By previewing smarter Siri vaporware at WWDC and the iPhone 16 launch, Apple burned a reputation earned over decades for only promising actual working products

In the two decades I've been in this racket, I've never been angrier at myself for missing a story than I am about Apple's announcement …

Daring Fireball 2025-03-13 John Gruber

Context & Ripple Effects

The criticism centers on a break with Apple’s established launch discipline: the company tied its AI narrative to its flagship product cycle before the relevant Siri experience was ready. Related coverage soon framed delay as preferable to releasing an unreliable assistant, while a later executive interview described the difficulty of moving beyond the initial Siri architecture in the effort to replace Siri’s first-generation architecture.

That sequence makes this more than a missed feature date. It tests whether Apple can preserve the credibility of its product roadmap while rebuilding an AI capability that was marketed as a near-term differentiator.

First-order effects

Apple must manage customer and developer expectations for Siri features that were used to support its recent product messaging.
The delay reduces the immediate value of Siri as a selling point and turns product-readiness scrutiny into a central issue for Apple’s AI communications.

Second-order effects

Competitors can contrast their own AI releases with Apple’s delayed roadmap, while Apple faces pressure to show that a later launch is materially more reliable than a rushed one; related coverage explicitly argued that a delay was safer than shipping a half-baked Siri.
Apple’s marketing teams and platform partners have less certainty about when Siri-led experiences can be promoted, increasing the cost of tying future launch narratives to unfinished AI capabilities.

Third-order effects

If this pattern persists, AI feature announcements may be judged less by demonstrations and more by whether companies can ship dependable, integrated functionality on the timelines they advertise.
For Apple, the episode could weaken a long-standing execution premium and force a more cautious separation between platform vision and features available to users.

The trend: Consumer-platform companies are learning that generative-AI roadmaps can erode product trust when public demos outrun dependable shipping software.

