Siri is Apple’s answer to smartphone virtual assistants. Unfortuntely, many consider Siri the weakest virtual assistant on the market today, as it falls far behind competitors like Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa. This is a hard fact that even the most ardent Apple fan cannot refute. Apple was expected to give Siri a massive makeover with Apple Intelligence. However, a recent report claims that Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, hinted at a potential delay for the new and improved Siri.
Apple Intelligence: A Delayed Promise
In a post on X, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman quotes the Apple CEO, who indicates that the improved Siri will arrive in the “next several months,” suggesting a delay. One caveat to note is that Cook never explicitly mentioned a delay. Gurman suggests that Cook might have chosen this language on purpose or that the improved Siri is genuinely delayed.
If it’s the latter, we’re not surprised. Apple plans to revamp Siri with a focus on Apple Intelligence, aiming to compete with other AI-powered assistants like Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Apple initially introduced Apple Intelligence at WWDC 2024. However, till today, Apple hasn’t released the full suite of AI features. In a recent iOS 18 update, Apple introduced some basic AI features, but these fall short of the capabilities the company promised its users. In fact, there are rumors claiming that the full suite of Apple Intelligence features might only arrive in 2026.
Potential legal troubles?
Apple Intelligence was expected to be a major selling point for the iPhone 16 series. If these AI features remain delayed or underwhelming, it could open the door to potential lawsuits over false advertising.
This would not be the first time Apple has faced similar legal challenges. In fact, a previous lawsuit was also related to Siri. When Siri was first introduced, some customers filed lawsuits alleging misleading claims about its capabilities. If Apple Intelligence doesn’t deliver on its promises, history could repeat itself.
What’s next?
With the delay of Apple Intelligence, Apple finds itself in a bad position. The longer Apple takes to roll out its AI features, the more space they are leaving for the competition. Companies like Google have made tremendous strides in their AI deployment and efforts. More recently, Chinese startup DeepSeek has rolled out its own AI, which according to the reviews is actually on par with ChatGPT. Wasting time means fewer users might be inclined to use it when it becomes available.
