This week, Siri is back in the spotlight, with reports suggesting its planned overhaul has been delayed. Apple also rolled out iOS 26.3 and companion updates across its platforms, focusing on stability and bug fixes. The Vision Pro saw some much needed love with the arrival of YouTube, while the rumour mill gathers pace around imminent MacBook Pro updates and the iPhone 17e.
Siri Delays
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple’s planned Siri revamp may no longer land in iOS 26.4 as many had expected. Some of the headline features could shift to 26.5, or even be held for iOS 27. If that proves accurate, 26.4 might arrive with a lighter touch than the rumour cycle had suggested.
Still, it’s important to separate expectation from confirmation. A Spring debut was always an assumption, not a promise. Apple never tied the upgrade to 26.4 and has only said the new Siri experience is coming in 2026. Apple is often coy about timelines and this case is no different. Everything else is reading between the lines.
What I found fascinating about all the noise this week surrounding Siri, is how much stock investors put into what analysts say. Apple’s valuation dropped by almost 5% off the back of this news. It was enough for Apple to provide a brief statement to confirm that its Siri plans haven’t changed and that the update will still arrive in 2026. It’s important to always take rumours and speculation with a pinch of salt.
26.3 updates
In the midst of the continued drama around Siri, Apple released iOS 26.3 along with similar 26.3 updates across its platforms.
Core new additions
• Transfer to Android: A streamlined tool to help iPhone users move their data directly to an Android device without needing third party apps. It walks you through positioning the devices and transferring things like photos, messages, contacts and more.
• Privacy controls: A new Limit Precise Location setting lets you restrict how accurately carriers can track your location, offering broader-area location data rather than precise positioning. This is available on supported devices and carriers.
• Notification forwarding (EU only): In Europe, iOS 26.3 adds the ability for notifications to be fully forwarded to third-party smartwatches and wearables, helping them behave more like Apple Watch.
Security and stability
• Security fixes: Dozens of vulnerabilities are patched in this release, including multiple issues Apple lists in its official security documentation. These improve protection against a range of potential exploits.
• Bug fixes and reliability improvements: Across all platforms, 26.3 focuses heavily on fixes that smooth out various system issues, improve connectivity, and tighten overall performance.
Aside from that we did see some code inside the updates hinting towards upcoming Apple Silicon chips like the M5 Max and M6 Ultra. Beyond that these weren’t blockbuster updates. But still worth updating as some of the patched vulnerabilities have been actively exploited.
Updates for MacBook Pro
As mentioned, references to some of Apple’s more powerful M5 variants were referenced in macOS 26.3. That’s not surprising as the MacBook Pro is due an update. We should see the arrival of the M5 Pro and M5 Max chip while the design is likely to remain unchanged. No other major new features have been rumoured so far and I’d imagine it’s unlikely we’ll see any other significant changes. This is likely a spec bump update only.
The reference to an M5 Ultra is more interesting as Apple skipped on the M4 Ultra. Its Ultra chips are two Max chips fused together. But the M4 Max didn’t have the connectors built in to allow two of them to be joined. Apple typically reserves its Ultra chips for the Mac Studio and Mac Pro. But there has been some chatter about an M5 Ultra MacBook Pro. I don’t think that will happen. MacBooks have Mach higher thermal packages than desktop computers. Even with advanced cooling designs, cramming an Ultra chip into a MacBook Pro would be difficult without compromises. Never say never though!
iPhone 17e
It’s been about a year since the $599 or £599 iPhone 16e landed. Positioned as a leaner take on the iPhone 16, it delivered the latest chip, a solid camera, and Apple’s own in house modem at a more accessible price. Now attention is turning to its successor, the iPhone 17e.
The 17e is widely expected to inherit the A19 chip from the iPhone 17 lineup. I’m also hoping that MagSafe makes a return after its strange omission from the 16e. On the connectivity side, Apple may move to a newer generation of its custom modem, potentially the C1X first seen in the iPhone Air. We could also see the N1 networking chip make its way here, bringing Apple’s first fully in house solution for Bluetooth, WiFi and Thread into the more affordable tier.
Pricing is expected to remain the same. That won’t make everybody happy. And we’re also unlikely to see a higher refresh rate display with Apple sticking to 60hz. What we will see is Apple push it heavily in price sensitive markets and to businesses. There aren’t many compelling updates to competing products like the Pixel A series. And even Samsung is focusing more attention on its higher end offerings than usual.
YouTube comes to Apple Vision Pro
In a pleasant surprise, YouTube finally released an official app for the Apple Vision Pro. Until now, you could access YouTube via Safari or through third party apps. But there hasn’t been an officially supported way to access YouTube on visionOS until now. It’s a big win for the platform and it’s genuinely great to see it here. That said, there are some standout strengths and a few notable gaps worth calling out.
What I like ✨
- Pinch and hold to orient yourself in 360 VR videos works brilliantly. It feels natural and intuitive.
- A dedicated tab for spatial and VR content makes discovery far easier.
- The immersive space for videos labelled as 3D immersive is well done, and the option to curve the screen adds to the theatre feel.
- 8K playback on the M5 Vision Pro looks superb. Detail is crisp and the experience feels premium.
- Performance is fast and fluid. Timeline scrubbing in particular feels slick.
- The dedicated Shorts feed is a smart touch, with simple gestures to flick and scroll through clips.
What’s missing and what I’d like to see 📝
- You can watch inside Apple’s environments, but you can’t push the screen fully out into that giant cinematic mode where it floats in the distance. Watching over the lake or in Mount Hood with real time reflections would elevate standard videos. Right now, Safari or Tubular Pro are your alternatives for that.
- Juno, now discontinued, used Apple’s MetalFX upscaling to clean up lower bitrate VR footage in real time. It could cost a little battery life, but as an optional toggle it felt worth it. If you don’t already own it, it’s gone.
- Offline playback is a surprising omission, especially for YouTube Premium users. It feels like a missed opportunity.
- Beyond the Theatre mode for immersive 3D videos, there are no custom YouTube built environments. Even letting any video play inside that Theatre space would be a step forward. The third party app, ironically called Theatre, currently sets the bar here.
The bigger issue is fragmentation. No single app delivers the complete experience. You end up jumping between different apps depending on what you want, which undercuts the idea that the official YouTube app should be the definitive place to watch YouTube. In some areas it absolutely is, particularly speed, performance and full resolution 8K playback. But for every strength, there’s a feature you’ll find elsewhere.
My bigger hope is that other major platforms follow. Netflix and Prime Video arriving natively would do more for the long term health of the platform than almost anything else right now.
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