Apple 2026: AI, iPhone Plegable y los Deseos de los Expertos

Apple is poised for a potentially groundbreaking year, with several key updates confirmed and others heavily rumored, including a redesigned Siri and a possible foldable iPhone. Industry experts are now sharing their hopes for the company’s future direction, as Apple navigates an increasingly competitive landscape in artificial intelligence and mobile innovation.

“Apple Needs to Make a Statement”

Alberto García, a leading expert in finding the best deals on Apple products, believes the company must aggressively compete in the AI space, despite a historical reluctance. “I’m quite reluctant to many things related to artificial intelligence, but anything that makes daily work easier is welcome,” García said. “Apple has fallen behind the competition in this aspect, and I hope that by 2026 it can make a statement and catch up.” He also acknowledged incremental improvements already underway, noting subtle changes that enhance user experience.

“I’m quite reluctant to many of the things that have to do with artificial intelligence, but anything that makes daily work easier is welcome. Apple in this aspect has fallen behind with respect to the competition and I hope that for 2026 it can make a statement reaching other competitors.

And little by little it is doing so. It’s not that I’ve noticed a general improvement, but I’ve been seeing small changes. For example, on the Mac I have a shortcut configured to automatically crop the background of images so I can edit them without having to spend several minutes doing it manually in Gimp. About a month ago it was a disaster, but now it generally offers much more accurate results.

I think that’s what Apple needs right now, as it’s doing a great job in other areas like telephony or computers. If it can improve Apple Intelligence next year, I think we can talk about a more than worthy (hopefully even superior) competitor against other proposals away from the brand.”

“Apple Needs to Re-Engage with its Audience”

Antonio Vallejo, who covered the recent WWDC25 event, expressed a desire for Apple to reconnect with its user base by delivering products that live up to the company’s history of innovation. He believes a clear path forward is essential. “As consumers of technology, Apple has accustomed us to responding to all our concerns and desires with great products, some more revolutionary than others,” Vallejo stated. “However, in the last two years I’ve noticed an Apple lost and isolated in a race that is becoming increasingly complicated.”

“As consumers of technology, Apple has accustomed us to responding to all our concerns and desires with great products, some more revolutionary than others. However, these last two years I have noticed an Apple lost and isolated in a race that is becoming increasingly complicated. And I’m not just referring to the issue of AI.

This 2026 I would like the company to return to answering our questions in the way it used to. The bad thing is that we find ourselves in a context where there seem to be more questions than ever. Questions about what’s happening with Siri, what about the foldable iPhone, what about Vision Pro and mixed reality, where does the iPad fit in its roadmap or… will they take the plunge with a MacBook with a touch screen? Will there be more Apple participation in gaming now that Windows is starting to show its seams?

It is very possible that the company will not answer all of them and the rest that I have not mentioned this year, but above all I would like to know what plans the company has to avoid stagnating in an increasingly competitive market. The attempt with the iPhone Air was striking, but not enough to amaze us again. Maybe I’m looking for something from Apple that I will no longer see. Who knows.”

“Siri Needs a Major Evolution”

Guille Lomener, with over a decade of experience covering Apple and having previously worked directly with the company, is focused on Siri and its integration with HomePod devices. He believes 2026 is critical for the assistant’s development, particularly with the anticipated release of a HomePod with a display. “2026 points to being a crucial year for Apple,” Lomener said. “The company has a lot at stake in the field of artificial intelligence, faces design challenges, and the foldable iPhone seems to be just around the corner. But while all eyes are on that, my attention is on something simpler, and something I really want to see Apple succeed in: the HomePod with a display.”

“2026 points to be a crucial year for Apple. The company plays a lot in the field of artificial intelligence, has design challenges and the iPhone foldable seems to be around the corner. But while all eyes are on that, my attention is on something simpler, and in what I really want to see Apple succeed: the HomePod with a screen.

I am a declared fan of the HomePod range. My first model, the original, is an American version that I bought second-hand in Spain long before it was officially sold here. Today, a HomePod and several HomePod minis fill my house with music. However, I recognize that Alexa outperforms Siri in intelligence. That’s why my big hope for 2026 is that Apple finally gives its assistant the evolution it needs and launches that rumored HomePod with a screen, giving a definitive boost to a home range that has been in the background for too long.

The combination of my passion for music with a good assistant and a device as groundbreaking as the one that is intuited (perhaps with a robotic arm or a screen that moves) attracts me much more than a foldable iPhone. Because although I want to see Apple’s foldable, it’s something that we can all imagine. A HomePod like this, however, is seeing Apple in a different territory, innovating and offering an alternative at the height.”

“A Compelling Narrative to Justify Premium Pricing”

Javier Lacort, editor of Xataka and host of the Loop Infinito podcast, is a respected voice in analyzing Apple’s performance. He argues that narrative is vital for convincing consumers, even more so than the product itself. “In 2024, Apple Intelligence was a promise, in 2025 it became a reality and in 2026 it will be a verdict,” Lacort explained. “The important thing is not a specific function, but whether Apple can articulate a value proposition for AI that justifies maintaining its business model intact. Because that’s where the real business is.”

“2024 was the year Apple Intelligence was a promise, in 2025 it became a reality and in 2026 it will be a verdict. The important thing is not a specific function, it is whether Apple manages to articulate a value proposal for AI that justifies maintaining its business model intact. Because that’s where the real business is.

Apple has been dodging an uncomfortable question for two years: what happens when the hardware becomes good enough and users don’t find reasons to upgrade every two years? Generative AI is the official answer, but it’s also a trap. If the experience depends on external servers and third-party models, Apple loses its historical advantage: total vertical control. If it runs locally and isn’t up to par with ChatGPT or Gemini, the story of the “superior experience” collapses.

