Tim Cook announced during his final earnings call as CEO that the upcoming Siri AI upgrade may include paywalled limits for heavy users. He suggested Apple could allow customers to purchase additional compute power through existing iCloud+ subscriptions, which currently provide extended cloud storage. Cook stated this plan is not final but expressed excitement about the new assistant’s capabilities. The updated Siri is available in the iOS 27 beta and will launch broadly this fall. This approach mirrors models used by competitors like Anthropic and OpenAI, who offer limited free tiers before requiring payment for heavier usage.
The pricing strategy arrives as Apple faces significant challenges in catching up to rivals in the artificial intelligence race. The company recently paid $250 million to settle a class action lawsuit regarding misleading marketing of the iPhone 16’s AI features. John Ternus will assume the role of CEO as Apple navigates supply constraints and rising hardware costs driven by an industry-wide shortage of memory. These factors have forced other manufacturers to raise device prices, a move Apple has not yet made for its current iPhone models.
* iOS 27 beta is the current testing ground for the new assistant
* Apple licensed a custom Gemini model to augment Siri
* Memory shortages have increased production costs across the sector
