Apple needs to add the other big ones, Gemini, Grok etc
As they clearly are not capable to do it themselves.
Apple really needs to shake thing up.
Why exactly don't you think Apple can do it?
Because for 14 years, they have done nothing to improve Siri. So don't hold your breath for anything special with Apple Intelligence. Currently, it offers nothing to help anyone, except for making creepy images in Image Playground.
Interesting, well-written article that I think misses one crucial point: there's a vast difference between perceptions of tech site content creators and commenters and those of the mass market public to whom Apple is primarily selling. I seriously doubt that "out there," there's any perception of Apple being "behind" in the A.I race, or of there being an A.I. race among consumer tech product companies, period. For the mass market, Apple has done an especially brilliant job of branding A.I. to mean Apple Intelligence and to market its version of A.I. as protecting your privacy. I would agree that the marketing outpaces the capabilities, but I don't think that matters nearly as much to mass market buyers as it does inside the technosphere echo chamber. That opinion comes from thirty years of listening to how Apple is so far "behind" on features compared to the competition on virtually everything it has ever sold, how you get more for less with Windows, Android, blah, blah, blah... and here we are, with Apple at the top of the heap, the most successful and valuable company in the history of consumer electronics.
This article feels like low effort and poorly contextualized arguments about AI.
“I remember when this whole "Artificial Intelligence" thing started. It was and still is a bad name for an evolution of technology that has nothing to do with computers knowing anything.“
No you don’t. It started in the 1950s. It was being deployed into businesses in the 1980s. It was widespread by the 2000s.
AI has everything to do with computers knowing things. Do you think humans know things any differently than a bunch of connections forming patterns??
Apple needs to add the other big ones, Gemini, Grok etc
As they clearly are not capable to do it themselves.
Apple really needs to shake thing up.
Why exactly don't you think Apple can do it?
Because for 14 years, they have done nothing to improve Siri. So don't hold your breath for anything special with Apple Intelligence. Currently, it offers nothing to help anyone, except for making creepy images in Image Playground.
You claim Apple has done NOTHING to improve Siri and then you end your sentence with one of the more recent improvements. Do you realize that it invalidates all opinions and concerns you may have on this topic?
I don't consider myself a big Siri user but I freely admit that I do utilize it. I prefer my virtual assistants to be part of the background, not the main attraction, so I really don't give much credence to Siri and frankly have forgotten nearly all the features they promised last year. If I come to use them by some organic method then so be it. I won't even spend time testing new features like the Image Playground you mention. Despite all that, I can still point to improved natural language understanding, third-party app integration, and expanded language support, and multiple voices in which to choose from over the original Siri introduction as part of the iPhone 4s.
This article feels like low effort and poorly contextualized arguments about AI.
“I remember when this whole "Artificial Intelligence" thing started. It was and still is a bad name for an evolution of technology that has nothing to do with computers knowing anything.“
No you don’t. It started in the 1950s. It was being deployed into businesses in the 1980s. It was widespread by the 2000s.
AI has everything to do with computers knowing things. Do you think humans know things any differently than a bunch of connections forming patterns??
Words have meaning. Computers are not inherently AI. They also don't know things. Computers run programs. They fetch stored information. Having access to data isn't the same as knowing that data and understanding it.
its like saying you know everything because you can go to the library.
Apple needs to add the other big ones, Gemini, Grok etc
As they clearly are not capable to do it themselves.
Apple really needs to shake thing up.
Why exactly don't you think Apple can do it?
Because for 14 years, they have done nothing to improve Siri. So don't hold your breath for anything special with Apple Intelligence. Currently, it offers nothing to help anyone, except for making creepy images in Image Playground.
That's quite the exaggeration. Siri has fundamentally changed quite a bit over the years and is much more useful than its initial release. The only thing that's been static for 14 years is the criticism of Siri.
It may have its blind spots, but when you use Siri the way it is meant to be used, it's quite good. Running shortcuts, controlling my home, opening apps on Vision Pro, controlling timers, fetching factual information, etc. Because of Shortcuts Siri is programmable by users. I personally would have a worse experience trying to use Google Assistant or Alexa because they have different skill sets. Google is best at (probably wrong) info, Alexa is best at shopping.
