It has been one week since Apple announced the indefinite postponement of the “more personalized” version of Siri, which was first revealed at WWDC 2024, and the negative reactions continue unabated.
Recently, Bloomberg disclosed insights from an all-hands meeting held by the Siri division at Apple, where the delays regarding Apple Intelligence were described as “ugly” and “embarrassing.”
The meeting was conducted by Robby Walker, a senior director of “Siri and Information Intelligence” at Apple, who has been a part of the company since 2013, specializing in Siri technologies. During the discussion, Walker stressed that it remains “unclear” when the anticipated Siri features will be released, which include personal context, in-app actions, and on-screen awareness.
Apple’s objective is to deliver these features at some point during the iOS 19 rollout; however, Walker indicated, “that doesn’t guarantee we will be shipping then.” As it stands, the new Siri functionalities are reportedly only operating adequately “two-thirds to 80% of the time,” according to Bloomberg:
“We have other commitments across Apple to other projects,” Walker conveyed, pointing to new software and hardware initiatives that take precedence. “We want to uphold our commitments to those, understanding that they might now be more time-sensitive than the deferred features.” Timing decisions will be assessed on a “case-by-case basis” as development progresses on next year’s products.
“Customers are not only expecting these new features but also a more robust version of Siri,” he said. “We intend to release these features and additional enhancements as soon as they are ready.”
In terms of accountability, Walker mentioned that there is “intense personal accountability” shared by John Giannandrea, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Machine Learning and AI Strategy, along with software chief Craig Federighi.
According to Bloomberg, Apple “doesn’t plan to immediately terminate any high-ranking executives in light of the AI setbacks.” Nevertheless, the company is looking at “management adjustments” in response to these challenges, which may involve relocating more senior executives under Giannandrea’s leadership to facilitate a recovery effort.
Despite the difficulties, Walker acknowledged the team’s “incredibly impressive” features and reaffirmed the goal of delivering “the world’s greatest virtual assistant.” He encouraged employees to “feel genuinely proud of the innovative work” they have accomplished up until now.
Walker lauded his Siri group, advising them to take pride in their efforts. He remarked, “I witnessed countless individuals giving everything they had to bring this project to fruition and make remarkable progress together.”
However, Apple aims to maintain high standards and will only release features when they are fully developed, he stated. “These are not ready for the general public, despite our competitors possibly releasing similar products in worse conditions.”
Walker compared the situation to attempting a swim to Hawaii. “We swam hundreds of miles — we set a Guinness World Record for swimming distance — but we still fell short of reaching Hawaii,” he said. “Instead of being recognized for our remarkable swimming, we faced criticism for not achieving the destination.”
Walker also addressed the Apple marketing department’s decision to advertise these features prematurely, noting that this choice “[exacerbated] the situation,” according to him.
However, when Apple showcased the functionalities at WWDC via a video mock-up, it was using a barely functional prototype, Bloomberg reported. Walker informed staff during the meeting that the delays were particularly “ugly” as Apple had already publicly demonstrated the features. “This was not a scenario where we could share our complete plan after it’s ready,” he noted. “We shared it before.”
Although Apple has not conducted public demonstrations of the planned Siri enhancements, Walker pointed out several instances of the features performing successfully during the meeting.
For the complete report, visit Bloomberg.
