Apple made a late entry with its AI solution for iPhone, iPad, and Mac last June. But what we got at WWDC 2024 was a bold vision of Apple Intelligence encompassing various generative AI features that were on par with what the competition was doing. More importantly, Apple Intelligence offered an AI vision that few others could deliver: An AI integration at the system level that provices a more advanced assistant than rival offerings, and a more private one, too.
As impressive as ChatGPT is, the smart Siri coming to iPhone, iPad, and Mac would do things OpenAI can’t hope to offer users until it launches its own hardware. The smart Siri in Apple Intelligence would get access to apps and personal data so it could do things that no other AI can pull off.
Samsung, which launched Galaxy AI several months before Apple Intelligence, lacked a similar vision. There was no alternative to smart Siri. At Google, we still had to wait for a Gemini assistant that would be able to match the capabilities Apple advertised for Siri.
Fast-forward to mid-March, some six months since the iPhone 16 series launched without Apple Intelligence on board, let alone the smart Siri. And now, we just learned that the smart Siri in Apple Intelligence is vaporware.
Apple can’t ship that big Siri upgrade for at least another year. And we won’t even get to test an early version of it via the iOS 18.4 beta, like we thought we would. I’m disappointed about how Apple chose to bait us with Apple Intelligence’s Siri, but I still have high hopes about seeing this sort of experience on the iPhone in the not-too-distant future.
John Gruber has a great explanation of why the smart Siri in Apple Intelligence is vaporware. It’s also the kind of criticism that Apple leadership should read, seeing that it’s coming from a big Apple fan and insider with the kind of access to Apple that not many others have.
I won’t repeat what Gruber said, but I will point out that what Apple did is even worse than Google’s fake Gemini demo from December 2023. At the time, I said the following:
But the way Google went about demoing Gemini is disingenuous. It makes me question all the Gemini clips that Google released. Everything Gemini-related is vaporware until proven to be accurate in the real world.
Also, yes, every tech company crafts careful stories in demos and marketing clips. But it’s one thing to fake press photos for a phone and quite another to fake the abilities of an AI product, considering all the worries about AI misuse out there.
Why imply Gemini is so amazing when it’s clear that anyone who likes testing generative AI software will try to replicate that video?
With Apple Intelligence’s Siri, we never even got to test the features Apple showed at WWDC 2024.
Since that December 2023 presentation, Google has fixed its Gemini demos. Even better, the Gemini features Google demos make it into commercial devices. So far, Google is winning the AI wars, at least when it comes to built-in AI capabilities for smartphones. Even Galaxy AI on Samsung phones looks more compelling than Apple Intelligence now that the smart Siri isn’t coming soon.
Without the smarter Siri, Apple Intelligence is absolutely disappointing. There’s nothing in it to make me want to use it, and I just got access to it on iPhone and iPad given that I’m a European Apple Intelligence user.
Apple certainly has a lot of cleanup to do. It has to fix its reputation and be honest with consumers about its AI rollout plans. Also, Apple might have to fire some high-ranking executives over this. It’s much worse than the Apple Maps fiasco that saw Scott Forstall get fired.
But despite all that, and because of it, I’m still hopeful that Apple will deliver the smart Siri assistant it presented as a concept during its Apple Intelligence presentation last summer. It’s not just about saving face or proving it wants to ship the products it announces. AI is the future of personal computing, whether it’s called Apple Intelligence or something else.
That smart Siri assistant won’t be the only one. We’re starting to get AI agents from Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google that will behave more and more like personal assistants. The smart Siri that Apple wanted to introduce with Apple Intelligence this year is practically an AI agent that can handle personal data, use apps on your behalf, and manage files.
I’m also convinced that Apple has that Siri working internally, only it’s not reliable. Apple needs more time. Again, read Gruber’s take on the whole Apple Intelligence vaporware thing, and you’ll understand how bad the Siri situation is. Apple isn’t ready for live demos of any kind. Forget about having that smart Siri debut via an iOS 18.4 beta update.
The reason I’m willing to cut Apple some slack here is twofold. First, I’m deeply entrenched in Apple’s ecosystems. The hardware and software mostly “just work,” and I’m not about to leave it behind. AI will come to them at Apple’s own pace.
Secondly, Apple’s big committment to privacy when it comes to AI is really important to me. Privacy is the number one issue I have with any AI product I might try. I want to know what happens to my data and what I can trust the AI with.
That said, Apple’s marketing department better learn something from this fiasco. You can’t rush some software features, especially in a field where Apple is still playing catch-up. After all, it’s no wonder that others haven’t already deployed the smart Siri Apple is working on. Hopefully, we won’t see more Apple Intelligence vaporware at WWDC 2025. I’d rather take dull Apple Intelligence progress over exciting concept videos that might never become commercial products.
