Subj : Apple Intelligence is a fever dream that I bet Apple wishes we co To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Fri Mar 14 2025 16:00:09 Apple Intelligence is a fever dream that I bet Apple wishes we could all forget about Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2025 15:54:58 +0000 Description: I want Apple Intelligence to succeed, but Im starting to think thats not going to happen FULL STORY ====================================================================== Apple is my bread and butter. I saved up for ages as a kid to buy my first MacBook, I invested all my time as a teenager learning all there was to know about the iPhone, and I started working at the Genius Bar in my local Apple Store as a young adult. When I got my big break in journalism I was thrilled to finally be able to merge my passion for tech and knowledge for Apple with my talent for writing. After working for a few years at iMore, an Apple-enthusiast site, I moved to TechRadar to cover AI, ready to take on a new challenge that I thought would, yet again, be shaped by some kind of Apple-infused impact: Apple Intelligence .. Fast forward to now, Ive been part of the Apple Intelligence journey since day one, covering all the major AI announcements at WWDC 2024 and using Apples take on AI for the rest of us. since its very early beta days. At first, the Apple Intelligence features were confusing, with tools scattered across the UI, but Apples take that AI should be there for when users need it rather than forced down their throats felt like a refreshing approach to the tech worlds favorite buzzword thats hard to avoid. The thing is, the more we fast forward through the first year of Apple advertising AI as the headline feature in all its hero products, the more the cracks have begun to show, and theres no more damning visual than Apples need to push back (with no timeframe) the key to Apple Intelligences success, Siri. (Image credit: Apple) I was off work last week, so I missed the whole announcement of the delay to the upcoming Apple Intelligence-powered Siri where an Apple spokesperson said, It is going to take us longer than we thought to deliver on these features and we anticipate rolling them out in the coming year. Off the grid, I had no idea what was waiting for me on Monday morning, and when I saw the news the disappointment hit me like a tonne of bricks. You see, Ive championed Apple Intelligence for months. Not so much because of its intelligence but because I have full belief in Apples ability to do something the right way, and based on the companys track record it wouldve been a safe bet to place. Ive been writing about how I believed consumer AIs success was reliant on Apple Intelligences success and if any company in the world could make AI make sense for my nephew and my parents alike then it would be Apple. Over the last nine months, Ive tested everything Apple Intelligence has to offer, from features that Ive used once and not touched since like Writing Tools to the more endearing options like Genmoji . When it launched I said Apple is onto something with Genmoji, and it might just be the best Apple Intelligence feature, ready to expose other AI tools to the average customer to this day I use the AI tool whenever regular emojis just dont fit the situation. But lets be real, the Genomji, Image Playground features of the world are not needle movers, they are simply nice-to-haves that come in handy whenever you want to cheer up a friend or family member. The Siri showcased at WWDC 2024, on the other hand, is a needle mover, a system seller if you will - that would be if it actually existed. Ive been talking with my colleague and TechRadars US Managing News Editor, Jacob Krol, about this for months and how I was starting to worry about Apple Intelligences prowess considering we hadnt really seen anything to suggest it was even capable of improving peoples lives in the way Apple would make you believe. John Grubers damning criticism of Apples AI situation captured that feeling perfectly, highlighting the lack of even a guided demo or showcase of Siri 2.0 at WWDC in June or at the launch of the iPhone 16 in September, leaving the question: Does it even exist? In recent times, Apples AirPower charging mat springs to mind. I remember working at the Apple Store when it was announced and the excitement from customers who wanted an easy-to-use wireless charging solution that could charge multiple devices at once. Then nothing. AirPower was never released, and two years after its initial announcement in 2017 the product was canceled and sent into the abyss. AirPower was a fairly niche product, unlike Apple Intelligence which Apple has been touting as the main selling point of the current best iPhones , the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro . @techradar original sound - TechRadar After the unveiling of the iPhone 16 in September, I wrote an article highlighting my dismay with the Apple Intelligence launch. The piece was titled The Apple Intelligence launch is a mess dont buy the iPhone 16 or install iOS 18 based on the promise of whats to come emphasizing the fact that Apple was