Apple spends time on AI. Most tech companies race to push AI capabilities as fast as possible, but Apple does the opposite. That big announcement, Apple Intelligence, will not arrive for most users until 2026. This is a long delay in a market where speeds are thought to be more than quality. But that’s probably the whole point.
At WWDC this year, Apple unveiled suggestions for new AI features, writing tools and apps tied to Siri. We called the bundle “Apple Intelligence,” but these tools are not readily widely available. For now, they are limited to beta users of certain US devices. The rest of the world will have to wait. According to MacWorldeven early access to Apple Intelligence is expected to be restricted, and many users may not be able to view features until iOS 18.4 (earliest) in 2025.
I’m not late – I’m just not in a hurry
For some, the delays seem to be Apple behind. Openai already has GPT-4O, Google has narrowed its Gemini to Android, and Microsoft has pushed Copilot into offices, windows and more. In comparison, Apple seems slow.
Apple tends to not ship bad software. You’re late when things aren’t working. The company has a long history of waiting for something to be refined. Such attention can be frustrating, but it also avoids anything worse. It’s about giving people tools that don’t work properly.
Meanwhile, competitors ship bugs
It seems that many companies don’t care about quality. For example, Microsoft co-pilots often give incorrect answers, construct quotes, and create junk text. ChatGpt has its own problems, from hallucination facts to giving inconsistent results. Even tools like Claude and Gemini have shown promise in short bursts, but tend to be lacking for those that require long-term tasks and accuracy.
When you ask a developer what it is like to write production code using AI, you often hear the same message. It works fine with code snippets and boilerplates, but works better than help when it comes to complex projects. Fixing AI writing codes often takes longer than writing from scratch.
Apple’s delay may be a smarter play
Article with opinions from Techradar It captured the consumer’s perspective. The author said he was happy that Apple delayed the overhaul of Siri’s AI, claiming that the current generation of AI is not sufficient. They said we often have the AI debate backwards – we’re assuming that we’re technology ready and criticising companies for being too late. But what if the technology isn’t there yet? Apple’s delay may not be a flaw. That could be the only reasonable move.
Apple seems to be aware of this, making a lot of noise about being “excited” with AI, but it doesn’t force it on all products, and it’s flooding the IOS with semi-type tools. For example, Siri doesn’t promise to become your new work assistant. And while it might talk about possibilities, it was also quiet about the timeline.
Play a long game
Some call it playing safely, but there is another way to see it. Maybe Apple doesn’t really believe that the current wave of AI is ready? Maybe you’re not sure that technology will be held under real pressure. So we see the confusion from afar.
And there’s a lot of confusion to watch. Companies are deploying AI products that do not function as advertised. Security issues, poor output, and bloated expectations are becoming common. Behind the scenes, many AI companies are burning cash in an attempt to make their models useful. If the bubble bursts, Apple will come to say it never went all-in.
Wait, watch, act
It may not be a bug in the company’s strategy or production problem: it may It’s the company’s strategy.
If users are tired of AI that doesn’t deliver, Apple looks clever to avoid jumping too fast. As technology improves and reliability increases, Apple can intervene in products that it feels stable and reliable.
This kind of delay has worked with Apple before, but it never started the smartwatch until a few years after someone else tried it. Even in the tablet market, it was not a market leader, but ultimately ended up setting relationship standards.
With AI, Apple may be trying the same thing. Test your limits with others, hit the wall and suffer from repulsion. Meanwhile, Apple learns from mistakes and avoids rushing to headline-making tools for all the wrong reasons.
There’s no need to hurry
It also helps that Apple doesn’t need hype to stay relevant. Already controls the hardware, OS, and App Store. You can deploy AI whenever you need it, without chasing the attention of investors.
Of course, waiting too long is always risky. If AI tools are fully reliable and useful, Apple may miss a shift, but at this point, that shift hasn’t happened, and the tools there are still struggling with accuracy, nuance and consistency.
Getting it right beats first
So Apple might be right to wait. Perhaps the smartest move in this hype cycle is to do less.
“When Apple’s slow and careful AI rollout brings something that really helps, it’s a victory,” Techradar says. What if not? At least Apple didn’t spam the market with tools that wasted everyone’s time.
In a technology cycle filled with broken promises and semi-working products, doing nothing may be the boldest move Apple can make.
(Photo: appshunter.io)
See: Apple loses important AI leaders to Meta
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