Apple’s dodgy start in AI could be overturned, two new reports say. Since perception is all we have at this stage, this is important and it indicates what to expect from the iOS 27 software when it’s released. Here’s what the reports say and why it matters.
Apple Intelligence And The Road To iOS 27
Apple announced the next iPhone software, iOS 27, alongside updates for the iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro and Mac at its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, June 8.
M.G. Siegler is a prominent journalist and venture capitalist and has written on his Spyglass blog about Apple’s announcement on the day after the keynote.
“Based on what we saw yesterday, Apple is set to win in AI. At least from a consumer perspective,” Siegler said. That’s quite a claim, and he also talks about the iPhone becoming “the first true AI device,” in the same piece.
Taking AI Mainstream
Siegler believes that while the announcement may have seemed underwhelming to some, most people (Siegler reckons this adds up to 99% of people) aren’t on the “bleeding edge of AI,” and Apple is about to bring AI usage mainstream.
I agree with this. While some brands are insistent that AI is what their customers are asking for, it’s noticeable that Apple’s latest crop of iPhones, launched with minimal mention of Apple Intelligence, have been record-breaking successes.
“Apple seems on the verge of doing what they always do: watching new products and services come about and then jumping in later with a better user experience to win the day,” Siegler said.
His confidence seems partly because there were demos which were recorded live complete with occasional delays which Apple hadn’t edited out, to show their legitimacy. And Siegler liked the fact that Siri AI worked vocally, as people are going to use it.
Not everyone is quite so effusive. Mark Gurman at Bloomberg in his Power On newsletter said that the new Siri AI was “a me-too product delivering on promises made two years ago,” but he added that he thought it was “just good enough to help ease Apple out of its AI crisis.”
Will Siri AI Succeed This Fall?
Siegler had a different concern. “The bigger issue may be that Siri AI doesn’t fail to launch, but just isn’t very good upon launch,” he said. “After being left for dead in AI, everything is coming up Apple, again… AI becomes a new reason to get an iPhone. Forget AI PCs, this is the first true AI device. If it works,” he concluded.
Until the fall, when the software goes on general release, it’s hard to know who is more accurate, Siegler or Gurman. But it’s clear that at WWDC Apple has, at the least, generated more interest for AI than before.