selling consumers a smartphone that wasnt shipping with any of its headlining features. I said, This is where my bigger concern lies: the promises of whats to come. Ive used Apple Intelligence as part of the iOS 18.1 developer beta and I like what Ive tried so far, but Genmoji, Image Playground, and the wonder of an actually useful Siri are all just pipedreams right now. No one outside of Apple has even seen these AI tools in the flesh; they arent even in beta testing yet as part of a Developer Beta. Since then, weve seen Genmoji and Image Playground, in fact, they are now available on compatible devices, but Siri (the feature were all waiting for) is still nowhere to be seen. It was meant to launch as part of iOS 18.4 in April or May, and I was waiting patiently, giving Apple the benefit of the doubt, hoping for Siri to bring the keys to unlock AI on the iPhone. Ive had countless conversations with colleagues where Ive explained how its tricky to critique Apple Intelligence fairly without having all the pieces to the puzzle, and how Apples beta moniker makes it unfair to criticize. But honestly, with this Siri delay and delving deeper into the capabilities of Android with Gemini integration, I feel completely let down by Apple and I feel like its only right to make that clear. If I had to describe Apple Intelligence, the umbrella term for all things AI in iPhone, iPad, and Mac, Id call it underwhelming. Theres not one AI tool on my iPhone 16 Pro right now that fulfills Apples ultimate goal of simplifying life. Its so insignificant, in fact, that I had it switched off after an update for about two weeks without even noticing the AI features were disabled. If Siris Apple Intelligence upgrade was available then wed be a step closer to the personal assistant in your pocket that everyone is hopeful for, but as it stands iPhone users and loyal Apple customers are living in the AI-less past while even non-flagship smartphones like Googles Pixel 8a have excellent AI integration. @techradar original sound - TechRadar Ill admit it, Im sometimes blinded by the Apple bubble and therefore spend most of my life using Apple products instead of the competition. Because of that, I think sometimes Apple's aura clouds purchasing decisions and consumers miss out on the capabilities of the other side. I know the grass isnt always greener, but when it comes to AI it definitely is. Take Gemini in Gmail for example, which allows users to quickly ask AI to help take control of their emails right from the Gmail app, its a neat feature and the kind of useful AI tool that serves a purpose, not just a nice-to-have. Gemini is integrated throughout Android 15 and now that Apple has decided to delay Siri even longer, those of us who trusted the concept of Apple Intelligence are being punished. I dont have faith that the iPhone 16, a device sold as the best place for Apple Intelligence, will even have a Siri capable of Geminis prowess before the iPhone 17 launches and thats just not cool Apple. Weve become accustomed to Apple doing whats right for its consumers and ultimately creating hardware and software thats beautiful to look at and easy to understand. With AI it feels like Apple was blindsided and has taken for granted just how quickly artificial intelligence would become part of our daily lives. In the past Apple has been able to hide behind limitations by marketing them with its consumers in mind: Siri isnt as good as Alexa or Google Assistant because Apple doesnt access your data. But when it comes to AI, the privacy focus doesnt bear the same weight. Competitors, while not offering the same world-class privacy and security as Apple, have caught up to a certain extent and consumers want AI that genuinely makes a difference, removing the mundane from their lives. That means that people are more likely to overlook things that mightve been a sticking point in the past, purely to gain access to tools that significantly enhance the user experience. I could write about this situation all day, but Im going to push the brakes. Ultimately Apple has offered the world and by doing so has significantly disappointed its most loyal customers. Owning a flagship iPhone with a gorgeous OLED display and an incredibly fast Apple-produced chip means nothing if the software is living in the past compared to its competitors. Whether you like AI or not, the last year has proven that this is one of the most significant software productivity jumps weve ever seen, and unless Apple gets its game together its going to be completely left in the dust. You might also like Even without Apple Intelligence, the new iPad is still one of the best tablets you can buy I installed iOS 18.4 beta and the big Siri intelligence update is nowhere to be found No, iOS 18.3 doesn't install Starlink on your iPhone here's what the latest update does, and why you should download it Apple Intelligence finally arrives on Vision Pro, but it's the new iOS app that might turn heads ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/apple-intelligence -is-a-fever-dream-that-i-bet-apple-wishes-we-could-all-forget-about --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .