For Apple fans, Apple’s annual plans are somewhat predictable. Apple has fixed events every year, such as software releases at WWDC in June and hardware updates such as new iPhones in September. The iPhone maker also releases iPads, Macs and other products throughout the year, with the February-March and October-November release windows being closely watched, while iOS is expected to receive regular updates throughout the year. In many ways, 2026 will be similar, as Apple will hold the same events and spread out product announcements over the months. But some long-time Apple product owners may already know that Apple may have something unique coming this year.
It’s not just about the foldable iPhone, which is expected to be released later this year as part of the revamped iPhone 18 series. First, Apple is expected to release the next generation of its Siri voice assistant, which will behave more like Gemini and ChatGPT. Apple may also launch new home products this year as part of a larger smart home promotion plan. Later in 2026, Apple is expected to launch the first MacBook Pro equipped with an OLED screen and touch screen. Finally, Apple may enter a new product category directly related to its Siri AI efforts: smart glasses that work with an iPhone in your pocket to bring artificial intelligence into everyday use.
If that wasn’t enough, this year will also answer a question that isn’t necessarily on Apple’s mind this year: Will Tim Cook step down as Apple CEO, or will he stay on for a few more years?
Read more: I fell in love with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, but I’m still returning it and going back to the 14 Pro — here’s why
Apple’s succession plan
Tim Cook at an Apple retail store during the iPhone 17 launch event. – Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Tim Cook has led Apple for nearly 15 years, making the company the first company to reach a market capitalization of $3 trillion. He oversaw the launch of several new Apple products, including AirPods, Apple Watch, M-Series chips for Macs and iPads, and the Apple Vision Pro, while continuing to update all of the company’s product lines begun under Steve Jobs, including Macs, iPads, and iPhones. Apple’s smartphones remain the driver of the company’s strong earnings. In the fiscal quarter ending in December 2025, the smartphone product line generated $85.3 billion in revenue, accounting for more than half of the $143.8 billion in revenue during the same period. Both set records for the company, with the iPhone 17 being the main driver of the record quarter.
This performance suggests that Tim Cook has no reason to retire in 2026, although multiple rumors in late 2025 suggested that Apple may announce John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, as Cook’s successor this year. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman disputes reports of Tim Cook’s departure, saying the CEO is unlikely to leave this year and should continue to lead Apple.
You can’t talk about Apple’s big year ahead without considering the possibility that Cook will hand over the reins to one of his lieutenants. However, Cook may only want to leave Apple once his legacy is complete. A rare Siri bug that occurred about a year ago needs to be corrected, as does Apple’s late start in artificial intelligence. Additionally, Tim Cook may want a foldable iPhone—a device that could revolutionize the foldable industry—to be part of his legacy. The same goes for the first generation of smart glasses Apple is reportedly producing, as these devices could one day replace the iPhone.
Siri improvements and Apple’s first chatbot
The Apple Intelligence splash screen on iPhone mentions the new Siri experience. – DenPhotos/Shutterstock
Apple launched a new Siri experience at WWDC 2024, which will bring advanced artificial intelligence capabilities to the often-criticized voice assistant. These features are not yet ready for the launch of the iPhone 16 series in fall 2024, but are expected to be available in spring 2025. Despite the delay, Apple Intelligence remains the focus of Apple’s iPhone marketing. Last year, Apple had to delay these features for another year, and the upgraded Siri is expected to be released in the spring of 2026 with the iOS 26.4 update.
Powering the new Siri experience will be a customized version of the Google Gemini, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Apple has partnered with Google to use its best artificial intelligence model for Siri, which is as powerful as, but not equal to, the Gemini 3 chatbot available to most people. Instead, Apple will adapt the model to its own needs, and the tool will likely run on Apple’s privacy-preserving AI infrastructure launched at WWDC 2024 for AI tasks that Siri cannot run on the device.
Improvements to Siri are likely to come in two phases this year, with the first promising a smarter Siri in 2024. According to The Information, Siri will be able to understand questions asked in conversational language and provide answers similar to ChatGPT and Gemini. The Assistant will see the content of your screen and understand the context by privately accessing your personal information. The new iOS 27 will be released in June at WWDC 2026 and will provide further improvements to Siri, including chat memory and a more complete chatbot experience. This Siri chatbot, internally codenamed Campos, is available on Apple devices. Campos Siri will also be powered by Google’s custom Gemini model.
