices that are driven by AI. And that’s what makes this Google Gemini partnership interesting to me.
Not only is Apple aligning with Google, but it appears that they’re also doing it because they are preparing for a battle of their own with Open AI and OpenAI’s future hardware. Well, that is being spearheaded by former Apple design lead Johnny IV. And we know IV has done so much for the design world with consumer electronics, the design identity of Apple as a whole, and many other companies who have tried to emulate that design in their own products.
I mean, how many times have we said about something, “Hey, that looks like an Apple product if they designed it.” Like that’s a real thing. Now, IVA has been talking about how they have the next key product that will exist alongside your laptop and phone, and it’s a groundbreaking device. We’ll see. I mean, maybe it’s a significantly more advanced version of the humane AI pin that failed miserably. I mean, who knows at this moment, but the tech world is paying attention to what Open AI is doing.
Ultimately, whether you use these new features that Google Gemini will be bringing to the next generation of Siri and Apple intelligence, this is a smart move for Apple based on the perception of what they’ve been doing up to this point. And it is a name that people are familiar with and can trust to a certain degree, but yes, they’re going to have to squash all those privacy concerns, which I think they will.
But it’s also a kick to the groin, right? Knowing that Apple had to go to Google to power the most important feature for their future mobile devices and for future devices moving forward. And they couldn’t build it on their own. Like that’s a sad Apple. Now that in itself shows you how times have changed, right? How caught off guard Apple was by the AI movement and how even though this may be the most profitable Apple we have ever seen, right? They are still making great products, but this is a different Apple as well.
In fact, the latest data released by Counterpoint Research says Apple still emerged as the global smartphone market leader in 2025, capturing 20% of market share with a 10% year-over-year shipment growth, which is the highest among the top five phone brands. And the new iPhone 17 lineup had a part to play in that.
Now, Samsung was right behind them with a 19% market share, but a more modest 5% shipment growth. And Xiaomi was third with a 13% market share. Now, in the fourth quarter of 2025, Apple accounted for one quarter of all global shipments and its highest ever quarterly share according to the report. So, things with Apple are still strong, but I want to ask you, what do you think of this new partnership?
Are you happy about it? Are you upset that they went with Google Gemini? Or do you not even care because you don’t plan on using your phone any different? Hey, let me know in the comments because I will be reading them. And this is huge news for the tech world coming right out of CES 2026, basically right after the weekend on a Monday.
And I wanted to say also very much so, thank you for the kind words for me and my wife and this new journey of fatherhood. In fact, by the time some of you see this, baby Tong will be here. And that’s going to be incredible.
All right, so that’s going to do it for this video. If you like what you see, give me that thumbs up, subs up, and hit that notification bell to get all my latest videos when they drop. And if you want more of that Apple goodness, you can check out my weekly Apple Bits XL audio podcast with the latest stories and special guests. Plus, you can support all my content with an ad-free version of the podcast, early access to my content, and exclusive content at patreon.com/brian.
So, thanks so much for watching, and I’ll see you all in the next video. Peace and love.
Historically, Apple has made alliances with both IBM (PowerPC) and Microsoft (TrueType), and then going its own way when the time came.
Google spyware on Apple.
Take that, you Apple fan bois.
Microsoft bailed out Apple at one point to try to keep the Antitrust feds at bay. 1997 -$150 million in cash to keep Apple out of bankruptcy and keep Microsoft intact. MS got non-voting shares in Apple to avoid new antitrust issues that would have come if the shares had voting rights.
https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/apple-reportedly-picks-googles-gemini-ai-power-siri-update
Apple Reportedly Picks Google’s Gemini AI To Power Siri Update
January 12, 2026 — 12:52 pm EST
Written by RTTNews.com for RTTNews->
(RTTNews) - Apple Inc. (AAPL) has picked Google’s Gemini AI and cloud technology to power its major artificial intelligence features, which is expected to bring a strong upgrade in Siri, according to a CNBC report.
“These models will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized Siri coming this year,” the companies commented about their multi-year partnership deal.
Notably, the models will continue to run on Apple devices and the company’s private cloud compute, the report added.
Last year, Bloomberg has reported that Apple is considering to use a custom Gemini model to power a Siri update.
Currently, AAPL is trading at $260.67, up 0.50 percent on the Nasdaq.
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Founded in the late 1990s by Andrew Mariathasan in New York, with the goal of covering Wall Street for a new generation of investors, RTTNews has expanded steadily over the years to become a trusted provider of content for a wide array of subjects across several platforms. RTT’s Financial Newswire is relied upon by some of the world’s largest financial institutions, including banks, brokerages, trading platforms and financial exchanges.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
My son goes to CES every year. He says it like going to a very large Circuit City or Best Buy store. lol
I was listening to a song I hadn’t heard before on Spotify yesterday. Had my Apple AirPods in. Said “Hey, Siri. Tell me about this song.” Siri replied “Please open ChatGPT for that information.”
