For a long time, Apple has been considered as the hallmark of innovation, setting trends rather than following. However, when it comes to artificial intelligence, the aging giant of the tech world seems to have been weakened. An ambitious renovation of the firm’s voice enabled virtual assistant, Siri, was once flaunted as a giant leap in the future for artificial intelligence, but now it has been postponed.
Frustrated users and industry analysts express their discontent as questions about the tech giant’s slow progress arise. The updates were to have occurred sometime after the release of iOS 18.4 by April. This seemed to have triggered fears about Apple’s ability to keep up with competitors in the AI race, as new reports claimed the full rollout may not happen until 2027.
Apple’s AI Vision Crashing
Last year’s WWDC, Apple publicized its ambitious Apple Intelligence program, promising more intelligent and personal AI-centric experiences, especially from an upgraded Siri. The internal hurdles, ranging from repetitive bugs to being questioned on the digital assistant’s usefulness, have forced the company to push the release timeline.
John Gruber, the famous Apple commentator, in his Daring Fireball Blog, criticized Apple for the overpromises and the missed deadlines, along with comparing the situation to Apple’s past failures like the MobileMe disaster of 2008. Gruber put forward a case for Apple’s leaders to take ownership and said,
“When mediocrity, excuses, and bullshit take root, they take over. A culture of excellence, accountability, and integrity cannot abide the acceptance of any of those things, and will quickly collapse upon itself with the acceptance of all three”.
Discontent among Tech Experts
As expected, the delay has since provoked an avalanche of discontent on social media. Users began branding Apple with accusations of misleading marketing tactics on X (formerly Twitter), explaining that the company promoted Apple Intelligence along with the iPhone 15 launch, although the features were not available at release.
Irritated Reddit users have begun labeling Apple’s AI promises as “vaporware”, a term for massively advertised products that fail to be delivered upon. Apparently, to control the damage in light of the backlash, Apple has either removed or hid marketing initiatives for the AI-powered Siri update, including the TV ad featuring Game of Thrones actress Bella Ramsey.
Apple’s Response and Market Impact
Even after such derogatory publicity, Apple continues to hold a good course for Apple Intelligence. CEO, Tim Cook has suggested that iPhones sales in parts where the AI features are available have surpassed sales in other regions, which indicates that the consumer’s demand remains strong. Shedding light on what many would call its AI nature of privacy first, Apple declares that a majority of its features are meant to run fully on-device (none end-to-end) and more complex procedures would require secure processing through encrypted servers.
Apple Intelligence is expected to be released in major markets across the EU, China, and India in the following weeks. However, analysts aren’t too hopeful about it, as Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo doubts about the impact that AI would have on iPhone upgrades, citing surveys indicating that AI-powered features do not interest many users. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has warned about Apple’s slow rollout, which would cause it to fall further behind in the race with rivals like Samsung and Google, as both are integrating AI fiercely into their latest smartphones.
Apple Intelligence a Hope?
From the beginning, Apple’s AI approach has been one with caution. Instead of fast innovation, the company favored user privacy and gradual improvement of its software. The fast-paced developments in the field of conversational AI and virtual assistants by now have forced Apple to step up its AI game. While the prospects for Apple Intelligence continue to be bright, Apple now must work to regain consumer trust and create evidence that its AI ambitions are more than just a marketing pitch.
Apple’s AI delay is not merely a small holdup in the timeline, rather it provides an alarming instance of how the company’s flawless name is beginning to crack. Apple has lived on building award-winning products for years, even at the cost of being fashionably late, but with AI moving so fast, being late can mean being worthless. Apple Intelligence still stands a hope, but the slow rollouts may drive loyal clients away from Apple and give competing companies the edge.
