Apple Mac Manual Adds Qwen Page, Apple Intelligence Now Integrates Alibaba's Model

Apple's Chinese website has added a new page to the Mac User Guide titled "Use Qwen with Apple Intelligence on Mac", indicating that Apple Intelligence can work with Alibaba's Qwen model. Qwen is not entering the Mac as a standalone app but is directly embedded into Apple Intelligence's core use cases: when Siri cannot directly complete certain requests, users can further call upon Qwen for more in-depth answers, including analysis of photos and document content. In writing tools, users can also use Qwen to generate text or images based on text descriptions.

Apple's cooperation with Alibaba had been building beforehand. In July 2026, Apple Intelligence-related generative AI services completed filing with Chinese regulators. To meet Chinese market regulatory requirements, Apple chose to partner with Alibaba and Baidu, with Alibaba's Qwen model to be integrated into Apple devices, covering iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS. Apple had been advancing relevant regulatory procedures since early 2025 and developed certain AI features for the Chinese market in collaboration with Alibaba and Baidu. The update to Apple's official user manual is the first to specify this cooperation in concrete user scenarios.

Apple is building a tiered AI system. The underlying layer still relies on Apple Silicon and on-device models to handle personalized tasks, with the Mac currently positioned as "built for AI", emphasizing on-device AI processing and privacy protection. When more complex problems requiring stronger model capabilities arise, the system can call upon external models. Overseas markets have previously adopted a similar approach to integrate third-party model capabilities, while in the Chinese market, local AI vendors take on this role.

On the Alibaba side, the Qwen app is adding office, lifestyle services, AI agents, and image and video generation functions. Alibaba's latest model, Qwen 3.8-Max, has been released, and Alibaba Cloud plays an important role in commercializing model capabilities. For Alibaba, the significance of the Apple partnership lies in model distribution through a system-level entry point; if a large number of Chinese Apple devices invoke Qwen through system functions, Alibaba will gain call volumes and industry endorsement.

Apple Intelligence has not yet launched simultaneously in the mainland Chinese market. Chinese handset makers such as Huawei, Xiaomi, and OPPO have already integrated generative AI, agents, and system-level AI capabilities into their products. Apple has adopted a localized cooperation approach, with Apple providing the devices, chips, operating system, and entry points, while Chinese vendors such as Alibaba provide local large model capabilities. According to Apple's website, for certain requests, Siri can use Qwen to provide more in-depth answers.