Apple enthusiasts are eagerly waiting for June, when Apple will host its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), where Apple will reportedly roll out its AI-powered Siri and other AI features. However, there are some, including Perplexity CEO Arvind Srinivas, who believe AI does not make much difference for iPhone sales at a time when other smartphone manufacturers are stuffing AI wherever possible. This sentiment is also reflected in the numbers. Apple has achieved a 21% market share and 5% YoY growth in Q1 2026, as per Counterpoint.
Apple announced a revamped Siri in 2025, but since then it has been delayed several times. Though the latest iPhones have AI-based Apple Intelligence features, these are not as impressive as those available on Android smartphones.
But the Perplexity CEO thinks AI will not disrupt iPhone sales, and that the iPhone will benefit from continual AI improvement. Srinivas was speaking on the latest episode of the This Week in AI podcast.
“iPhone not getting disrupted by AI”
“Here’s my opinion. I haven’t said this before. The phone, the iPhone, is actually not getting disrupted by AI at all. In fact, the more AI works better, the iPhone essentially becomes your digital passport,” Srinivas said.
Srinivas says even though people have differing opinions about Siri, Apple has an ecosystem, chip, and hardware advantage, due to which people have trust in the brand.
“My sense is that even though a lot of people have opinions on how bad Siri is or how good Siri is, [Apple has] the ability to take time and do things they want to do, because they have advantages as a brand that people truly trust. The ecosystem lock-in is underrated. Auxiliary hardware devices, the chip advantage, all of this is really underrated right now,” Srinivas said.
Ecosystem strength continues to drive growth
Similar sentiments were also expressed by Counterpoint in its report, where it said, among other reasons, “ecosystem stickiness drove overall volume growth despite a softer macro environment.”
While it may not be entirely true for India, Srinivas believes that the iPhone has become central to people’s lives, as it holds their cards, passes, health records, and much more, which is not related to AI.
“It has your wallet, it has all your cards, it has your passes, it has your health records, you connect with other human beings through it, you do FaceTimes, you do calls, you have photos of precious moments in your life,” Srinivas said.
