Apple iOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27: Siri AI & Liquid Glass
▼ Summary
– Apple has released its 2026 annual operating system updates, including iOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27, visionOS 27, and tvOS 27.
– The flagship feature across most platforms is Siri AI, a large language model overhaul that offers context-aware responses and direct app interaction.
– New AI capabilities include generating Shortcut automations, creating Safari extensions from prompts, and enhanced photo editing tools via a dedicated Siri app.
– These Apple Intelligence features are powered by various AFM 3 and ADM 3 models, ranging from on-device sparse architecture to powerful cloud-based servers.
– Users can now adjust the transparency of the Liquid Glass design through a slider, with macOS receiving additional polish based on previous user feedback.
Apple has officially rolled out its 2026 major annual updates for its ecosystem, launching iOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27, visionOS 27, and tvOS 27. The centerpiece of this year’s release is Siri AI, a comprehensive overhaul driven by large language models and context awareness. This significant upgrade to the voice and text assistant appears across all new operating systems, with the notable exception of tvOS.
The updated Siri is designed to handle natural language commands with greater nuance. It can now explain visual content on screen, search through a user’s personal history such as old emails and messages, and directly interact with applications when developers have enabled that support. Beyond conversational capabilities, the update introduces Apple Intelligence features like generating Shortcut automations or Safari extensions from simple prompts, alongside enhanced photo editing tools. A dedicated Siri app has also been introduced, offering an interface comparable to standalone AI chat applications like ChatGPT or Claude.
Under the hood, these capabilities are powered by Apple’s proprietary AFM 3 model family. For on-device processing, the system utilizes AFM 3 Core, which contains 3 billion parameters, and AFM 3 Core Advanced, a larger model with 20 billion parameters. The advanced version employs a sparse architecture that activates only 1 to 4 billion parameters at any given time, depending on the specific request. For more complex tasks, the system relies on remote server-based models including AFM 3 Cloud, ADM 3 Cloud for image generation, and the more powerful AFM3 Cloud Pro.
Refining Liquid Glass
While AI dominates the headlines, the visual identity of the operating systems continues to evolve under the Liquid Glass design language. Users now have direct control over the aesthetic, thanks to a new slider that allows them to adjust the level of transparency or opacity throughout the interface.
This adjustment comes in response to ongoing feedback since the initial introduction of the design philosophy. On macOS, Apple has implemented numerous subtle design tweaks to polish the experience. While there are no radical changes to the overall look, these refinements address specific user concerns and represent a necessary step in perfecting the visual presentation of the new OS versions.
(Source: Ars Technica)
