Apple’s Siri chief calls Apple Intelligence delays ‘ugly’ and ’embarrassing,’ promises fixes someday

According to Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman, Robby Walker, Apple’s top executive overseeing its Siri virtual assistant, told staff that delays to key features have been “ugly” and “embarrassing,” promising fixes with no timeline. Walker lamented that the decision to publicly promote the technology well before it had any chance of being ready made matters worse.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
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Walker, who serves as a senior director at Apple, delivered the stark comments during an all-hands meeting for the Siri division, saying that the team was facing a bad period. Walker also said that it’s unclear when the enhancements will actually launch, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because the gathering was private.
The frank discussion shows the extent of Apple’s crisis in the field of artificial intelligence, where it’s struggling to catch up with peers. Siri — less advanced than rival systems — has become a symbol of Apple’s AI challenges. And the company’s woes boiled over last week, when it acknowledged publicly that critical features would be delayed indefinitely.
During the all-hands gathering, Walker suggested that employees on his team may be feeling angry, disappointed, burned out and embarrassed after the features were postponed. The company had been racing to get the technology ready for this spring, but now the features aren’t expected until next year at the earliest, people familiar with the matter have said…
[W]hen Apple demonstrated the features at WWDC using a video mock-up, it only had a barely working prototype… “To make matters worse,” Walker said, Apple’s marketing communications department wanted to promote the enhancements. Despite not being ready, the capabilities were included in a series of marketing campaigns and TV commercials starting last year.
Apple touted the features as a key selling point of the iPhone 16 line, which otherwise lacked major changes.

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MacDailyNews Take: Apple has a Siri chief? And he’s still employed?
Wait, Siri has an actual “team” that’s supposedly “working” on it? Holy crap, we needed a good laugh! At least that’s one thing at which Tim Cook’s Apple rarely fails.
Forget, for a moment, about Apple’s false advertising, fraud, and lies about its Apple Intelligence vaporware. Short Bus Siri is roughly the same as it was the day it debuted on October 4, 2011. No, overhyped additional voices, cool glowing edges, and random icon refreshes don’t count.
We understood the original Siri’s voice perfectly on launch day. Ditto for its icon and animations. The problem is and has always been Siri’s inability to understand and be usefully conversant with its users.
Okay, now remember the Apple Intelligence vaporware false advertising, fraud, and lies. Those will be the basis for class action lawsuits from iPhone, iPad, and Mac customers soon enough. And Apple will deserve them all.
Gurman continues:
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Walker also raised doubts about even meeting the current release expectations. Though Apple is aiming for iOS 19, it “doesn’t mean that we’re shipping then,” Walker said.
Walker said that there is “intense personal accountability” about this effort shared by his boss John Giannandrea, the head of AI at Apple, as well as software chief Craig Federighi and other executives.

MacDailyNews Take: “Intense personal accountability,” but no real accountability. But, don’t worry, they’re really, really sad as they cash those six-figure checks.
Clearly, at Tim Cook’s Apple, you can fail spectacularly, year after year, as never face any consequences.
For how long would these failures have lasted under Steve Jobs?
Adam Lashinsky for Fortune, May 9, 2011:
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In the summer of 2008… MobileMe was a dud. Users complained about lost e-mails, and syncing was spotty at best.
Steve Jobs doesn’t tolerate duds. Shortly after the launch event, he summoned the MobileMe team…
“Can anyone tell me what MobileMe is supposed to do?” Having received a satisfactory answer, he continued, “So why the fuck doesn’t it do that?”
For the next half-hour Jobs berated the group. “You’ve tarnished Apple’s reputation,” he told them. “You should hate each other for having let each other down.” The public humiliation particularly infuriated Jobs. Walt Mossberg, the influential Wall Street Journal gadget columnist, had panned MobileMe. “Mossberg, our friend, is no longer writing good things about us,” Jobs said. On the spot, Jobs named a new executive to run the group…
To Apple’s legion of admirers, the company is like a tech version of Wonka’s factory, an enigmatic but enchanted place that produces wonderful items they can’t get enough of. That characterization is true, but Apple also is a brutal and unforgiving place, where accountability is strictly enforced, decisions are swift, and communication is articulated clearly from the top. (After Jobs’ tirade, much of the MobileMe team disbanded, and those left behind eventually turned MobileMe into the service Jobs demanded.)

MacDailyNews Take: The contrast is stark. So are the results.

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