Vivian Toh is the chief editor of TechTechChina, a Chinese tech news startup.
In June 2024, Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence, an on-device AI system that rebranded Siri into a more intuitive assistant. Yet in China, Apple's "revolutionary" move barely caused a ripple. Here, on-device models have been transforming the smartphone experience for years. Local players like Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo and Honor are redefining user interactions with their advanced AI systems, leaving Apple struggling to catch up.
