Key Points
- Apple overpromised features that never materialised: Gadjo Sevilla
- It delayed the rollout of the Siri upgrade
- Apple seemed to underestimate the AI shift: Gene Munster
SAN FRANCISCO, United States: Pressure is on Apple to show it hasn’t lost its magic despite broken promises to ramp up iPhones with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as rivals race ahead with the technology.
Apple will showcase plans for its coveted devices and the software powering them at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicking off Monday in Silicon Valley.
The event comes a year after the tech titan said a suite of AI features it dubbed “Apple Intelligence” was heading for iPhones, including an improvement of its much criticised Siri voice assistant.
“Apple advertised a lot of features as if they were going to be available, and it just didn’t happen,” noted Emarketer senior analyst Gadjo Sevilla.
Delaying Siri upgrade
Instead, Apple delayed the rollout of the Siri upgrade, with hopes that it will be available in time for the next iPhone release, expected in the fall.
“I don’t think there is going to be that much of a celebratory tone at WWDC,” the analyst told AFP. “It could be more of a way for Apple to recover some credibility by showing where they’re headed.”
Industry insiders will be watching to see whether Apple addresses the AI stumble or focuses on less splashy announcements, including a rumored overhaul of its operating systems for its line of devices.
“The bottom line is Apple seemed to underestimate the AI shift, then over-promised features, and is now racing to catch up,” Gene Munster and Brian Baker of Deepwater Asset Management wrote in a WWDC preview note.
Rumors also include talk that Apple may add GenAI partnerships with Google or Perplexity to an OpenAI alliance announced a year ago.
Double black eye
Infusing its lineup with AI is only one of Apple’s challenges.
Developers, who build apps and tools to run on the company’s products, may be keen for Apple to loosen its tight control of access to iPhones.
“There’s still a lot of strife between Apple and developers,” Sevilla said. “Taking 30 percent commissions from them and then failing to deliver on promises for new functionality—that’s a double black eye.”
A lawsuit by Fortnite maker Epic Games ended with Apple being ordered to allow outside payment systems to be used at the US App Store, but developers may want more, according to the analyst.
“Apple does need to give an olive branch to the developer community, which has been long-suffering,” Sevilla said. “They can’t seem to thrive within the restrictive guardrails that Apple has been putting up for decades now.”
