Silicon Investor - Apple Tankwatch

[Jon Koplik] WSJ on : Apple Crapple's latest (dickless) version of "Siri" ......................

Jon Koplik — 9/16/2026 2:07:27 AM

WSJ on : Apple Crapple's latest (dickless) version of "Siri" ......................................

WSJ

Sept. 15, 2026

Apple Finally Built a Smarter Siri. It Still Hasn’t Caught Up in the AI Race

Siri finally works like a chatbot, but AI agent apps such as Instinct and Muse are stealing its thunder

By Rolfe Winkler

Finally there is a Siri that works like ChatGPT. The problem for Apple is that the goal posts have already moved.

The highlight of Apple’s new smartphone software, released Monday, is a redesigned Siri that works like ChatGPT, Claude and other chatbots. It can have a conversation, draft an email, search through texts and photos, and respond to complex search queries.

But in the time Apple’s been working on that, a new class of AI assistants has emerged that can do all of that and more. They can book travel, fill out online forms, cancel appointments, even file a complaint with customer service.

In other words, they can act like the personal secretary that so many people want from artificial intelligence, completing the mundane but necessary tasks of modern digital life.

That keeps the pressure on Apple’s new chief executive, John Ternus, to have Siri make the leap from chatbot to agent. He used his first public words as the company’s leader to sell the idea that the iPhone is the best AI device on the market. Kicking off Apple’s product event last Wednesday, Ternus described the iPhone as an “intelligent personal hub” that is ideally engineered to deliver AI experiences of the future.

But comparing the revamped Siri with other new AI assistants illustrates how far Apple has to go to reach the leading edge in consumer AI.

One of the assistants is called Instinct. Launched over the summer, and already valued at $2.5 billion, Instinct is the work of an 11-person startup, built on top of an open-source Chinese AI model. The invitation-only service is surging in popularity in Silicon Valley because of its ability to do many of the things Siri users have asked for.

Instinct’s service exists outside of Apple’s walled garden. It isn’t a smartphone app in the traditional sense. It’s an AI running in the cloud that users connect to their Gmail accounts, say, and chat with via iMessage or WhatsApp.

Instinct can spot conflicting travel bookings on your calendar, then cancel and rebook. It can surface reliable restaurant recommendations nearby, obviating long searches through Google Maps or Yelp. Say a kid’s soccer team requires parents to create an account on an obscure website. Instinct can register for the account, read the website, pull all the locations and times for games, and add them to a personal calendar.

Instinct works by running a virtual web browser in the cloud that visits websites to complete everyday online tasks that aren’t complicated but that take time and several steps.

And it’s not alone. Meta Platforms has built a similar tool called Muse that has risen in popularity since its launch last week. It was downloaded nearly 600,000 times in its first five days, estimates SensorTower, making it nearly as popular as ChatGPT in its first five days. With a consumer footprint as large as Apple’s, Meta is in an even better position than any startup to win users over to its AI agent, and at the same time threaten Apple’s ecosystem.

The new Siri AI doesn’t surf websites for users yet; it’s built to navigate iPhone apps. It does this well with Apple’s own apps, and some third-party developers have opened up their apps so Siri can navigate them. But some important ones haven’t yet, such as Google, so Siri can’t work seamlessly yet with Gmail, for instance.

Apple’s play is to emphasize the iPhone’s privacy protections. While “others see data as something to collect and store,” Apple keeps users’ data private, Ternus said. True, tools like Instinct and Muse see information inside the email account you connect to it, for instance. There are fears they could delete emails, which Meta has said itself, or charge a credit card without authorization.

But former Apple AI staffers say that its privacy stance can slow its own product development and degrade the AI experiences it is able to offer on its platform. Consumers might be willing to share their data with services that offer huge jumps in capability.

A risk to Apple is that if stand-alone AI apps vastly outperform Siri, it might become easier for users to switch to cheaper Android phones, or not pay the high price to upgrade to Apple’s latest devices. People pay a premium for iPhones because they perceive value in the tight coupling of hardware, software and apps inside Apple’s ecosystem. That could change if the real value is in a non-Apple AI assistant from Instinct or Meta.

The new Siri AI at least gets the company into the AI conversation again, but Ternus has quite a bit of development work to do before the iPhone is really the best “intelligent personal hub” he is promising.

