Apple WWDC 2026 Preview: Major Siri Upgrade, Has Apple’s AI Payoff Moment Truly Arrived?

TradingKey - Apple ( AAPL )'s upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), set to kick off on June 8, is becoming the tech industry's most anticipated event. This five-day event (June 8-12) will officially begin its keynote on the 8th at ET, and expectations have far exceeded routine software updates—the market is eager to see Apple deliver on its 2024 AI promises.

JPMorgan ( JPM) analyst Samik Chatterjee noted in a preview report released on June 3 that the core highlight of this WWDC will be a "material overhaul" of Siri. Notably, Apple has made a rare move this year by explicitly disclosing an "AI advancements" section in the WWDC agenda, which analysts interpret as confidence that these upgrades will be implemented as scheduled, in stark contrast to its previously vague release cadence.

Furthermore, Goldman Sachs ( GS) stated in its WWDC 2026 preview report released on June 2 that Apple is expected to announce details of an AI-enhanced Siri at the conference and confirm its official launch later this year.

For investors, this is more than just a product update; it is a critical moment to test whether Apple can reopen growth opportunities in the AI era. Based on this, Goldman Sachs maintains a "Buy" rating on Apple with a price target of $340.

Apple implements AI strategy, ushering in an all-new Siri.

According to market consensus, Apple’s overhaul of Siri will extend beyond feature iterations, representing a systemic upgrade from interaction patterns to underlying logic. The revamped Siri is expected to debut as a standalone application, with conversational capabilities directly rivaling leading large language models like ChatGPT and Gemini, supporting complex multi-turn interactions and contextual understanding.

"I think Apple is going to win in AI," said Ron Johnson, who served as Apple’s retail chief under Steve Jobs. "The phone is the primary device people use for AI. And Apple is working with the right partners to bring a unique AI experience to the phone."

Dynamic Island is expected to add a permanent "Search or Ask" entry point, allowing users to summon Siri at any time. More disruptively, Siri may replace Spotlight as the iPhone’s global search portal—meaning any search request at the system level will be processed via Siri, a shift that will fundamentally reshape user interaction within the Apple ecosystem.

Regarding specific functionality, the new Siri will achieve several key breakthroughs. Cross-app multi-step command capabilities will allow users to trigger sequential operations across multiple applications with a single phrase, enabling true "agentic" task execution.

For instance, a user could ask Siri to "draft a project status email based on last week’s meeting minutes," and the system would automatically handle the entire workflow, including data extraction, content generation, and formatting.

On-screen awareness will also be officially deployed, enabling Siri to understand what a user is currently viewing and execute relevant actions based on that information to achieve cross-app synergy. Additionally, a Visual Intelligence camera mode and AI photo editing features will significantly bolster Siri’s multimedia processing capabilities.

Apple first previewed an AI-enhanced version of Siri as early as 2024, but the project was deferred until now due to technical and product readiness issues.

Goldman Sachs expects Apple to officially announce the rollout schedule for the new Siri at this WWDC and confirm its launch alongside iOS 27 and the iPhone 18 series this September.

Apple Further Expands its AI Ecosystem Layout

According to Goldman Sachs' latest projections, Apple plans to introduce a multi-model provider selection mechanism within the Apple Intelligence ecosystem, allowing users to freely switch between different AI models to support functions like Siri, writing tools, and image generation. If this strategy is ultimately implemented, its strategic significance could far exceed that of a standard software upgrade.

Over the past decade, Apple has built the most extensive app distribution channel of the mobile internet era through the App Store; whether it is TikTok or other mainstream applications, all must leverage the Apple ecosystem to reach billions of global users. In the AI era, Apple is poised to replicate this successful model. In the future, users may be able to freely choose among various AI models on Apple devices, while Apple continues to control the user gateway, device ecosystem, and payment systems.

In other words, Apple does not necessarily need to own the most powerful AI model; with a global installed base of over 2 billion devices, it likely still controls the most vital channel for AI technology to reach consumers.

Meanwhile, Citigroup ( C) noted in a report to investors on Friday that the core focus for the market is whether Apple can launch AI agents with autonomous decision-making capabilities—agents that can perform complex cross-application tasks for users, such as restaurant reservations, shopping assistance, and travel planning.

Goldman Sachs Bets: AI Will Restart iPhone Replacement Cycle

In recent years, the overall smartphone industry has entered a mature phase, with slowing product innovation and lengthening replacement cycles becoming a significant challenge for Apple.

Goldman Sachs, however, believes that AI is poised to be the key variable driving a new iPhone replacement cycle, a perspective that has garnered widespread market attention.

In fact, Apple's iPhone revenue grew 23% year-on-year in the first half of this year, signaling that demand remains robust, though the market remains concerned about whether such growth is sustainable.

Historically, nearly every major technological upgrade has triggered a new wave of device replacements; from 3G connectivity and Retina displays to Face ID, each significant innovation has stimulated consumer upgrades.

Apple clearly expects AI to be the next growth catalyst; if an AI-enhanced Siri can offer a significantly superior user experience, consumers may upgrade to new devices—particularly high-end iPhone models—to access full AI capabilities.

Autumn Product Lineup: Is the iPhone Ultra Arriving?

Meanwhile, the product lineup for the second half of this year is more promising than ever, featuring not only the first-ever foldable iPhone but also the highly anticipated touchscreen MacBook.

The foldable iPhone is the most significant new product category for the second half of the year. This marks Apple's first introduction of a foldable form factor, and the market widely expects it to trigger a major upgrade cycle.

According to market sources, this foldable iPhone may be named iPhone Ultra and will feature an 8.3-inch foldable OLED screen with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. It will be powered by the latest M5 Bionic chip, include a 2TB storage option, and could have a starting price exceeding $1,500.

Apple also plans to launch exclusive system features for the foldable iPhone, such as an iPad-like "Split View" multitasking feature that allows for free resizing of app windows—a functionality that may be exclusive to the foldable model.

The touchscreen MacBook is equally noteworthy. According to market reports, Apple plans to launch its first touchscreen MacBook Pro later this year, utilizing On-Cell touch technology. While macOS 27 will include a built-in touch support module at the system level, the feature is expected to be enabled only upon the release of the new products at year-end.