Discussion

@jasonhowell Jason Howell on bluesky
Well that's a humdinger of an article by @gruber.foo about Apple's promise/epic failure to deliver ANY sort of actual proof that its most advanced Apple Intelligence features exist in any meaningful way. And the damage it's postponement does to the company: daringfireball.net/20…
@quinnypig.com Corey Quinn on bluesky
Amazon, Google, Apple, Facebook... all the big tech companies have become just SO FREAKING INTENT on beclowning themselves on the altar of AI. [embedded post]
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on bluesky
John Gruber argues that Apple's “more personalized Siri” is a failure the company hasn't seen since before Steve Jobs returned — hyping a product feature that doesn't exist. — Apple isn't just behind in generative AI but also now looks like it doesn't have the chops to catch up…
@jjvincent James Vincent on bluesky
this is an unforgiveably long blog post to say something very short ('apple is losing credibility by failing to ship AI features') but always worth noting gruber's takes. once *he* feels it's justified criticizing the company, the winds have really changed daringfireball.net/2025…
@glennf.com Glenn Fleishman on bluesky
A lengthy, sensible, livid callout by @gruber.foo of Apple's promised, keynote & TV ad demonstrated, seeming not at real, now indefinitely personalized Siri feature: daringfireball.net/2025/03/some... I have felt since the introduction of Apple Intelligence the company was ahead…
@guysedai Guy Sedai on bluesky
Wow, this is incredibly well written and belongs in the Daring Fireball Hall of Fame. Nicely done.
@hilli.tech Wesley Hilliard on bluesky
This piece echos my thoughts on Apple Intelligence from a different angle, though John is more unforgiving of the delay. I do agree though, the WWDC announcement, ad, and delay are all uncharacteristic and a sign that internal processes may be changing. — appleinsider.com/arti…
@jeanlucp @jeanlucp on bluesky
Wow. As an ex employee, this will create a tsunami. Good for you. We all felt this way. It's all smoke and mirrors. They don't have a serious plan. Siri should have been everyone's wake up call. Your framing around “credibility” was excellent and just might move mountains.…
@viticci.macstories.net Federico Viticci on bluesky
Word for word, cannot agree with this @gruber.foo story on Apple Intelligence enough. — Apple showed off a concept video last year, lied in commercials, and continues to promise something that doesn't exist. — Their plan worked out great eh? — daringfireball.net/2025/03/som…
@zachlipton.com Zach Lipton on bluesky
“Modern Apple — the post-NeXT-reunification Apple of the last quarter century — does not publish concept videos. They only demonstrate actual working products and features. — Until WWDC last year, that is. ” [embedded post]
@gruber.foo John Gruber on bluesky
Who decided these personalized Siri features should go in the WWDC keynote, with a promise they'd arrive in the coming year, when, at the time, they were in such an unfinished state they could not be demoed to the media even in a controlled environment?
@gruber.foo John Gruber on bluesky
★ Something Is Rotten in the State of Cupertino
@stroughtonsmith … Steve Troughton-Smith on mastodon
‘Is this a manufactured outrage to assign blame to Tim Cook?’, I wondered, long before I came to his name in the piece 🤔 — Somebody has (had?) way more faith in Apple's credibility than I think the rest of us do — https://mastodon.social/...
@amyworrall@mastodon.social Amy Worrall on mastodon
I read @gruber 's piece about Apple's pre-announcement of “more personalised Siri”, and I was moved to offer my own thoughts: — https://www.amyworrall.com/...
@parkerortolani@mastodon.social Parker Ortolani on mastodon
Absolutely essential reading on the Apple Intelligence situation from @gruber https://daringfireball.net/...
@darylbaxter@mastodon.social Daryl Baxter on mastodon
I'd add to @gruber's good piece here, that the fact Apple Intelligence *turns itself back on* with every new software update is a terrible look in every sense. — https://daringfireball.net/...
@parkert Parker Thompson on threads
It's interesting that Apple is getting more flack for shipping AI ads that nobody will remember than shipping a $4500 AR headset that nobody bought. Panicking at the idea of being behind in AI is a minor mistake in the grand scheme, but Vision Pro being worse than a ~10x cheaper…
@joannastern Joanna Stern on x
Only question now on Apple Intelligence: Will Tim Cook do a public apology a la Apple Maps in 2012? https://daringfireball.net/...
@dtrinh Danny Trinh on x
The @gruber teardown of Apple Intelligence will be consequential for the company. Absolute nightmare fuel for those involved. For all the heat, the call to delay is right. Most mere mortals won't remember the vaporware demos — they WOULD remember a shitty forced release in
@om @om on x
Apple Intelligence: more show than substance? John Gruber's scathing critique of Apple's recent AI demos hits home. As someone who was initially enthusiastic, I have to admit - the results are disappointing. Apple's trapped by its own success, desperately trying to appear
@signulll @signulll on x
even apple's most diehard fans are struggling to defend them on this ai debacle. this is probably the worst mismanagement by apple since the maps debacle. meanwhile, if you go use a pixel device, it's not there yet but the ai direction feels interesting. what a disaster.
@packym Packy McCormick on x
Apple failing would be one of the healthiest things imaginable for capitalism. You could see the soul leaving its body as it moved from attract to extract. Corporate 21 grams. Current struggles are downstream of that soullessness. Let it burn. [image]
@sdw Sebastiaan de With on x
Ex-MobileMe team here. This was a brutal time. It was so bad that when he presented iCloud onstage, Steve said “I know what you're thinking: why should I trust them? They're the ones who gave us MobileMe!”
@parkerortolani Parker Ortolani on x
Absolutely essential reading on the Apple Intelligence situation from @gruber https://daringfireball.net/...
@benthompson Ben Thompson on x
Nailed it https://daringfireball.net/...
@chr1sa Chris Anderson on x
Heck of an ending [image]
@drbarnard David Barnard on x
“Those are problems, not fiascos, and problems happen. [...] Leaders prove their mettle and create their legacies not by how they deal with successes but by how they deal with — how they acknowledge, understand, adapt, and solve — problems. The fiasco is that Apple pitched a stor…
@drbarnard David Barnard on x
“When mediocrity, excuses, and bullshit take root, they take over. A culture of excellence, accountability, and integrity cannot abide the acceptance of any of those things, and will quickly collapse upon itself with the acceptance of all three.”
@dtay891 Dan Taylor on x
“You can stretch the truth and maintain credibility, but you can't maintain credibility with bullshit. And the “more personalized Siri” features, it turns out, were bullshit.” @gruber nailing my thoughts exactly https://daringfireball.net/...
@sudoraohacker Arun Rao on x
Apple doesn't have the right team or execs to execute on Apple Intelligence and is falling behind every six months. They need to acquire Anthropic, Perplexity, or Mistral to get back into the game. It's likely that Anthropic is too rich now, so @tim_cook needs to move fast on
@gpanger Galen Panger on x
This is about the mediocrity coming from Apple wrt Apple Intelligence, but the whole iPhone 16 launch reeks of mediocrity. Camera Control is a joke. “Something Is Rotten in the State of Cupertino.” https://daringfireball.net/...
@lukew Luke Wroblewski on x
“When mediocrity, excuses, and bullshit take root, they take over.” https://daringfireball.net/...
@jerrycap @jerrycap on x
Apple below the 200day! 🎉 A scathing critique of Apple's missteps with Apple Intelligence, a lament for its damaged trustworthiness, and a call for accountability at the top.
@ross__hendricks Ross Hendricks on x
The downfall of $aapl is quickly becoming a mainstream narrative... still a juicy short at over 30x earnings
@vatsal_manot Vatsal on x
Gruber redemption arc from obnoxiously servile corporate mouthpiece to average everyday reporter? [image]
@nfarina Nick Farina on x
This piece by @gruber on Apple's botched “Intelligence” has me completely floored. I've read Daring Fireball for 23 years and he has never come close to this level of criticism about the company. It reads like an obituary, and I agree with every word. https://daringfireball.net/.…
@buccocapital @buccocapital on x
Scathing retrospective on Apple Intelligence failure from @gruber “You can stretch the truth and maintain credibility, but you can't maintain credibility with bullshit. And the “more personalized Siri” features, it turns out, were bullshit.” [image]
@matthewstoller Matt Stoller on x
Apple has entered its Boeing 737 Max phase. The antitrust case can't happen fast enough to save this company.
@rjonesy Ryan Jones on x
Respect to @Gruber for writing it. Alarm bells have rung in Cupertino. Their reaction sets the tenor. https://daringfireball.net/...
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
Everything Gruber wrote here is valid and true. Outside of that, my thought is that the new Siri worked using data center models, large context windows, and functioned but was slow When they tried to move it on device safety, accuracy, speed and memory became an issue
@buccocapital @buccocapital on x
Absolutely scathing Apple Intelligence retrospective from @daringfireball “That's all she wrote. The ride is over” [image]
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