Apple is in a bad way. The Cupertino giant is struggling to jump on the generative artificial intelligence bandwagon. Apple Intelligence, the group's suite of AI-powered tools, is struggling to convince users, despite an arsenal of features. The absence of the new Siri, which is smarter and capable of juggling user data, is sorely felt. By Apple's own admission, the new version of the voice assistant will not be available until next year...
Internally, Siri's delay is causing embarrassment. In this explosive context, Apple has decided to remove the Siri division from John Giannandrea, vice president of machine learning and AI strategy. Mike Rockwell, who was the head of the Vision Pro section, will take over the reins of Siri.
Apple's Vista Moment
Unsurprisingly, Apple's setbacks have the entire technology community talking. For analyst Benedict Evans, Apple is even experiencing a Windows Vista moment, a reference to one of Microsoft's biggest failures. In a post published on his site, the analyst readily compares the current crisis at Apple to the fiasco of the operating system, launched in 2006.
As a reminder, Windows Vista suffered from numerous technical problems, harsh criticism, and limited adoption, both by individuals and businesses. The OS experienced significant delays in its development, mainly due to project management issues and questionable technical choices. Microsoft was forced to abandon several innovations integrated into the OS. The group even had to rethink its development methods with a team change.
Chronic Delay and "Poor Execution"
Mirror-like Microsoft at the time of Vista's release, Apple has launched a series of products late, and with "systemic poor execution". The new Siri is "by far the most dramatic example of a growing trend at Apple of launching things late".
With last year's WWDC presentation, Apple sold iPhone users a dream, but has yet to deliver. Previously, "the software release cycle was timed like a clockwork", and "the public promise was always kept", despite delays or aborted projects behind the scenes. The Siri case is different from the group's previous delays, because Apple publicly showed off a new feature that is still slow to appear. Worse, Apple used it as a sales pitch to sell its iPhones.
Siri and Vision Pro, same problem
The collapse of Apple Intelligence adds to the mixed success of the Vision Pro. Apple seems to have launched a device halfway between a demo and a concept, which wasn't really ready to hit the market, according to Benedict Evans. Between delay and haste, the Vision Pro didn't appeal to developers, who are the headset's target audience. For the analyst, the new Siri is "a mirror image" of the Vision Pro. Like Siri, the headset wasn't ready when Apple proudly presented it, and the truly revolutionary features are still awaited.
For our part, the Siri case reminds us of the failure of AirPower, Apple's wireless charging mat. After presenting the accessory alongside the iPhone X, Apple postponed its release numerous times... before abandoning it due to a accumulation of technical problems. Here again, Apple had publicly flaunted a technology without being able to deliver it to its consumers. Fortunately, for the moment, there is no indication that Siri 2.0 will end up in the same closet as AirPower.
Source: Benedict Evans
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