Siri is best at knowing the user, learning from their personal data, and using that to get things done. And it's been great for me even if I'm what you'd call a Siri unicorn. I've heard the complaints about Siri and just encounter those issues funny enough.
I wish Apple (& Google too) stuck to its own evolutionary approach AI & ML. Instead it had to succumb to the market forces and introduce Apple Intelligence as a thing. I have to say I am disappointed as Apple is one company which can withstand pressures like this.
While Apple is trying to figure out what to do in 1 language in some countries we see Google and Microsoft/ChatGPT having passed 80 languages. Apple is surprisingly inept at bringing software features to local markets (https://www.apple.com/ios/feature-availability/).
“Everyone” is not a loser in the Apple Intelligence race. Mostly because the only one in that race is Apple. And they are more like runners in a Monty Python sketch (silly walks or maybe Philosophers playing soccer?) Microsoft with their heavy AI investments, Google and Meta are all in a totally different race. This feels more like a Zune prototype vs iPhone 16 race where they don’t belong in the same sentence. Mm, same article. But hey at least we have Tim’s Folly (the goggles), more emojis, and a slightly faster chip that is “amazing”.
“Everyone” is not a loser in the Apple Intelligence race. Mostly because the only one in that race is Apple. And they are more like runners in a Monty Python sketch (silly walks or maybe Philosophers playing soccer?) Microsoft with their heavy AI investments, Google and Meta are all in a totally different race. This feels more like a Zune prototype vs iPhone 16 race where they don’t belong in the same sentence. Mm, same article. But hey at least we have Tim’s Folly (the goggles), more emojis, and a slightly faster chip that is “amazing”.
I thought the article was clear regarding how the tech industry constantly compares and contrasts itself to Apple, hence the very deliberate and accurate wording of the article.
I’ve lost track of the number of times the Google AI Overview has been flat out 100% factually wrong on something - it even happened to me today when researching specifications of Display Tablets.
This is not surprising when there is so much garbage on the internet and much of it is used to train these “models”. It’s that old adage: garbage in… garbage out.
20 years ago when I told my late mother that someone we knew was doing a degree in AI, she retorted “What’s that? Pretending to be clever?”
When I look at Apple, I look at how they are actually doing against other competition. But also look at the competition and what they are actually doing or accomplishing particularly profit-wise and if they have any actual marketshare gains.
Apple OS Level software, including MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple WatchOS, and Apple VisionOS, versus Microsoft and Google current offerings (not behind in this area of computing what else is even close).
Product design hardware and software integration SOC design in Engineering, Apple Silicon, C1 modem, R1 and various other support chips created to further their lead in this area in comparison to the competition. (Dead Motorola, IBM, Intel, AMD, Qualcomm me-too Google, Meta and Nvidia). Whose shoes among this menagerie would you want to be in? (Apple behind don’t think so).
Apple is the last vertical computer company left over from the golden age of the 1980s. (OS/Hardware companies) the present competition wait there isn’t any Linux? Microsoft? (Apple isn’t behind in this area)
Ecosystem creation from the ground up in comparison to their competition over the last 25 years, Microsoft, Google, Meta, Samsung, and Qualcomm. Apple is peerless in this area. None of these companies are even in the same ballpark they have basically failed to extend themselves out of their own sandbox with any type marketshare penetration or more importantly a profit. (Apple isn’t behind in this area of computing).
AI computing the current buzz word these days, once again, who in this menagerie of AI is ahead whatever that means most of Apple so-called competition can’t design their way out of a paper bag when it comes to the combination of hardware and software, and they certainly don’t have the best in class SOC’s or the choice of five different operating systems (ecosystems) in house like Apple.
None have Apple Silicon hardware nor the OS capability in house across many popular computing ecosystems like Apple, so how can they be ahead? How can Apple be doing worse in comparison to their so-called competition? Answer Apple isn’t.
