The Latest: Siri updated in artificial-intelligence rivalry

Analysts are saying that Apple's upcoming updates to its Siri voice assistant should help the company address criticisms that it can't compete on artificial intelligence.

Apple is now opening Siri to apps made by other companies, and like Google and Microsoft, it's bringing the digital assistant to desktop and laptop computers.

Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy explains it as Apple using non-personal information in aggregate to teach Siri new tricks, then having all the personalization take place on the individual device.

Analyst Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research says the changes announced in San Francisco on Monday should make Siri "substantially more useful and effective as an assistant and keep it competitive with alternatives from Google, Amazon and others."

A new messaging app and improvements to maps and the Siri voice assistant are among the new features coming to iPhones and iPads.

[...] Apple says its HomeKit smart-home system is getting a new look, as more consumer electronics companies and now home builders get on board.

Apple is trying to make its messaging app smarter, more versatile and more engaging as part of an upcoming update to its iPhone software.

Users will be able to change the size of the bubbles surrounding the text to help convey the feelings underlying the words.

Besides trying to compete against big rivals such as Google, Apple is also trying to keep its iPhone users engaged on its messaging app instead of spending more time on trendier alternatives such as Snapchat.

Apple has re-designed its in-house apps for maps, music and news in an attempt to make them more useful and less complicated.

Senior vice president Eddy Cue says that will enable you to find a restaurant, book a reservation, request a car from Uber or Lyft and pay for it using Apple Pay, all without leaving the Maps app.

For Apple Music, now with 15 million paying subscribers, the company is unveiling a redes