Apple's virtual Siri orb is a reminder that user interfaces matter

As AI is being added to more apps and operating systems, attention is shifting to how those systems present themselves. Apple’s new glowing Siri orb for visionOS stands out by actively lighting its surroundings, while Google and Microsoft have taken a far less accommodating approach to their AI interfaces.

A fully AI-powered Siri will arrive on all of Apple’s operating systems later this year, and developers already have access. On iOS and macOS the interface is modest, but on the Vision Pro’s visionOS the Siri AI orb is notable: a movable, glowing ball whose AR rendering casts environmental light on nearby surfaces.

By contrast, the visionOS windows in the demo look flat and unnatural because they cast no shadows or light. Microsoft’s Copilot in Excel appears as a floating button that overlaps spreadsheet cells; you can dock it to the edge of the window but it still obscures content, and the only way to remove it is to disable Copilot (File > Options > Copilot).

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