Apple just closed the book on Tim Cook’s final quarter as CEO with a staggering $109.42 billion in revenue. But the celebration was tempered by a glaring omission: the next-generation Siri AI, poised to redefine how we interact with our devices, still can’t get past European regulators.

That tension—record financials against a stalled flagship software feature—defines Cook’s farewell earnings call. For Windows users, the numbers and the regulatory deadlock matter more than you might think. They signal shifting competitive dynamics in hardware, AI integration, and platform lock-in.

What Apple’s $109.42 Billion Quarter Actually Looked Like

Fiscal Q3 2026 delivered across nearly every product line. Revenue jumped 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion, while net profit reached $29.8 billion, according to Apple’s investor update. Gross margin held above 50%, a rare feat that underscores Apple’s pricing power and services expansion.

iPhone sales remained the engine: $54.25 billion, up 21.7% from a year earlier. Mac revenue surged 28.7% to $10.35 billion, a standout figure in a PC market that’s been struggling to ignite a meaningful AI-driven upgrade cycle. Wearables, Home and Accessories grew 6.5% to $7.88 billion. Only iPad slipped, down 5.9% to $6.19 billion, likely due to a lull before an anticipated refresh.

Services—App Store, iCloud, subscriptions—brought in $30.74 billion, a 12.1% gain. That recurring revenue stream now rivals the size of a Fortune 50 company, and it’s the foundation on which Apple intends to layer AI-powered experiences.

For context, this quarter represents Tim Cook’s last financial report as CEO. He steps down on September 1, 2026, handing over a company with nearly $4 trillion in market capitalization, four times what it was when he took over in 2011.

The Siri AI Gap: Europe Stays on Hold

During the earnings call, the final question put to Cook was about Siri AI’s availability in the European Union. His response: Apple is “working toward” regulatory approval. That non-answer confirms what we’ve known since WWDC 2026: the completely rebuilt Siri AI will not launch on iPhones and iPads in the EU this fall.

Apple first announced the delay in June, attributing it to interoperability requirements under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The European Commission pushed back, arguing that Apple sought an exemption rather than delivering a compliant product. Regardless of who’s right, the result is the same: millions of EU users will be stuck with the legacy Siri when iOS 27 ships.

This isn’t a wholesale block of AI in Europe, though. Siri AI will work on Macs and Apple Vision Pro in the EU, provided they’re configured in a supported language. The issue is specific to the iPhone and iPad platform relationship with the DMA, likely because Apple’s tightly controlled integration model—where Siri AI needs deep system access—clashes with the regulation’s demand for gatekeeper neutrality.

How We Got Here: From Google Gemini to DMA Headaches

Rewind to WWDC 2026. Apple unveiled a Siri AI that finally behaves like a modern assistant. It runs on a three-tier architecture: an Apple-Google co-developed foundation model (yes, Gemini technology under the hood), a personal-context layer that parses your emails, photos, and calendars, and an action layer that reaches across apps. The demo showed it pulling photos into an email draft or splitting a restaurant bill based on what’s on screen—all on-device or via Apple’s Private Cloud Compute, with promises that even Apple can’t see your data.

Apple also announced the “27 era” operating systems: iOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, visionOS 27. Siri AI was meant to be the thread connecting them all, available in beta this autumn with English support and more languages to follow. But from day one, two major markets were excluded: China and the European Union.

The China block is largely geopolitical. The EU block is regulatory. Apple’s privacy sales pitch—on-device processing, no data hoarding—has always been a competitive advantage over Google and Amazon. But the DMA’s interoperability clauses could force Apple to open up hooks that third-party assistants might use, potentially undermining that privacy story. Apple is now in a standoff, trying to prove that Siri AI’s deep integration doesn’t violate the DMA while preserving the walled garden that makes it unique.

What This Means for Windows Users, Developers, and IT

If you’re a Windows user, you might read this and shrug. But the Siri AI stall and Apple’s hardware momentum directly affect the choices you’ll face in the next year.