The criticism towards Apple (includes me over the years), is somewhat misplaced. Many people are frustrated, maybe by the speed and where Apple releases their products, I have been over the years, very vocal about the big screen, iMac and Apple, not getting into servers since they’re introduction of Apple Silicon particularly now that the opportunity to gain mind share in this so-called new era of AI. Lots of very smart people are looking to use and get into this area of computing more importantly they’re looking for solutions hardware wise to allow them to participate in this so-called new area of computing, an area that Apple is perfectly positioned (no one else is even close with Apple‘s combination of OS software and class leading hardware mobile/desktop in house) to take advantage of with Apple Silicon once again in comparison to their competition IBM, Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, Google, Meta, Nvidia and nameless minions.
Another area in which Apple is peerless is the ability to run on the edge hardware wise most of their competition is still gearing up to phone home with all of their so-called AI solutions, once again Apple Silicon is leading away in terms of allowing Apple in combination with their software and hardware to operate on the edge in mobile on the go or on the desktop once again, who else can accomplish this today or in the next year it’s not Microsoft, Google, Meta, Nvidia, Intel, or Qualcomm. (The Microsoft/Qualcomm team up was an abysmal failure by the way).
Apple behind their peers/competition I don’t think so not when it comes to the big picture one other area Apple is ahead in they haven’t squandered billions of dollars (paying OpenAI) trying to set up a moat around AI, the advent of DeepSeek and other programs like it in the future along with Apple Silicon products will break down that moat similar to the Wintel combination breaking down Digital, Cray, Sun Computers, IBM, and SGI and the rest of the main frame mini computer market.
No it’s a response to the usual crying that Apple is doomed and behind in AI in tech in everything they do, even though the competition is nowhere close when it comes to hardware and software, but somehow Apple is way behind…..
Apple clearly laid out what they were going to do with Apple Intelligence and that it was going to be worked on in the course of the next year or two, an Apple is ahead of their competition in that they gave no money to OpenAI, nor did they waste money trying to build a moat around AI like Meta, Google or Microsoft who all thought they were going to be the high priest of AI…..
One thing that made me very happy about Apples announcement last year was the fact that Apple Intelligence was going to be using M2 ultras as servers in the background, that meant Apple was going to be dragged kicking and screaming to come up with solutions using Apple Silicons inherent advantages in making servers and creating software solutions to support Apple moving into and capturing mindshare in the AI area of computing. Gruber like most probably missed that part. Apple Silicon, current advantages, particularly over the next two generations of the M series Soc’s is more important than anything else Apple does particularly since their competition are way out in Left-field right now when it comes to wattage and performance.
When I look at Apple, I look at how they are actually doing against other competition. But also look at the competition and what they are actually doing or accomplishing particularly profit-wise and if they have any actual marketshare gains.
Apple OS Level software, including MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple WatchOS, and Apple VisionOS, versus Microsoft and Google current offerings (not behind in this area of computing what else is even close).
Product design hardware and software integration SOC design in Engineering, Apple Silicon, C1 modem, R1 and various other support chips created to further their lead in this area in comparison to the competition. (Dead Motorola, IBM, Intel, AMD, Qualcomm me-too Google, Meta and Nvidia). Whose shoes among this menagerie would you want to be in? (Apple behind don’t think so).
Apple is the last vertical computer company left over from the golden age of the 1980s. (OS/Hardware companies) the present competition wait there isn’t any Linux? Microsoft? (Apple isn’t behind in this area)
Ecosystem creation from the ground up in comparison to their competition over the last 25 years, Microsoft, Google, Meta, Samsung, and Qualcomm. Apple is peerless in this area. None of these companies are even in the same ballpark they have basically failed to extend themselves out of their own sandbox with any type marketshare penetration or more importantly a profit. (Apple isn’t behind in this area of computing).
AI computing the current buzz word these days, once again, who in this menagerie of AI is ahead whatever that means most of Apple so-called competition can’t design their way out of a paper bag when it comes to the combination of hardware and software, and they certainly don’t have the best in class SOC’s or the choice of five different operating systems (ecosystems) in house like Apple.
None have Apple Silicon hardware nor the OS capability in house across many popular computing ecosystems like Apple, so how can they be ahead? How can Apple be doing worse in comparison to their so-called competition? Answer Apple isn’t.