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[zax] [bluesky] — Stephen Moran. (@moranstephen1000.bsky.social)2026-09-06T13:40:20.8...

zax — 9/6/2026 2:00:12 PM

[bluesky]

— Stephen Moran. (@moranstephen1000.bsky.social) 2026-09-06T13:40:20.874Z

[/bluesky]

[Jon Koplik] OpenAI says Apple has only itself to blame in trade-secret fight ..................

Jon Koplik — 9/1/2026 9:56:33 PM

OpenAI says Apple has only itself to blame in trade-secret fight .............................................................

Reuters

Published 09/01/2026

By Deepa Seetharaman

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 31 -- OpenAI denied Apple’s allegations of trade secret theft on Monday, saying the iPhone maker failed to show any confidential information was stolen by former employees.

"This dispute is a mess of Apple’s own making, and it is trying to blame everyone else," OpenAI said in a filing late Monday in U.S. District Court in San Jose, California.

Apple sued OpenAI and former Apple employees Tang Tan and Chang Liu in July, accusing them of misappropriating trade secrets related to hardware design, manufacturing and supply-chain operations as the ChatGPT maker pushes into consumer devices.

The AI lab, led by CEO Sam Altman, contends Apple is using the lawsuit to slow a potential competitor and discourage employee departures. OpenAI has hired roughly 400 employees from Apple for its hardware initiative, the two companies have written in court filings.

California law allows employees to freely move between rivals, OpenAI said.

The lawsuit represented a dramatic escalation of tensions between the two companies, which just two years ago forged a partnership intended to boost ChatGPT’s reach and help Apple gain a firmer footing in AI. But the relationship quickly soured as competition in the AI industry intensified.

In its original lawsuit, Apple argued that OpenAI’s hiring of Apple employees was part of the AI lab’s strategy to learn a competitor’s secrets. Apple said Tan and Liu both accessed internal Apple files after they left the company.

OpenAI said on Monday that Apple encourages its employees to use personal iCloud accounts to access Apple work documents and perform their work functions, making it difficult for departing employees to separate personal and company information.

OpenAI said Apple’s policy of immediately escorting departing employees from its premises does not give them enough time to return company devices, transfer internal files back to the company or hand over responsibilities.

In the filing, Liu said any access to Apple documents after his departure was done to help former Apple colleagues locate files or answer questions related to Apple work. He said Apple employees repeatedly contacted him for assistance after he left.

Tan, who spent 24 years at Apple, said he returned Apple prototypes before departing and only retained non-confidential materials, including an employee departure checklist that was not confidential.

Employees "can leave a company like Apple that has struggled to adopt AI and move to an exciting startup that builds innovative products," OpenAI wrote. "Apple may not like those choices. But it cannot claim those choices are unlawful, and it cannot use its own sloppy procedures to blame others for its own mess."

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[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 340.08

Heywood40 — 7/28/2026 4:18:43 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 336.91

Heywood40 — 7/27/2026 5:08:24 PM

[Stock Puppy] My in depth analysis: There are three threes and then four plus three is seven....

Stock Puppy — 7/17/2026 6:09:58 PM

My in depth analysis:

There are three threes and then four plus three is seven.

The numbers are in harmony.

Let me know if you wish to subscribe to my newsletter!

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 333.74

Heywood40 — 7/17/2026 4:15:50 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 333.26

Heywood40 — 7/16/2026 7:23:30 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 327.50

Heywood40 — 7/15/2026 6:01:41 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 317.31

Heywood40 — 7/13/2026 4:01:47 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! (yesterday) 316.22

Heywood40 — 7/10/2026 1:02:14 PM

[Heywood40] I might actually still have a 7 year old iPhone 11 with an A13 in a drawer here ...

Heywood40 — 6/24/2026 5:02:40 PM

I might actually still have a 7 year old iPhone 11 with an A13 in a drawer here somewhere.

[zax] New Unpatchable Exploit Targets Apple Devices With A12 and A13 Chips it.slashdo...

zax — 6/19/2026 6:31:01 PM

New Unpatchable Exploit Targets Apple Devices With A12 and A13 Chips

it.slashdot.org

Researchers have disclosed a new unpatchable BootROM exploit affecting Apple devices with A12, A13, S4, and S5 chips. The attack requires physical USB access and DFU mode, but can let an attacker run code before iOS loads, bypass signature checks, and boot modified software. 9to5Mac reports the details:

In a highly detailed technical post published today, the Paradigm Shift Team details usbliter8, a new exploit that "leverages both a hardware bug in the USB controller and a specific configuration flaw present in the device firmware" and cannot be patched. The PS Team explains that ahead of today's disclosure, it shared its findings and worked with Apple Product Security to coordinate the release. The researchers also thanked Apple's security team for its "prompt response, constructive engagement, and cooperation throughout" the process.