What interests me about 2026 is not the foldable —which may or may not arrive— but seeing if Apple finds a compelling narrative to continue charging a premium price when the commoditization of hardware also reaches the iPhone.

So far they have lived on being the last to arrive but doing it better. In AI, being the last may mean being irrelevant. And that pressure, unprecedented for them in the smartphone era, is what makes 2026 a trial by fire for Apple.”

“Don’t Forget the Fundamentals of User Experience”

José A. Lizana, science editor, emphasizes the importance of core values and “fundamental” aspects of the Apple experience. While acknowledging the long-standing rumors surrounding AI and foldable devices, he stresses the need to maintain Apple’s established strengths. “For 2026, the Cupertino horizon should finally materialize two of the longest-standing promises of rumorology: the definitive one in the form factor and the true revolution of AI,” Lizana said. “I personally hope that this year will finally see the mythical foldable device (whether it’s an ‘iPhone Fold’ or a hybrid with iPad) stop being a patent and become a tangible product that redefines mobile productivity with a premium finish.”

“For the year 2026, the horizon of Cupertino should materialize finally two of the longest-standing promises of rumorology: the definitive one in the form factor and the true revolution of AI. I personally hope that this year will finally see the mythical device foldable (whether it’s an ‘iPhone Fold’ or a hybrid with iPad), stop being a patent to become a tangible product that redefines mobile productivity with a premium finish.

But logically this hardware has to shine alongside software up to the task, and something I see in 2026 is the true leap of Siri to give way to a kind of version 2.0 that abandons those answers that are hated or a low capacity to understand what we are saying. The goal should undoubtedly be to embrace a real generative AI, capable of understanding deep context, anticipating our needs and maintaining a fluid and human conversation, recovering the throne of virtual assistants.

But futuristic innovation cannot forget the fundamental pillars of the user experience, and here is where the battery is a fundamental point with which I dream every year. For 2026, we should no longer settle for an iPhone that simply “lasts until the end of the day”; but go a step further with a revolution in battery technology that offers us a duration of several days under intensive use.”

“One of the Most Disruptive Years for the Company”

Pedro Aznar, director, believes 2026 will be a pivotal year for Apple, citing factors like advancements in AI, potential design shifts, and the anticipated foldable iPhone. He also points to a possible leadership transition with Tim Cook potentially stepping down to make way for John Ternus. “I’ve been analyzing the world of Apple for almost 20 years, and I see several interesting factors converging in 2026 that could lead to one of the most disruptive years for the company,” Aznar said. “The first of these is the blow in AI. While the competition has been making progress in this area, Apple is looking to define itself with a Siri that can surprise, powered by the new generation of Apple Intelligence.”

“I have been analyzing the world of Apple for almost 20 years, and I see in 2026 several interesting factors converging that can lead to one of the most disruptive years for the company: the first of them is the blow in AI. While the competition has been doing in this field, Apple seeks to define itself with a Siri that can surprise powered by the new generation of Apple Intelligence. This not only would improve the virtual assistant of those from Cupertino, it would also boost the entire ecosystem: this is especially important because Apple devices combined with good AI is something that no competition has.

On the other hand, I see the time for risky bets. Ternus is very much in favor of it, and although he has not yet become the CEO of Apple de facto, his bet on products away from continuity fascinates me: the iPad Pro M4, the iPad Air in 2025… in 2026 we will see a foldable iPhone that I hope will solve the problem of the foldables that already exist, and a serious bet on augmented reality with glasses that can rival (or more) what Meta is doing.

That of course, without counting the update of the Mac range with a redesign in laptops, the new M6 that in my opinion is going to try to match the dedicated graphics cards of PCs, the bet on robotics (which seems very interesting to me) and an improvement in the services that could also be improved by AI, which would become a new more personal interface of suggestions and content curation. What a year awaits us living these Apple adventures together as always in Applesfera!”

“I’ve Been Wanting to See the Foldable iPhone for Years”

Finally, as editor, I’d add my own expectations and predictions. The elephant in the room – or rather, the elephants – are artificial intelligence and the foldable iPhone. Apple also has a significant amount of “silent AI” already integrated into its products. The challenge is that, for many users, AI is understood as a chatbot like ChatGPT, and despite its relative youth, it has become a dominant force. It will be difficult to unseat it, even for Apple with a superior offering.

I’m hopeful that the redesigned Siri will finally convince me it’s a truly useful assistant beyond adding items to a reminder list or telling me sports scores. I trust that everything shown at WWDC24 will deliver on its promise, providing a responsive and intelligent experience based on all the data from my iPhone.

But I have even higher hopes for the foldable iPhone. I had almost given up on it ever happening. The bar is high, and I doubt Apple will fall behind its competitors. The key will be a hinge system that appears to have been improved, as well as software that remains an unknown.

Foldable devices, while I don’t believe they will become the standard over traditional phones, have become the only mobile devices on the market that provide a sense of trying something different. As a technology enthusiast, I value that, with a touch of nostalgia for the 2000s when every mobile phone was different in design. Apple already has that, but if it can also improve on its competitors’ weaknesses, it will have won me over.

Stay Tuned to Applesfera

In 2026, this publication will celebrate 20 years of reporting, analyzing, and experiencing the world of Apple. Much has changed since the first article, where Pedro Aznar, still with us, spoke about the most important Apple museum.

And one thing that has characterized everyone who has passed through here in these two decades is a passion for everything surrounding the brand. And we have never failed. In every keynote, every announcement, and every product, Applesfera has been there.

We have many hopes and predictions for what Apple will bring in 2026, but whether they come true or not, one thing is clear: Applesfera will continue to be here to tell you about it. As quickly as possible and, why not say it, with the best coverage. And all so that you continue to accompany us for another year.

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