The criticism towards Apple (includes me over the years), is somewhat misplaced. Many people are frustrated, maybe by the speed and where Apple releases their products, I have been over the years, very vocal about the big screen, iMac and Apple, not getting into servers since they’re introduction of Apple Silicon particularly now that the opportunity to gain mind share in this so-called new era of AI. Lots of very smart people are looking to use and get into this area of computing more importantly they’re looking for solutions hardware wise to allow them to participate in this so-called new area of computing, an area that Apple is perfectly positioned (no one else is even close with Apple‘s combination of OS software and class leading hardware mobile/desktop in house) to take advantage of with Apple Silicon once again in comparison to their competition IBM, Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, Google, Meta, Nvidia and nameless minions.
Another area in which Apple is peerless is the ability to run on the edge hardware wise most of their competition is still gearing up to phone home with all of their so-called AI solutions, once again Apple Silicon is leading away in terms of allowing Apple in combination with their software and hardware to operate on the edge in mobile on the go or on the desktop once again, who else can accomplish this today or in the next year it’s not Microsoft, Google, Meta, Nvidia, Intel, or Qualcomm. (The Microsoft/Qualcomm team up was an abysmal failure by the way).
Apple behind their peers/competition I don’t think so not when it comes to the big picture one other area Apple is ahead in they haven’t squandered billions of dollars (paying OpenAI) trying to set up a moat around AI, the advent of DeepSeek and other programs like it in the future along with Apple Silicon products will break down that moat similar to the Wintel combination breaking down Digital, Cray, Sun Computers, IBM, and SGI and the rest of the main frame mini computer market.
This is very short sighted as you are limiting 'AI' to an Apple (consumer) world and here is where Apple, IMO, is behind.
AI is literally everywhere you can think of or is rolling out to those places right now.
Cars need consumer (passenger) interaction and have to interact with their environments too. They also have to interact with other cars that are also interacting with everything in and around them. That means, global object detection, climate interpretation (rain, snow, hail etc), natural language processing and language generation. The ability to identify and interact with the individual occupants of the vehicle.
Apple does not have a GOD Network solution so we can't speak of competition in the automotive space (not consumer or industrial).
AI is also being used to enhance networks, cloud infrastructure, data storage and communications. Where is Apple on that?
Does it have autonomous networks?
AI is being used storage systems to deter things like ransomware.
AI is being used in climate forecasting, heavy industries (like mining), health and science, ports, aviation, airports, robotics etc.
It is also being used in FinTech and the push to move banking into the cloud.
Just this month at MWC2025 (which was stuffed to the gills with AI based solutions btw) we saw how new solutions can impact industry. It's nothing new. The last few years have seen all kinds of solutions come to market.
AI (based on Pangu LLMs in this case) is key to the success of that example which isn't some theoretical implementation. It has already been field tested.
With 5.5G rolling out now in places like China, how do you think that will impact the robotics industry (humanoid or not)? Some companies are already mass producing humanoid robots. We already have mmWave object detectors which are fixed onto walls/ceilings etc. Imagine a robot (autonomous mobility) with the capacity (via AI) to use mmWave to evaluate if you are breathing or not (or even how you are breathing). That alone could have both industrial and consumer uses.
Remember that a lot of what initially comes to industry, eventually ends up with consumer uses.
Apple is not peerless and isn't the last vertically integrated manufacturer by any stretch. It's very, very far from any of that.
AI is still in diapers in terms of its growth and maturity. I fully expect that it will continue to grow and improve to the point of displacing quite a few human workers from their jobs, and not that far in the future.
I’d bet that there were more than few horse breeders, saddle makers, and buggy builders who were looking at early automobiles and laughing at their utter stupidity and impracticality compared to the current modes of transportation at the time.
Thanks for a very good take on AI as it is, at present. The initial view that AI is, in fact, not intelligent is what I have been saying, in these comment pages, since it became the thing of the day. It is just the next level of what has gone before. It is, of course, just a next-big-thing marketing strategy.
Apple realised the same hence Apple Intelligence, rather than Artificial Intelligence.
If AI can do things I can’t, don’t want to or will irritate me because it’s not user friendly to me then that’s fine.
