Key Points
- Apple’s next major update, iOS 27, is expected to focus on quality, performance, and bug fixes rather than flashy new features.
- This “back to basics” approach is being compared to the 2009 Mac OS X Snow Leopard release.
- A major focus for Apple is also catching up in the AI race, with plans for a new AI search tool and a revamp of Apple Intelligence.
- A smarter, AI-powered Siri is expected to arrive before iOS 27, possibly in the spring with iOS 26.4.
After years of rolling out major changes with its annual iOS updates, Apple might be taking a different approach for its next big release. According to Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter, Apple is planning to focus on “improving the software’s quality and underlying performance” for iOS 27, rather than introducing a host of flashy new features. The company will also be heavily focused on improving its AI capabilities.
This shift comes after iOS 26, which brought the major “Liquid Glass” design overhaul, and a series of AI features that have felt a bit unfinished since the launch of Apple Intelligence last year. Now, Apple is reportedly zeroing in on improving the user experience.
Gurman writes that “engineering teams are now combing through Apple’s operating systems, hunting for bloat to cut, bugs to eliminate, and any opportunity to boost performance and overall quality meaningfully.” He compares this new strategy to the 2009 release of Snow Leopard for Mac, which focused on bug fixes, system cleanup, and efficiency.
Catching up in the AI race is also a top priority, the report says. Apple is working on a new AI-powered web search tool and a major overhaul of Apple Intelligence, along with plans to integrate its AI into more of its apps.
We are still waiting for the smarter, more personal, AI-powered Siri that Apple has been talking about since 2024. However, Gurman expects that to arrive before iOS 27, possibly with the release of iOS 26.4 this coming spring. This suggests that while iOS 27 might be light on brand-new features, users can still expect significant AI-related improvements in the near future.
