It’s widely known in tech circles that Apple has dropped the ball on AI, but competitors are now poking fun at the misstep in even their consumer-facing advertising.
Google has trolled Apple for the delays in its Siri features relating to Apple Intelligence. “If you buy a new phone because of a feature that’s ‘coming soon’, but it’s been coming soon for a full year, you could change your definition of ‘soon’ — or you could just change your phone,” a voiceover in the latest Pixel ad says, while showing off shots of the new device. “Ask more of your phone,” adds the text on the screen.
Apple has delayed the implementation of several “Apple Intelligence” features, particularly relating to Siri. Apple had initially showcased these AI features at WWDC 2024, implying they would be integrated with the iPhone 16 series and other new devices. These included features around personalized Siri experiences, such as screen awareness, personal context, and in-app actions.
The initial plan was to release these features in iOS 18, but they were later pushed back to an unknown timeline. The delay specifically affects Siri’s ability to understand context from the screen, utilize personal data for more relevant responses, and perform actions within apps. There have been reports that internal testing of these new Siri functionalities has revealed inconsistencies, contributing to the delay. Things got so bad that Apple is facing a lawsuit over “false advertising” over announcing the features but never implementing them in its phone.
Google seems to have latched on to this, and is hitting Apple where it hurts with the new ad. Google, like Apple, had appeared to have been caught unawares when OpenAI had launched ChatGPT in late 2022, but has since hit its stride, and released some powerful AI models. Google’s AI capabilities are now world-class, and it will look to quickly integrate them in its Pixel phone. This could help set the Pixel apart from the iPhone — if the Pixel can have features that Apple will likely not be able to launch for more than a year, it could cause many iPhone loyalists to consider giving Pixel a chance.
And there has been no shortage of such pointed ads in the tech space. Apple and Microsoft had famously feuded with the Mac vs PC series of ads in the 2000s, and Samsung and Apple have had similar battle. Google, though, might have actually have something more than just clever advertising — if its Pixel phone can actually deliver AI features that iPhones won’t have in the foreseeable future, it could end up making a serious dent in Apple’ considerable market share in the smartphone space.