Absolutely, it should not steal human’s ideas and product and turn it into something else, particularly if it’s negative to a person, either as lost income from something they have produced or for salacious or offensive purposes.
I imagine Apple will do what it normally does which is develop an idea and turn it into something useful. This so often has given people the feeling Apple is behind until it produces an absolute game-changer.
This has happened many times over the years and I am sure it will continue to do so.
Apple needs to add the other big ones, Gemini, Grok etc
As they clearly are not capable to do it themselves.
Apple really needs to shake thing up.
Why exactly don't you think Apple can do it?
Because for 14 years, they have done nothing to improve Siri. So don't hold your breath for anything special with Apple Intelligence. Currently, it offers nothing to help anyone, except for making creepy images in Image Playground.
That's quite the exaggeration. Siri has fundamentally changed quite a bit over the years and is much more useful than its initial release. The only thing that's been static for 14 years is the criticism of Siri.
It may have its blind spots, but when you use Siri the way it is meant to be used, it's quite good. Running shortcuts, controlling my home, opening apps on Vision Pro, controlling timers, fetching factual information, etc. Because of Shortcuts Siri is programmable by users. I personally would have a worse experience trying to use Google Assistant or Alexa because they have different skill sets. Google is best at (probably wrong) info, Alexa is best at shopping.
Siri is best at knowing the user, learning from their personal data, and using that to get things done. And it's been great for me even if I'm what you'd call a Siri unicorn. I've heard the complaints about Siri and just encounter those issues funny enough.
No offense but it sounds like you’ve never used Alexa or Google Assistant on a regular basis. I use Alexa to control some of my smart lights and Ring cameras (something I wish HomeKit was compatible with) and the response time for my lights are about a half a second quicker than Siri controlling my lights in my other room (when it works). Not ground breaking but definitely noticeable. So yeah it’s more than just shopping. Im also interested in where your getting google assistant “probably” giving wrong information. I can understand bias considering this is an apple site but in my experience that just flat out incorrect.
As someone that has used all 3 assistants Siri is definitely more limited in its skill sets in my experience compared to the other two. Considering Apples privacy stance though thats to be expected. Siri is good at what it does assuming its a simple request.
Apple needs to add the other big ones, Gemini, Grok etc
As they clearly are not capable to do it themselves.
Apple really needs to shake thing up.
Why exactly don't you think Apple can do it?
Because for 14 years, they have done nothing to improve Siri. So don't hold your breath for anything special with Apple Intelligence. Currently, it offers nothing to help anyone, except for making creepy images in Image Playground.
That's quite the exaggeration. Siri has fundamentally changed quite a bit over the years and is much more useful than its initial release. The only thing that's been static for 14 years is the criticism of Siri.
It may have its blind spots, but when you use Siri the way it is meant to be used, it's quite good. Running shortcuts, controlling my home, opening apps on Vision Pro, controlling timers, fetching factual information, etc. Because of Shortcuts Siri is programmable by users. I personally would have a worse experience trying to use Google Assistant or Alexa because they have different skill sets. Google is best at (probably wrong) info, Alexa is best at shopping.
Siri is best at knowing the user, learning from their personal data, and using that to get things done. And it's been great for me even if I'm what you'd call a Siri unicorn. I've heard the complaints about Siri and just encounter those issues funny enough.
No offense but it sounds like you’ve never used Alexa or Google Assistant on a regular basis. I use Alexa to control some of my smart lights and Ring cameras (something I wish HomeKit was compatible with) and the response time for my lights are about a half a second quicker than Siri controlling my lights in my other room (when it works). Not ground breaking but definitely noticeable. So yeah it’s more than just shopping. Im also interested in where your getting google assistant “probably” giving wrong information. I can understand bias considering this is an apple site but in my experience that just flat out incorrect.
As someone that has used all 3 assistants Siri is definitely more limited in its skill sets in my experience compared to the other two. Considering Apples privacy stance though thats to be expected. Siri is good at what it does assuming it's a simple request.
I said best at, not just. All the assistants can do various tasks, each has a strength and Siri's is the Apple ecosystem and user data with privacy in mind.