In a nutshell, this bug affects the following Apple SoCs: A12, S4, S5, and A13. [...] They add that "technical support for A12X/Z is possible," but "it is not currently implemented." That could add the 2018 and 2020 iPad Pro lineups to the list. The way usbliter8 works is: it sends specially crafted data to a device over USB while it is in DFU mode, confusing the USB controller and causing it to write data to the wrong part of memory. That gives an attacker with physical access to the device control over its startup process. From there, they can run their own code before iOS loads, bypass signature checks, and boot modified system software.

Importantly, the exploit does not affect or compromise the device's Secure Enclave, which in practice means that data such as passcodes and encrypted user data remain secure. That said, PS Team says that "although usbliter8 doesn't affect SEP itself, it opens up wider attack vectors to compromise the Secure Enclave," adding that "by releasing this exploit publicly, we hope to highlight the real-world impact of these hardware flaws and contribute to a broader understanding of modern SecureROM security." [...] Given that this is also an unpatchable exploit, the researchers note that "affected users should be aware that migrating to newer hardware remains the most effective mitigation."

[zax] EU Says Decision Not to Launch Siri AI in Europe Is Apple's Alone apple.slashdo...

zax — 6/9/2026 8:16:51 PM

EU Says Decision Not to Launch Siri AI in Europe Is Apple's Alone

apple.slashdot.org

The European Commission says Apple's decision not to launch Siri AI in the EU is Apple's alone, arguing that the company sought an exemption from Digital Markets Act interoperability rules instead of building a compliant privacy- and security-preserving solution. Apple, meanwhile, says regulators rejected its proposals and claims the DMA would require giving third-party AI systems overly broad access to users' devices. MacRumors reports:

Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told reporters in Brussels: "The decision not to roll out Siri AI in the EU is Apple's and Apple's only. Apple was simply unable to develop interoperability solutions that meet essential EU privacy and security standards. Instead of trying to find a suitable compliance solution, Apple simply made a request to the European Commission to be exempted from their interoperability obligations. That's not an option."

Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, said the company was "deeply disappointed" and cited what it described as regulators' refusal to accept any of Apple's proposals, including a system called Trusted System Agent that would have allowed third-party virtual assistants to safely access the same device capabilities as Siri AI.

The Commission's account tells a different story. Rather than negotiating over Apple's proposed solutions, regulators say Apple simply requested a blanket exemption from its interoperability obligations under the Digital Markets Act, something the Commission says is not an available option. Apple's statement framed the DMA's requirements as demanding that any AI system be given "nearly unlimited access" to a user's device.

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 315.20

Heywood40 — 6/2/2026 4:15:32 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 312.51

Heywood40 — 5/28/2026 4:01:48 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 310.85

Heywood40 — 5/27/2026 8:20:48 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 308.82

Heywood40 — 5/22/2026 4:02:23 PM

[Stock Puppy] What are you going to do on its birthday when it hits 30? Even more important, ...

Stock Puppy — 5/21/2026 7:26:29 PM

What are you going to do on its birthday when it hits 30?

Even more important, once it's over 30, will you still trust it?

berkeleydailyplanet.com

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 304.99 Today my AAPL is 28 years old. Split-adjusted, I paid 26 ce...

Heywood40 — 5/21/2026 4:01:30 PM

AAPL NATCH! 304.99

Today my AAPL is 28 years old.

Split-adjusted, I paid 26 cents a share.

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 302.25

Heywood40 — 5/20/2026 4:01:57 PM

[Stock Puppy] [graphic]

Stock Puppy — 5/15/2026 6:34:00 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 300.23

Heywood40 — 5/15/2026 4:01:16 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 298.87

Heywood40 — 5/13/2026 4:20:55 PM

[Heywood40] Wedbush sets AAPL price target to $400

Heywood40 — 5/12/2026 6:49:15 PM

[Stock Puppy] Wake me when it hits 384. 256 + 128 = 384 Why? It's a nice number.

Stock Puppy — 5/12/2026 6:47:36 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 294.80

Heywood40 — 5/12/2026 4:01:29 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 293.32

Heywood40 — 5/8/2026 4:32:39 PM

[Stock Puppy] ... and Apple now has more than twice the market cap (4.18T) of the GDP of the S...

Stock Puppy — 5/7/2026 8:44:07 AM

... and Apple now has more than twice the market cap (4.18T) of the GDP of the Scandanavian countries Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (1.86T)!