Home Hub and Apple Smart Glasses
A HomePod and an iPad in a retail store. – Wongsakorn 2468/Shutterstock
Apple put a spatial computer on a user’s face with the $3,500 Apple Vision Pro, but it wasn’t a commercial success. Recent rumors suggest that Apple will not release a new Vision model in the near future, but will instead focus on AI smart glasses like its competitors’ products. The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are the best example of such a product, and Google and Samsung are expected to launch Android XR glasses this year to compete with them.
The leak mentions Apple’s N50/N401 products, which are the internal codenames for smart glasses. The company expects to launch the devices in 2027 or even by the end of this year and then release them in stores.
More likely than Apple Glass are new Home-branded devices that will also rely on Siri improvements. The assistant must understand commands given in conversational language to control the smart home. At the center of Apple’s push for smart home products is a new smart display or home hub product that could rival devices like the Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub. Apple’s smart display will become a command and control station for users’ smart homes, mounting on a wall or base and featuring a screen for quick access to apps and widgets. There may be a desktop robot in the future that follows you around to make sure the screen is in view during a FaceTime call. Apple’s smart home push may also include other products, such as a new Apple TV box, upgraded HomePod speakers and a home security camera, a first for Apple, although it’s unclear whether the camera will be available in stores this year.
Major updates for new iPad and MacBook Pro
M5 MacBook Pro retail box. – Mymy87/Getty Images
The iPad 12 tablet may be launched this spring, powered by the same A19 chip as the iPhone 17. Apple may also update the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models with M4 chips. The iPad mini 8 may be released in the second half of this year, equipped with an OLED screen similar to the iPad Pro and using a new A-series chip (A19 or A20). The iPad Pro received the M5 upgrade in 2025 and is not expected to be updated in 2026.
On the other hand, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that MacBook may undergo major changes this year starting in the spring of 2026, when a low-cost MacBook Air may be launched. The device is supposed to feature a 12-inch display and the same A-series chip that powered previous iPhone models. The laptop will be Apple’s cheapest model, starting at less than $999. After launching the base M5 MacBook Pro in late 2025, Apple may also launch M5 Pro and M5 Max versions of 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models in spring 2026. M5 versions of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air may also be released in the first half of this year. Desktops including the Mac mini, Mac Studio and iMac are expected to get their own M5 versions this year.
Buyers eyeing the M5 laptop may have to wait. At the end of 2026, Apple should update the MacBook Pro again, this time with a major redesign of the product line. The M6 ​​Pro and M6 Max versions may come with OLED displays and touch support, making them the first models in the MacBook series to come with such features. It would be a significant change for Apple, which has resisted using touch screens in laptops for years. The rumored redesign may be delayed until 2027.
Foldable iPhone and iPhone 18 shuffle
The iPhone 17 series displayed in the store. – Erman Gunes/Shutterstock
Appe’s book-style foldable phone, unofficially called the iPhone Fold, could be a direct competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, which will be launched ahead of Apple’s September 2026 iPhone launch event. In other words, Apple is seven years late to the foldable phone scene, but it should make a huge splash when its models arrive. IDC analysts expect the iPhone to revive overall sales of foldable smartphones, with Apple’s devices likely to capture the lion’s share of revenue. The phone should come with a 7.8-inch foldable screen and a 5.3-inch cover display. The crease that appears in the middle of most foldable phones is expected to be invisible. Apple’s foldable phone is also supposed to have an unusual aspect ratio of 1,422 pixels x 2,088 pixels, making it shorter and wider than other Fold models. The tablet experience in unfolded mode may be similar to the iPad mini.
Buyers who don’t plan to shell out $2,400 for an iPhone Fold may be stuck with two iPhone 18 models: Pro and Pro Max. The phones may feature smaller dynamic island notches, but they will otherwise be similar to the designs of their predecessors. Customers will only be able to use the base iPhone 18 model until spring 2027, when a cheaper iPhone 18e model may be released.
Budget-conscious iPhone users will either have to buy the $799 iPhone 17 this year or wait for the iPhone 17e, a low-cost alternative that Apple is expected to release in spring 2026. The phone may feature the same dynamic island design as the rest of the iPhone 17 series, but its display refresh rate will be limited to 60 Hz. As for the ultra-thin iPhone Air 2, The Information reports that Apple may delay the next ultra-thin iPhone version to 2027 due to poor sales of the first model.
Like this article? Sign up for BGR’s free newsletter and add us as your go-to source for the latest technology and entertainment, as well as tips and advice you’ll actually use.
Read the original article about BGR.
