Two Years Late AI: Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) Apple Intelligence Rumored to Enter the Chinese Market in December, First Batch of Features "Shrunk," Prospects Uncertain

Multiple people familiar with the matter have revealed that Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) plans to officially launch its artificial intelligence platform, Apple Intelligence, in China in December of this year alongside the iOS 27.3 system update, marking the service's eventual entry into one of Apple Inc.'s most important markets after a lengthy regulatory approval process. This initial rollout will cover the first batch of AI features that debuted in the U.S. market two years ago, including Genmoji custom emoji, notification summaries, writing tools, and the "Clean Up" feature that removes specific objects from photos, covering iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. However, the all-new Siri AI assistant released this year and other new features will not be part of this lineup. It is worth noting that Apple Inc. had previously expected the Chinese version of its AI to launch as early as May 2025, then postponed it to the end of 2025, and again to this spring. To obtain approval, Apple Inc. introduced compliance guardrails developed in cooperation with Alibaba Group Holding Limited Sponsored ADR, including a filtering mechanism that allows the government to continuously review and approve AI model updates. In addition, Apple Inc. is also working with Baidu Inc Sponsored ADR Class A to develop search and Siri-related features. On September 29, Apple Inc. obtained relevant permits in China allowing recently released iPhones to support Apple Intelligence and Alibaba's AI models, including Tongyi Wanxiang and Tongyi Qianwen (Qwen). Initial Launch "Shrinks," Prospects Uncertain It is worth noting that Apple Inc.'s initial version has clearly "shrunk" in features: to comply with regulatory requirements, Apple Inc.'s self-developed image generation tools (including the Image Playground app) will be excluded, and some text generation features will also be restricted in certain apps. The new Siri AI rebuilt on Alphabet Inc. Class C Gemini models will also be unavailable in the short term, and Apple Inc. executives are not optimistic about its near-term launch in China. A more realistic challenge lies in the competitive environment: AI services from Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, and others have long been fully rolled out, and whether an AI suite with relatively basic features that is "two years late" can win over Chinese consumers remains unknown. Apple Inc.'s first-generation AI features were widely criticized for poor performance and for lagging behind competitors, which prompted Apple Inc. to comprehensively overhaul Apple Intelligence and launch the new Siri this year. Beyond China, the European Union is another major difficult region for the rollout of Apple Inc.'s AI features. The first-generation features launched in the U.S. in 2024 only arrived in the EU months later, and in September of this year, Apple Inc. was approved to launch most new features in the EU on schedulebut Siri AI is still absent from iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches in the EU market, and it remains unclear when it will be approved. An Apple Inc. spokesperson declined to comment.