Quote · Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast
WWDC 2026: Is Siri Actually Good Now?
Where this was said
iPadOS, WatchOS, and the HomePod Siri Exclusion
At 1:00:12 · chapter starts 48:50
iPadOS 27 inherits nearly all iPhone improvements plus one iPad-specific highlight: file transfers to and from external drives are up to 5 times faster. WatchOS 27's support list generated controversy: Apple initially announced Series 10 and up, corrected it to Series 9 and up, but either way the Apple Watch Ultra 1 — a relatively recent premium product — is excluded, surprising the crew. Vision Pro gains a floating Siri orb (Adam's favorite announcement), the ability to use personal panoramas as immersive environments (David offers 60+ on his website), real-world object identification via Siri, and a new Iceland environment. The HomePod revelation lands as the sharpest irony of the update: Apple's dedicated Siri smart speaker is the only Apple product that won't receive the new Siri AI, because it simply lacks the RAM to run any of the new models — leaving hundreds of dollars of hardware on the old, limited assistant.
Transferring files between an external drive and an iPad is now up to 5 times faster in iPadOS 27.
WatchOS 27 only supports Apple Watch Series 9 and newer, dropping the Apple Watch Ultra 1 and SE 2 — surprising given how recently those were sold.
Every HomePod — including the $400 full-size model — is excluded from the new Siri AI because the hardware lacks sufficient RAM. The device Apple sells specifically as a smart speaker powered by Siri is the one product that won't see any of these improvements.
No HomePod model — including the $400 full-size HomePod — will receive the new Siri AI because the hardware lacks sufficient RAM.