For everyday users who own both Windows PCs and iPhones: The EU delay means the “personal context” feature—the one that scans your life to help with tasks—won’t be available if your iPhone is set up in the EU. You’ll miss out on cross-app workflows that could, for instance, automatically surface a boarding pass when you arrive at the airport. Microsoft’s Copilot has similar ambitions on Windows, but it relies more on web data than intimate device knowledge. If Apple can’t ship Siri AI in Europe soon, it might weaken the argument for staying in the iPhone camp, especially for those considering a switch to a more AI-capable Android phone—or even a Windows Phone if that ever revives.

For power users and developers: Apple’s Mac sales surge is a signal. A 28.7% jump suggests that high-end buyers are choosing macOS over Windows for AI workloads, creative apps, or simply because Apple Silicon still leads in performance per watt. But if you’re building apps that leverage on-device AI, you now have to account for a fragmented Siri AI rollout: full power on Macs everywhere, full power on iPhones and iPads only outside the EU, and a hobbled version inside the EU. That’s a compliance headache.

For IT administrators: Macs in the enterprise are growing. But if your company operates in the EU, the Siri AI gap on iPhones could complicate support. Employees who rely on AI-driven productivity features might find their company-issued iPhones less helpful than their personal Android devices, creating new pressure on BYOD policies.

For anyone eyeing the AI assistant race: The Google Gemini partnership is fascinating for Windows watchers. Google is Microsoft’s archrival in cloud and office productivity. Yet Apple, with no search engine of its own, is leaning on Gemini to power Siri AI’s world knowledge. Microsoft, by contrast, built Copilot on its own models (with some underlying OpenAI technology). The competitive triangle—Apple-Google, Microsoft-OpenAI—could define how AI assistants evolve on every platform.

What You Can Actually Do About It

If you’re in the EU and waiting for Siri AI on your iPhone, your options are limited. You can’t bypass the block by changing your region; Apple ties the AI availability to the device’s regulatory domain. However, you can:

  • Wait for a DMA resolution. Apple is actively negotiating. A mid-cycle iOS 27 update could bring Siri AI to the EU. Keep an eye on Apple’s developer beta notes for any mention of EU eligibility.
  • Use a Mac or Vision Pro as your primary AI hub. On those devices in the EU, Siri AI will be available. If you’re already in the Apple ecosystem, this might be a workaround for the most complex tasks.
  • Try cross-platform alternatives. Microsoft Copilot, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa are all available in the EU and continue to improve. While none offer the same deep system integration on iOS as Siri AI promises, they handle many of the same queries and can be set as your default assistant through their respective apps.

For IT departments, now is the time to audit how your workforce uses AI assistants. If you’re provisioning iPhones to EU-based employees, factor in that Siri AI features may be absent for an indefinite period. That could influence your hardware refresh timing or even push a trial of Android devices for certain teams.

Developers should test their apps against the expected split: assume Siri AI is available on Macs and non-EU iPhones, unavailable on EU iPhones, and design graceful fallbacks. Apple’s own App Intents framework can still surface your app’s actions to Siri even without the new AI, but the proactive, context-aware features will be missing.

The Road Ahead

Tim Cook leaves Apple with a balance sheet that most CEOs can only dream of, but his successor will inherit a simmering regulatory crisis. The EU’s stance on AI interoperability could become a blueprint for other jurisdictions, including the UK, Australia, and even the US under certain administrations. If Apple has to open up iOS to third-party assistant integrations to get Siri AI approved, the company’s carefully constructed privacy narrative could crack.

The next milestone is the public release of iOS 27, likely in September 2026. Watch whether the beta includes any Siri AI functionality for EU testers—that would be a clear signal a deal is close. Also watch Microsoft’s response: a successful Mac quarter and a stuttering Siri AI might prompt more aggressive Copilot bundling with Windows 11.

For now, Apple’s record quarter is a testament to its hardware and services dominance. But the Siri AI stall is a reminder that even a $109 billion quarter can’t buy your way out of a regulatory corner.