I've used them, seen them demoed, or been in homes with the assistants in use. I've never seen what people describe as being ahead of Siri or what makes Siri "limited." I use Siri for what it was designed for and don't try to go out of scope, so I don't run into problems. I've no idea what people try to do with these things outside of personal requests, basic factual queries, music control, and home control.
Ring is a privacy nightmare and I'm glad they're not a part of Apple Home. And they're not in Apple Home because of some limitation, that's a choice made by Ring.
If you're using modern smart home tools, controlling them via Siri is instantaneous, especially over Thread. Personal actions like messages and reminders, work flawlessly, music is simple to control and sync across the home, and HomeKit actions or scenes execute without issue.
Google has always had an information problem, especially when it is in assistant form where it basically does a "I'm feeling lucky" return and reads the first result. Since results are based on an individual's search history, it may provide an answer that is incorrect, but favorable to the user.
Alexa was built with shopping on Amazon in mind. That's a feature, not an insult. Every Amazon home I've even been in though has been a living nightmare for the users where basic queries are just ignored leaving the owners shouting inches from a microphone to get it to understand their request.
Alexa has been a financial sinkhole for Amazon and I'm surprised they bothered with the new LLM model. That also going to be an incredible privacy problem as it removes the option to opt out of voice training. I wouldn't have an Alexa device in my home, personally. Google either.
I've never had a problem with a HomePod hearing me. I just speak at normal volume into the air and one of my HomePods picks up the request and performs it without a problem. I'm not saying Siri doesn't have room for improvement and needs additional work on what queries it can answer or actions it can perform, but I am saying it's pretty good at what it can do today. Just don't ask it about sports scores, lol.
Really, Siri is the only smart assistant that checks all the boxes. I have no idea what people mean by "behind" when it comes to AI or home assistance. Sure, it could be better, but the promises made by competitors just don't match up with my needs. And priority one is privacy, priority two is security. So Apple it is.
Comments
No you don’t. It started in the 1950s. It was being deployed into businesses in the 1980s. It was widespread by the 2000s.
I don't consider myself a big Siri user but I freely admit that I do utilize it. I prefer my virtual assistants to be part of the background, not the main attraction, so I really don't give much credence to Siri and frankly have forgotten nearly all the features they promised last year. If I come to use them by some organic method then so be it. I won't even spend time testing new features like the Image Playground you mention. Despite all that, I can still point to improved natural language understanding, third-party app integration, and expanded language support, and multiple voices in which to choose from over the original Siri introduction as part of the iPhone 4s.
its like saying you know everything because you can go to the library.
It may have its blind spots, but when you use Siri the way it is meant to be used, it's quite good. Running shortcuts, controlling my home, opening apps on Vision Pro, controlling timers, fetching factual information, etc. Because of Shortcuts Siri is programmable by users. I personally would have a worse experience trying to use Google Assistant or Alexa because they have different skill sets. Google is best at (probably wrong) info, Alexa is best at shopping.
Siri is best at knowing the user, learning from their personal data, and using that to get things done. And it's been great for me even if I'm what you'd call a Siri unicorn. I've heard the complaints about Siri and just encounter those issues funny enough.
That's a succinct way of summing up how every company has tried to market AI to us.
When I look at Apple, I look at how they are actually doing against other competition. But also look at the competition and what they are actually doing or accomplishing particularly profit-wise and if they have any actual marketshare gains.
Apple OS Level software, including MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple WatchOS, and Apple VisionOS, versus Microsoft and Google current offerings (not behind in this area of computing what else is even close).
Product design hardware and software integration SOC design in Engineering, Apple Silicon, C1 modem, R1 and various other support chips created to further their lead in this area in comparison to the competition. (Dead Motorola, IBM, Intel, AMD, Qualcomm me-too Google, Meta and Nvidia). Whose shoes among this menagerie would you want to be in? (Apple behind don’t think so).
Apple is the last vertical computer company left over from the golden age of the 1980s. (OS/Hardware companies) the present competition wait there isn’t any Linux? Microsoft? (Apple isn’t behind in this area)
Ecosystem creation from the ground up in comparison to their competition over the last 25 years, Microsoft, Google, Meta, Samsung, and Qualcomm. Apple is peerless in this area. None of these companies are even in the same ballpark they have basically failed to extend themselves out of their own sandbox with any type marketshare penetration or more importantly a profit. (Apple isn’t behind in this area of computing).
