Apple’s recent decision to delay AI-powered upgrades for Siri has not only sparked disappointment among tech enthusiasts but has also raised concerns about the company’s ability to compete in the AI-driven future. While missing deadlines is never ideal, the bigger question remains: Do users even care? According to a December 2024 survey by SellCell, 73% of iPhone owners believe Apple’s AI features add little to no value.
This article explores why Siri’s AI update was postponed, what it means for Apple’s long-term AI strategy, and whether users truly need smarter voice assistants.
Why Apple Delayed Siri’s AI Upgrade
Apple had initially planned to roll out enhanced AI-powered features for Siri as part of its Apple Intelligence suite, aligning with the release of iOS 19. However, recent reports suggest that the upgrade is only functioning correctly between 67% and 80% of the time, leading Apple to delay its launch indefinitely.
Some key reasons behind the delay include:
🔹 Technical Challenges: Despite AI advancements, Apple is struggling to integrate AI into Siri effectively.
🔹 User Experience Concerns: A partially functioning AI assistant would harm Apple’s brand reputation.
🔹 Internal Team Morale Issues: Bloomberg reports that Apple’s Siri team is demotivated following the delay.
🔹 Competitive Pressures: Apple’s competitors, including Google and Amazon, have also faced similar AI challenges.
Do Users Even Want AI-Powered Voice Assistants?
While AI hype continues to dominate the tech world, the practical use of AI-powered voice assistants remains questionable. Siri, despite existing since 2011, has consistently underperformed compared to Google Assistant and Alexa.
The SellCell survey findings suggest that most iPhone users aren’t particularly excited about AI integrations. Could it be that AI assistants just aren’t as useful as tech companies claim?
🔹 Voice Assistants Haven’t Changed Much: Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant still perform basic tasks like setting alarms, checking the weather, and answering simple queries—features that have been available for years.
🔹 Slow Adoption of AI Features: Even Amazon, one of the leaders in AI, has introduced its AI-powered Alexa features in only a limited number of devices so far.
🔹 Privacy Concerns: Many users remain skeptical about AI-powered voice assistants constantly listening and collecting data.
Apple vs. The Competition: Where Do They Stand?
Apple isn’t the only tech giant struggling to integrate AI effectively into voice assistants.
✅ Google Assistant: While Google has consistently improved its AI assistant’s capabilities, its usage still lags behind core AI-powered applications like Google Search and ChatGPT.
✅ Amazon Alexa: Amazon only announced AI-powered Alexa features in early 2025, but these updates are being rolled out slowly and selectively, similar to Apple’s cautious approach.
✅ Microsoft & OpenAI: Microsoft’s integration of AI into Copilot has seen more success, likely due to its professional and enterprise applications rather than consumer-facing voice assistants.
Apple’s delay could be seen as part of a broader industry trend—companies struggling to create AI-powered assistants that genuinely enhance user experience rather than just riding the AI hype wave.
FAQs
Apple postponed the release of Siri’s AI capabilities due to performance issues. Reports suggest that the new features currently function correctly only 67-80% of the time, which is not reliable enough for a public launch.
According to reports, the delay has impacted employee morale, with internal team members expressing frustration and embarrassment. Apple’s Siri division even held a meeting acknowledging these concerns.
Apple had planned to introduce AI-powered Siri enhancements as part of the broader “Apple Intelligence” rollout, aiming to launch it alongside iOS 19 and the iPhone 16.
There is no confirmed release date yet. Apple initially aimed for a June 2025 launch, but now reports suggest the rollout could be delayed further.
Yes. Amazon’s Alexa AI features are also being introduced slowly, and Google Assistant has faced challenges integrating AI effectively. Despite AI advancements, real-world implementation remains complex.
A December 2024 survey found that 73% of iPhone users believe Apple’s AI features add little to no value, which raises questions about consumer demand for AI-driven voice assistants.
Apple is still working on making Siri’s AI more reliable. Future updates could bring smarter automation, better voice recognition, and improved contextual responses. However, the timeline remains uncertain.
Conclusion
While Apple’s AI delay is an embarrassing setback, the bigger issue is whether voice assistants need AI enhancements in the first place. The lukewarm reception to Apple’s AI features suggests that users aren’t missing the promised improvements.