Apple has acknowledged that the much-anticipated update to Siri, its voice assistant, will take longer than expected to complete. This admission signals that CEO Tim Cook is facing challenges in addressing investor expectations for advancements in artificial intelligence.
This news came during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference held on Monday in Cupertino, California.
Craig Federighi, Apple’s Software Chief, explained that the project has taken more time to reach the required quality standards, and they are looking forward to sharing updates next year.
During the conference, Apple also unveiled plans to allow app developers access to a large language model named “Apple Intelligence.” Additionally, a major redesign of their operating system, referred to as “Liquid Glass,” was announced.
Dan Ives, an analyst from Wedbush, described the event as “slow and steadily improving,” yet noted that it fell short of major advancements in “Apple Intelligence.”
In a note to clients, Ives remarked that while the WWDC outlined a vision for developers, after a disappointing showing last year, there was a lack of significant progress, suggesting that Apple is playing it safe.
During the event, the company promoted a new “live translation” feature aimed at facilitating real-time multilingual conversations. They also shared that future operating system updates will be based on the release year instead of the previous sequential numbering.
Meanwhile, Apple introduced a “call screening” feature that allows iPhones to automatically respond to calls from unknown numbers, asking the caller for their reason for calling. Collaborations with OpenAI’s ChatGPT were also discussed, particularly regarding image generation for the Image Playground app.
Following the keynote address, Apple’s stock dipped by over 1%.
One user, on social media, questioned whether any WWDC in recent years has been exciting, suggesting that this year’s offerings felt like what people think they want from Apple.
Analysts had generally expected more exciting announcements this year, including minor improvements such as AI-powered writing assistants.
Federighi acknowledged that there were no standout features like “The Write Tools” planned for this event. Another commentator expressed that looking at the presented features felt frustrating.
Apple also detailed enhancements to the “Visual Intelligence” app, which helps users identify products using their iPhone camera.
Federighi mentioned that opening the Foundation Models Framework to developers and users could lead to transformative changes, enabling the use of advanced AI models offline. He provided examples of potential applications, like recommending hiking trails or creating practice exams for students.
Despite the tepid response to this year’s offerings, Paolo Pescatore from PP Foresight noted that Apple still has a robust user base and the opportunity to catch up with competitors.
Pescatore emphasized that Apple is prioritizing readiness for its major AI products to avoid possible backlash from its user community.
He also pointed out that while some may perceive competitors as leading in the AI race, this sentiment doesn’t seem to resonate deeply with users, nor has it yet translated into increased revenues. Given this landscape, Apple seems to be treading carefully to maintain its loyal iPhone customer base.
Apple is in a tight race with competitors like Google and OpenAI, which recently acquired the firm of Jony Ive, known for his iPhone designs, to focus on developing its own AI-specific hardware.