AI computing the current buzz word these days, once again, who in this menagerie of AI is ahead whatever that means most of Apple so-called competition can’t design their way out of a paper bag when it comes to the combination of hardware and software, and they certainly don’t have the best in class SOC’s or the choice of five different operating systems (ecosystems) in house like Apple.
None have Apple Silicon hardware nor the OS capability in house across many popular computing ecosystems like Apple, so how can they be ahead? How can Apple be doing worse in comparison to their so-called competition? Answer Apple isn’t.
The criticism towards Apple (includes me over the years), is somewhat misplaced. Many people are frustrated, maybe by the speed and where Apple releases their products, I have been over the years, very vocal about the big screen, iMac and Apple, not getting into servers since they’re introduction of Apple Silicon particularly now that the opportunity to gain mind share in this so-called new era of AI. Lots of very smart people are looking to use and get into this area of computing more importantly they’re looking for solutions hardware wise to allow them to participate in this so-called new area of computing, an area that Apple is perfectly positioned (no one else is even close with Apple‘s combination of OS software and class leading hardware mobile/desktop in house) to take advantage of with Apple Silicon once again in comparison to their competition IBM, Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, Google, Meta, Nvidia and nameless minions.
Another area in which Apple is peerless is the ability to run on the edge hardware wise most of their competition is still gearing up to phone home with all of their so-called AI solutions, once again Apple Silicon is leading away in terms of allowing Apple in combination with their software and hardware to operate on the edge in mobile on the go or on the desktop once again, who else can accomplish this today or in the next year it’s not Microsoft, Google, Meta, Nvidia, Intel, or Qualcomm. (The Microsoft/Qualcomm team up was an abysmal failure by the way).
Apple behind their peers/competition I don’t think so not when it comes to the big picture one other area Apple is ahead in they haven’t squandered billions of dollars (paying OpenAI) trying to set up a moat around AI, the advent of DeepSeek and other programs like it in the future along with Apple Silicon products will break down that moat similar to the Wintel combination breaking down Digital, Cray, Sun Computers, IBM, and SGI and the rest of the main frame mini computer market.
https://www.techmeme.com/250311/p33#a250311p33 The developer mindshare is rumbling for solutions now….
https://deepnewz.com/ai-modeling/apple-s-mac-studio-m3-ultra-512gb-memory-targets-ai-market-supports-deepseek-r1-1703648b
https://wccftech.com/m3-ultra-chip-handles-deepseek-r1-model-with-671-billion-parameters/
https://forums.appleinsider.com/discussion/239576/apple-is-lying-about-apple-intelligence-john-gruber-says-and-hes-right#latest
Apple clearly laid out what they were going to do with Apple Intelligence and that it was going to be worked on in the course of the next year or two, an Apple is ahead of their competition in that they gave no money to OpenAI, nor did they waste money trying to build a moat around AI like Meta, Google or Microsoft who all thought they were going to be the high priest of AI…..
One thing that made me very happy about Apples announcement last year was the fact that Apple Intelligence was going to be using M2 ultras as servers in the background, that meant Apple was going to be dragged kicking and screaming to come up with solutions using Apple Silicons inherent advantages in making servers and creating software solutions to support Apple moving into and capturing mindshare in the AI area of computing. Gruber like most probably missed that part. Apple Silicon, current advantages, particularly over the next two generations of the M series Soc’s is more important than anything else Apple does particularly since their competition are way out in Left-field right now when it comes to wattage and performance.
AI is literally everywhere you can think of or is rolling out to those places right now.
Cars need consumer (passenger) interaction and have to interact with their environments too. They also have to interact with other cars that are also interacting with everything in and around them. That means, global object detection, climate interpretation (rain, snow, hail etc), natural language processing and language generation. The ability to identify and interact with the individual occupants of the vehicle.
Apple does not have a GOD Network solution so we can't speak of competition in the automotive space (not consumer or industrial).
