The use of AI has quickly proliferated throughout our entire lives, and as Apple usually does, they've come fashionably late to the party. Apple Intelligence had a soft launch back in September and included very rudimentary features. As they've slowly started to include more to keep good on their initial promises, I can't help but feel disappointed with the way it's turning out.
Apple has a pretty good track record of being late but at least getting it right. It took them years to add widgets to iOS and macOS, but being late gave them valuable feedback from those around them who may have made a few mistakes along the way. The same goes for features like Dynamic Island, which was a relatively fresh take on what to do with a "hole-punch" camera on a display. However, with Apple Intelligence, it feels like Apple didn't learn a thing from those around them. Here are four reasons why Apple's AI has been a complete flop.
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4 Drip-fed release schedule
Dragging it on makes it feel like one long beta
Source: Apple
Apple has gone for a staggered release schedule for their AI integration, and I think it has only hurt them. Instead of being able to drum up buzz with a ton of new features off the bat, they've "released" Apple Intelligence with very little functionality to begin with. December brought a few more features, but it felt much more like a whimper than a bang. Those in my life who have Apple devices capable of using Apple Intelligence haven't bothered to update, because why would they? If they need to have something quickly proofread or rewritten, they already use other AI solutions for that. Personally, I don't mind going out of my way to test up-and-coming features in a beta test, but when most of the interesting features are months away in what is supposed to be a proper release, it makes it impossible for the average consumer to get excited about Apple's latest innovation.
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3 Gimmicks are advertised front and center
Apple's advertising makes it seem like it's a toy
Source: Apple
I don't know how much you use emojis, but I use them semi-frequently while texting my friends and family. I have about four or five favorite emojis, and I save the rest for special circumstances. I just find it so hard to get excited about things like Genmoji, and find it rather gimmicky. This wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't being advertised front-and-center on major television broadcasts and elsewhere.
The ads showcase the proofreading and rewriting abilities I understand. Those adverts have a very clear audience and show exactly what that feature of Apple Intelligence is meant for. But when we're dedicating an entire ad to Genmoji, I can't help but feel a bit let down. If you're particularly excited about it, I don't mean to rain on your parade. Go and generate new emojis and use them to your heart's content, but I think the majority of users would rather see the more useful stuff showcased first and foremost. If this is supposed to be a generational leap in how we use our Apple devices, let's put the meat and potatoes first, and leave what should be a condiment as an afterthought.
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2 Siri itself is still lacking
The thing that needed an update the most, didn't get one
Source: Omid Armin via Unsplash
While it is due to get a facelift in the next major Apple Intelligence update in March 2025, Siri hasn't been good for years. I feel like one of the first, most obvious things Apple should've done was update Siri and make it something worth using.
Currently, Siri still seems to struggle with basic tasks, but the more "advanced" stuff Apple has enabled it to do in the interim, it doesn't do well. For example, when asking Siri if I had sent Michael anything about a recent sports trade, it tells me that Apple Cash isn't available in my country. That's very true, Siri, Apple Cash isn't available in Canada, but that isn't what I was asking for. Right now, Siri is still an afterthought. Had they fixed it upon the release of Apple Intelligence, that would've been more than enough to hold people over until other features were ready to release, but instead, we're getting Genmoji and some glorified ChatGPT tools.
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1 Writing Tools feels undercooked
Could've used a little more time in the oven
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Although it is probably the most useful feature currently included with Apple Intelligence, the Writing Tools still feels rather undercooked. It is quick and does what I ask, but there's some small quality-of-life stuff that I feel like they've missed the mark on, which is very unlike Apple.
When asking it to rewrite paragraphs or even a sentence, at first I thought that it just doesn't highlight the things that were different, which would make it really difficult to see if it has actually changed anything. It does have this behavior, but it doesn't use it all the time. It does this when asked to proofread but doesn't seem to do it otherwise. For instance, when asking Apple Intelligence to rewrite something to make it more professional, it does so, but doesn't outline exactly what it has changed. Finding a smart way to display the "before and after" is crucial to making it look like it's actually doing something, and feels like a no-brainer for something that's supposed to help one write. This behavior exists on the iPhone as well, so it's definitely not an accident.
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It has potential, but it hasn't lived up to the hype
Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, Apple took the safe route by integrating ChatGPT into Apple Intelligence. I appreciate that it only sends queries off-device when it needs to and notifies me before doing so, but I think they've missed the mark overall at this point in time. I think what they have promised certainly looks good on paper, but what they've put into the hands of consumers currently is pretty disappointing.