Apple Integrates Alibaba Qwen AI into Macs in China

Apple published a guide on August 10, 2026, allowing eligible Mac users in mainland China to integrate Alibaba's Qwen artificial intelligence service with Siri and Writing Tools. The feature is available for devices running macOS 26.6 or later and enables users to perform complex document analysis, photo analysis, and content generation. To access the service, users must opt in and sign in to a Qwen account.

Under the terms of the agreement, Alibaba is prohibited from using integrated materials to train its AI models. While Alibaba previously indicated that Qwen would eventually be incorporated across all Apple Intelligence software in China—including iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro—the current integration applies only to Mac computers. Separately, Alibaba recently released Qwen3.8-Max, a model featuring 2.4 trillion parameters.

The move is a strategic effort to regain ground in China's AI PC market. Apple currently holds a 9% market share, trailing domestic rivals Lenovo, which holds 31% and promotes its Tianxi personal AI agent, and Huawei, which holds 16% and is building AI functions across its HarmonyOS ecosystem. This follows a decline in Apple's Chinese market share, with Mac shipments dropping 9% year-on-year in the first quarter to approximately 800,000 units.