If you throw in Finland and Iceland (2.24T total)- still!

A little more than India (4.15T).

And with some chump change, you've got the UK (4.26T)...

With a little more change, Apple can have Japan (4.38T)!

worldometers.info

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 287.51

Heywood40 — 5/7/2026 4:13:28 AM

[Jon Koplik] Apple agrees to $250M settlement over false advertising accusations ...............

Jon Koplik — 5/6/2026 12:55:09 AM

Apple agrees to $250M settlement over false advertising accusations .........................................

10tv.com

May 5, 2026

The lawsuit, filed in 2024, accused the tech giant of showing the enhanced AI model in advertisements for newer iPhone models "even though no such feature exists."

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Liars, as usual . . .

Jon.

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[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 286.19

Heywood40 — 12/2/2025 4:04:43 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 283.10

Heywood40 — 12/1/2025 11:03:28 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 278.85

Heywood40 — 11/28/2025 1:51:53 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 277.55

Heywood40 — 11/26/2025 4:08:40 PM

[Force Majeure] back at you... TODAY: AAPL NATCH: $276.97 NITCH (New Intraday-Trading Climbing ...

Force Majeure — 11/26/2025 12:08:50 AM

back at you... TODAY:

AAPL NATCH: $276.97
NITCH (New Intraday-Trading Climbing High): $280.38

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 276.97

Heywood40 — 11/25/2025 7:58:49 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH Yesterday... 275.92

Heywood40 — 11/25/2025 3:00:05 PM

[Jon Koplik] £220 'for a cut-up sock' - Apple's new iPhone Pocket ridiculed online . . . bbc...

Jon Koplik — 11/13/2025 7:58:28 AM

£220 'for a cut-up sock' - Apple's new iPhone Pocket ridiculed online . . . bbc.com

[Heywood40] AAPL and MSFT have been leap-frogging each other for a while... As of today's c...

Heywood40 — 11/11/2025 11:39:35 PM

AAPL and MSFT have been leap-frogging each other for a while...

As of today's close, MSFT Market Cap is 3.781T.

AAPL Market Cap is 4.067T

NVDA is 4.694T

[Heywood40] Yeah! Thanks for posting, I was working on a project outdoors and didn't see it...

Heywood40 — 11/11/2025 11:32:53 PM

Yeah! Thanks for posting, I was working on a project outdoors and didn't see it.

[Force Majeure] It's quite impressive that MSFT played the long game and surpassed AAPL as the m...

Force Majeure — 11/11/2025 10:05:09 PM

It's quite impressive that MSFT played the long game and surpassed AAPL as the most valuable company in the world... 2nd to NVDA that left them both in the dust!! Coming from a devoted Apple fanboy, even I'm saying they had an amazing lead and now needs to play catch up--and fast too--or get left behind... hard to believe! That said, happy AAPL NATCH DAY! $275.25 :)

[Force Majeure] AAPL NATCH Today? $275.25 [graphic] for Stock Puppy!

Force Majeure — 11/11/2025 9:59:10 PM

AAPL NATCH Today? $275.25

for Stock Puppy!

[Stock Puppy] That's it - rub it in! [graphic]

Stock Puppy — 10/31/2025 1:36:04 AM

That's it - rub it in!

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 271.40

Heywood40 — 10/30/2025 4:18:20 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 269.69

Heywood40 — 10/29/2025 4:00:34 PM

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 269.00

Heywood40 — 10/28/2025 4:17:48 PM

[Stock Puppy] For Zax, who did this comparison many noons ago: Yes, and the market cap is alm...

Stock Puppy — 10/28/2025 12:38:51 AM

For Zax, who did this comparison many noons ago:

Yes, and the market cap is almost 4 trillion $

Which is between the 2025 GDP of the UK and India according to the IMF - the sixth and fifth largest GDPs.

Or World bank says that number is between #5 and #4 - between India and Japan.

The poor Scandinavian countries are long ago left in the dust.

Cough.

Obviously unsustainable.

Cough.

[Force Majeure] indeed! Happy NITCH ($269.08) / NATCH ($268.81) Day to all you AAPL haters!!! ...

Force Majeure — 10/27/2025 11:58:46 PM

indeed!

Happy NITCH ($269.08) / NATCH ($268.81) Day to all you AAPL haters!!! omg... too funny!! :D

[Heywood40] AAPL NATCH! 268.81

Heywood40 — 10/27/2025 4:00:50 PM