Renowned Apple commentator John Gruber has taken an unusually vigorous stance against what he perceives as misleading claims from Apple regarding the rollout of Apple Intelligence. His critique is both sharp and justified.
John Gruber, known for hosting “The Talk Show,” where he engages in deep discussions with Apple leaders like Craig Federighi, has been a keen observer of Apple’s trajectory for many years. Lately, his commentary on Siri’s performance has become increasingly critical—reflecting a growing sentiment shared by others in the tech community, including platforms like AppleInsider—but his recent remarks tackle what he labels an AI debacle.
Gruber emphasizes that the real issue isn’t merely Apple’s tardiness in adopting artificial intelligence; rather, it lies within the company’s insistent promotion of a narrative that appears to be false. He believes there were individuals inside Apple who recognized this discrepancy but failed to act accordingly.
“In my two decades covering technology, I have never felt more frustrated with myself over overlooking crucial details than I do about Friday’s announcement regarding the ‘enhanced Siri’ capabilities tied to Apple Intelligence, which are now postponed until next year,” Gruber expressed candidly. “I truly need to reassess my own judgment.”
He further adds that it was misguided for him and many others to accept Apple’s assertions surrounding its AI advancements when they were initially presented at WWDC 2024. “I regret not recognizing earlier what should have been obvious,” Gruber mentioned.
Despite ambitious promises made by Apple regarding features like those found within their new AI initiatives, only minor functionalities such as Writing Tools and Image Playground were showcased; significant features were merely discussed but not demonstrated even minimally.
Gruber denotes these major promised offerings as conceptual ‘vaporware’ while contending that Apple’s portrayal of a more intuitive Siri amounted simply to promotional fluff lacking substantial evidence. Previously highlighted by outlets like AppleInsider was this dissonance during an ad campaign portraying Genmoji using visuals unattainable through existing technology.
‘Who decided it was acceptable to promise these capabilities without readiness?’ Gruber questioned further. ‘What led them to greenlight advertising them? And crucially—who made the decision on whom to listen?’ This presumably points toward Tim Cook’s influence.
Echoes of Past Missteps
In his analysis, Gruber draws parallels between Tim Cook and Steve Jobs during the MobileMe debacle—a precursor platform before iCloud—which irked Jobs immensely due to its poor execution. He insists Cook should feel similarly vexed about current developments surrounding Apple Intelligence.
‘Back in 2008,’ noted Jobs expressed frustration over MobileMe’s launch issues leading him to replace executives associated with failing projects—an action starkly reflective of his commitment towards excellence—and pointing out how prominent tech journalists had turned against them following these shortcomings.”
‘Walt indeed is no longer our advocate,’ Job lamented back then.’
A New Era or Old Issues?
‘Fast forward seventeen years later,’ suggests Gruber observing how Cook might view criticism from modern commentators like himself.’ In terms of executive turnover related directly due to performance issues associated with significant launches such as Siri: There seem evident moves since Kim Vorrath now leads oversight roles concerning these developments.”
