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Apple’s iPhone Event May Lack Spark, but Rumored Slim ‘iPhone Air’ Could Drive Upgrades

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Apple is set to unveil its latest iPhone lineup on Tuesday, but analysts warn the launch could feel underwhelming compared with rivals’ rapid AI integration. The highlight may be the rumored “iPhone Air”, a slimmer model designed to echo the sleekness of Apple’s MacBook Air.

The thinner device would require Apple to solve battery and camera design challenges while fitting into a price band between the base iPhone 17 and Pro models. Analysts say this new form factor could entice iPhone 14–16 users to upgrade, offering Apple its first meaningful design shift in years.

Some see the “Air” as a stepping stone toward foldable iPhones and a more advanced Siri, though foldables are not expected until next year. Competitors like Samsung and Google already have folding models, but they remain a niche category at less than 2% of global sales. Apple faces added pressure in China, where foldables are popular and its market share has slipped.

Pricing remains a sensitive issue amid Trump’s tariff policies. Apple may quietly push margins higher through storage-based price increases, avoiding direct price hikes that could trigger political backlash, analysts say.

On the AI front, Apple has lagged rivals. Plans to revamp Siri were delayed by engineering hurdles, forcing the company to lean on OpenAI’s ChatGPT integration. Apple is also in early talks to use Google’s Gemini AI to strengthen Siri. Analysts expect the company to tout the AI processing power of its next-gen Apple Silicon chips, paving the way for an “agentic Siri” that can handle tasks in the background without draining device batteries.

While Apple’s customer base remains loyal, experts warn the company now has months, not years, to prove it can match competitors in AI and form-factor innovation. “By this time next year, if Siri still disappoints and the foldable isn’t out, Apple’s content base could erode,” said Bob O’Donnell of TECHnalysis Research.

Apple Explores Using AI to Accelerate Chip Design, Says Executive

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Apple is exploring the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up the design of its custom chips, a senior hardware technology executive revealed during a recent speech.

Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, spoke last month in Belgium while receiving an award from Imec, a semiconductor research and development group that collaborates with leading chipmakers worldwide.

In his speech, Srouji traced Apple’s journey in chip design from the introduction of the first A4 chip in the iPhone back in 2010 to the latest processors powering Mac desktop computers and the Vision Pro headset. He emphasized that using the most advanced design tools is essential to meet the growing complexity of Apple’s chips.

He highlighted the importance of electronic design automation (EDA) software, developed by companies like Cadence Design Systems and Synopsys, which are increasingly integrating AI technologies into their platforms. According to Srouji, generative AI has strong potential to boost productivity by enabling more chip design work in less time.

Srouji also reflected on Apple’s bold strategic decisions, especially the 2020 transition of its Mac computers from Intel processors to its own Apple Silicon chips. The move involved no fallback plans or partial rollouts, reflecting Apple’s commitment to fully owning the chip design and software integration process.

“Moving the Mac to Apple Silicon was a huge bet for us. There was no backup plan, no split-the lineup plan, so we went all in, including a monumental software effort,” Srouji said.

Steam Launches Native Apple Silicon Support in Latest macOS Beta Update

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Steam has taken a major step toward full Apple Silicon support with its latest beta release for macOS. As of Thursday, testers using Macs with M-series chips can now run both the Steam client and its companion helper app natively, eliminating the need for Rosetta 2 emulation. This shift marks a significant performance upgrade, as Valve prepares to transition Steam into a Universal app that better utilizes the hardware capabilities of Apple’s custom silicon.

According to release notes published Friday, the updated beta allows the Steam app to run directly on Apple Silicon, with no reliance on Apple’s Rosetta 2 translation layer. Rosetta has served as a useful bridge for running Intel-based apps on M1 and M2 machines, but native support offers better speed and energy efficiency. Valve’s move brings Steam in line with a growing number of macOS applications that have already embraced native Apple Silicon performance.

Early feedback from beta testers has been largely positive. Users report that the native version of Steam for Mac launches noticeably faster and offers smoother navigation across core sections like the Library, Store, and Community tabs. Since the Steam client uses Chromium for its interface—a platform not known for its efficiency—the performance gains are particularly welcome. While the stable release still runs under Rosetta 2, Valve is expected to bring the native version to all users in an upcoming update.

Apple first introduced its M1-powered Macs in late 2020, prompting a wave of developers to optimize their software for the new architecture. In the years since, many popular apps have transitioned to Universal binaries that run seamlessly on both Intel and Apple Silicon machines. Valve’s move to join that list underscores the growing importance of native optimization, especially for power users and gamers who demand faster, more responsive software on modern Macs.