Apple’s highly anticipated upgrade to Siri, featuring advanced Apple Intelligence capabilities, is facing significant delays, according to reports from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Initially expected to launch with iOS 18.4 in April 2024, the enhanced AI-powered Siri may not be ready until iOS 18.5 in May, or potentially even later. The delay is attributed to ongoing engineering issues and software bugs that have prevented the new features from functioning consistently during internal testing.
Apple’s ambitious overhaul of Siri is central to its broader strategy to bolster its position in the rapidly evolving AI market, where competition is intensifying from the likes of OpenAI, Google, and Meta. The upgrade includes three primary enhancements:
Personal Context Awareness: Siri will gain the ability to access user data, enabling it to deliver more personalized and contextually relevant responses and actions.
Enhanced App Control: Siri will offer better integration with third-party applications, providing a more seamless and efficient experience for users.
On-Screen Awareness: Siri will be able to process and interact with the content currently displayed on a user’s screen, enabling smarter and more intuitive responses.
Despite these promising features, Apple has encountered performance inconsistencies during the testing phase, leading to concerns that the features may not be ready for the April release. In response, Apple may consider delaying the rollout of these features until further refinements can be made, potentially opting to disable the new functionalities by default in iOS 18.4.
In addition to the technical challenges, Apple has also committed to expanding the language capabilities of Apple Intelligence in April 2024, which further tightens the company’s development timeline. The delay in Siri’s AI upgrade could have ripple effects on the company’s overall iOS roadmap, potentially pushing some features originally planned for iOS 18 into iOS 19, which is expected to launch in 2025.
Furthermore, Apple is working closely with Chinese tech giants Baidu and Alibaba to tailor its AI features to comply with local regulations in China. This partnership underscores the global nature of Apple’s AI ambitions, while navigating the regulatory hurdles that vary across different markets.
If the delays persist, they may have long-term ramifications, not only for Siri’s evolution but also for Apple’s broader AI strategy, which is increasingly critical in maintaining competitiveness in the tech industry. As the company gears up for its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, the focus may shift to preparing for next-generation iOS features, potentially leaving the AI-powered Siri enhancements to be refined into 2025.
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