iPhones are a very high-profile product that both the Chinese and the US governments understand they have a lever over. So until the tariff rates get settled, Apple is very much at risk of being impacted by the current trade dispute.
– Gil Luria, D.A. Davidson analyst, July 2025
At the same time, Apple is walking a tightrope in China. iPhone sales have reportedly picked up there recently, boosted by discounts and trade-in offers, but local brands are gaining ground – especially those pushing new AI features. Think of Huawei, Vivo, Honor, Xiaomi. The list is long and full of strong, fit competitors.
Apple’s slower rollout of its own AI tools, like the Apple Intelligence suite and the Siri upgrade, has raised eyebrows among analysts who worry the company might be lagging in AI.
The Siri fiasco
Image by Apple
Apple’s long-anticipated Siri upgrades – touted as a major step into the AI era – have been delayed, pushing key features to 2026 at the earliest. These improvements were supposed to give Siri much-needed context awareness in 2025 (such as being able to read emails, messages, and other app data), but that hasn’t happened so far.Another planned upgrade would have allowed Siri to understand what’s on the iPhone’s screen and respond accordingly, making it more useful in everyday situations.
The delay has caused frustration inside Apple, with Siri lead Robby Walker reportedly calling the situation “embarrassing”. The company had already promoted the new capabilities in an ad for “Personal Siri”, only to pull it once it became clear the feature wouldn’t be ready in time. While Apple still plans to release the updates, the premature marketing and indefinite timeline have drawn comparisons to past missteps like the canceled AirPower charger, raising questions about how far behind Siri really is in the current AI race.
Nobody quite knows which way tariffs would go and which countries would be hit in the next months, so don’t be alarmed if the iPhone 17 is a bit pricier come September.
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