AI is also being used to enhance networks, cloud infrastructure, data storage and communications. Where is Apple on that?
Does it have autonomous networks?
AI is being used storage systems to deter things like ransomware.
AI is being used in climate forecasting, heavy industries (like mining), health and science, ports, aviation, airports, robotics etc.
It is also being used in FinTech and the push to move banking into the cloud.
Just this month at MWC2025 (which was stuffed to the gills with AI based solutions btw) we saw how new solutions can impact industry. It's nothing new. The last few years have seen all kinds of solutions come to market.
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/huawei-unveils-135-more-efficient-smart-mining-vehicle-tested-in-tibet
AI (based on Pangu LLMs in this case) is key to the success of that example which isn't some theoretical implementation. It has already been field tested.
With 5.5G rolling out now in places like China, how do you think that will impact the robotics industry (humanoid or not)? Some companies are already mass producing humanoid robots. We already have mmWave object detectors which are fixed onto walls/ceilings etc. Imagine a robot (autonomous mobility) with the capacity (via AI) to use mmWave to evaluate if you are breathing or not (or even how you are breathing). That alone could have both industrial and consumer uses.
Remember that a lot of what initially comes to industry, eventually ends up with consumer uses.
Apple is not peerless and isn't the last vertically integrated manufacturer by any stretch. It's very, very far from any of that.
The big picture expands far beyond CE use cases.
Apple realised the same hence Apple Intelligence, rather than Artificial Intelligence.
If AI can do things I can’t, don’t want to or will irritate me because it’s not user friendly to me then that’s fine.
Absolutely, it should not steal human’s ideas and product and turn it into something else, particularly if it’s negative to a person, either as lost income from something they have produced or for salacious or offensive purposes.
I imagine Apple will do what it normally does which is develop an idea and turn it into something useful. This so often has given people the feeling Apple is behind until it produces an absolute game-changer.
This has happened many times over the years and I am sure it will continue to do so.
As someone that has used all 3 assistants Siri is definitely more limited in its skill sets in my experience compared to the other two. Considering Apples privacy stance though thats to be expected. Siri is good at what it does assuming its a simple request.
I've used them, seen them demoed, or been in homes with the assistants in use. I've never seen what people describe as being ahead of Siri or what makes Siri "limited." I use Siri for what it was designed for and don't try to go out of scope, so I don't run into problems. I've no idea what people try to do with these things outside of personal requests, basic factual queries, music control, and home control.
Ring is a privacy nightmare and I'm glad they're not a part of Apple Home. And they're not in Apple Home because of some limitation, that's a choice made by Ring.
If you're using modern smart home tools, controlling them via Siri is instantaneous, especially over Thread. Personal actions like messages and reminders, work flawlessly, music is simple to control and sync across the home, and HomeKit actions or scenes execute without issue.
Google has always had an information problem, especially when it is in assistant form where it basically does a "I'm feeling lucky" return and reads the first result. Since results are based on an individual's search history, it may provide an answer that is incorrect, but favorable to the user.
What's worse, is Google has gotten much worse since it switched to LLM-based responses. LLM results are wrong 60% of the time.
Alexa was built with shopping on Amazon in mind. That's a feature, not an insult. Every Amazon home I've even been in though has been a living nightmare for the users where basic queries are just ignored leaving the owners shouting inches from a microphone to get it to understand their request.
Alexa has been a financial sinkhole for Amazon and I'm surprised they bothered with the new LLM model. That also going to be an incredible privacy problem as it removes the option to opt out of voice training. I wouldn't have an Alexa device in my home, personally. Google either.
I've never had a problem with a HomePod hearing me. I just speak at normal volume into the air and one of my HomePods picks up the request and performs it without a problem. I'm not saying Siri doesn't have room for improvement and needs additional work on what queries it can answer or actions it can perform, but I am saying it's pretty good at what it can do today. Just don't ask it about sports scores, lol.
Really, Siri is the only smart assistant that checks all the boxes. I have no idea what people mean by "behind" when it comes to AI or home assistance. Sure, it could be better, but the promises made by competitors just don't match up with my needs. And priority one is privacy, priority two is security. So Apple it is.