LOL. That’s going to change.
PowerPC resulted from a joint effort of IBM, Motorola, and Apple. Delays in the next design led Steve Jobs to dump the PPC in favor of Intel. During one of the PowerPC development status meetings, Jobs reportedly told his chip partners, “I’ll be glad when I don’t have to deal with you anymore.” Y’know, in his inimitable way.
Sony, IBM, and Toshiba collab’ed on the Cell, which wound up in Sony’s PS/3, and the core of that was a 64-bit PPC. It used parallel processing techniques internally, and in the original firmware, it had an alternative OS option. Yellow Dog Linux was built for it. It was the most reasonably priced PC of its time, with its built-in BluRay, the game system itself of course, and the Linux. Eventually Sony shot itself in the foot and eliminated that option in an update, without warning. A hack to restore it was put out on the web, and Sony cease-and-desisted the guy who’d figured it out.
Interestingly enough, even during the PPC era, Apple’s OS builds were done for the product line, but also for internal Intel-based prototypes, to see if their chips would handle the Mac OS (pre- and post-X) acceptably. It was akin to the “mirror, mirror” tale.
Apple has worked on its own chips for decades. success of in-house design of the iPhone CPU led to the post-Jobs dumping of Intel (thermal throttling, no battery life) in favor of the Apple Silicon family, which is rooted in the A series of mobile phone CPUs. The rumor is that a student-oriented small-screen Mac laptop based on the A18 chip will be intro’d during 2026.
I think I’d enjoy it, but I don’t think I could get around well enough, it looks enormous. Father Time’s a real jerk.
It’ll remain optional I’m sure.
I my last company job, had a kid follow me to jobs sites for a few days. Had a job he was to meet @ 0700 in a tiny town a number of miles S of Stephenvile (Texas y’all).
The kid did everything by way of Siri, always talking to it.
Asked him: Do you where you are?
No.
Do you know where your fuel stops are?
No.
He could not do anything with out Siri.
On another job site after we were finished, we were outside talking about the job and our methods of destroying pest.
His Siri jumped into the conversation and said “That’s not a nice thing to say”.
I made him turn his phone off so we could finish debriefing the job.
I want nothing to do with Siri.
No, Microsoft didn't 'bail out' Apple. There was a running lawsuit about patent infringement, which eventually led to a cross-licensing settlement. Apple agreed to make Internet Explorer its default web browser, in exchange Microsoft committed to continued development of Office. It was a nice arrangement for both companies, but Microsoft paid perhaps a couple billion in licensing fees over time.
Intel and Apple feuded with Nvidia over various things -- graphics patents while Intel worked on its embedded graphics, Apple over I forget what, but Radeon (eventually absorbed by AMD) was preferred by Apple for years. Nvidia's market cap is now about 20% higher than Apple's, and Intel's is about 5% of Nvidia's. Intel's is behind IBM's, it sez here.
“I want nothing to do with Siri.”
I don’t use it very much, but it is really helpful when Ii’m out hiking, my phone is in my back pocket, my hiking poles are in my hands and II’m listening to Spotify playlists. “Hey Siri, replay last song.” or “Hey Siri, increase volume.” or “Hey Siri, what’s the name and artist of this song.”
But the overall integration of Spotify and Siri is pretty poor. “Hey, Siri, add this song to my ‘Liked Songs’ playlist” — “Sorry, I can’t do that. Spotify has not integrated that command.” Or heaven help you if you say “Hey Siri, I like this song. Find other songs like it and create a playlist.”
I find it pretty helpful when I’m driving and say “Hey Siri, get directions to Home Depot” or “Michael D’s Cafe.”
Overall, it isn’t very intelligent yet and limited. As long as you know the limitations it can help you a lot.
Apple is so smart. The ONLY ones who took their sweet time to implement AI into their OS, and refused to spend mega-billions on data centers and LLM farms. And customers don’t care! They are flush with cash and their phones sell like hotcakes every year.
They may have to do that initially, but Apple intends in the long run to buy the chips from Google and run the software on Apple servers. This will get the system up to the level of security and privacy that Apple wants its users to have.
I never trust google.
Why do you not look at a map prior to driving in (I’m guessing a new area) to know where you are and where you will be?
And if this Home Depot is in your AO, you are really lost.
How were able to get around pre smart phone days?
I hike with silence a lot but also it’s a great opportunity to listen to and explore new music that fits the forest / wilderness vibe.
I just threw out a couple of local spots as quick examples — I could drive to them blindfolded. But the directions are great to new places (usually). And there are often three or four ways to reach a destination. It’s good to know which ones are clear sailing vs. traffic-clogged and slow.
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