Why doesn't Apple come out with AI?

BarcelonaThis week's WWDC25, Apple's annual conference for app and services makers, has left a palpable sense of caution that contrasts with the ambitious artificial intelligence (AI) promises the company made last year. After a 2024 edition that promised a revolution with Apple Intelligence But over the months it came to be perceived as a failed launch with fruitless, fanciful announcements, expectations for this year were already very low. Apple has given up on making big headlines and opted for an incremental and measured approach.

The pressure on Apple is immense. The apple brand is facing growing investor concern over its significant lag in the field of generative AI compared to rivals such as Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, which have already deployed mature and widely adopted commercial solutions. This situation has affected the value of Apple's shares, which are performing the worst of the so-called Magnificent Seven, with a drop of approximately 18% so far this year. After the opening session of WWDC25, the share price fell 1.2%, with the most aggressive analysts calling the event "very boring" and the more moderate ones pointing out that Apple was playing it safe after last year's mistakes.

The AI that never arrives: prudence or incompetence?

One of the surprises of WWDC25 was the lack of news about the renewal of Siri, Apple's digital housekeeper, which was supposed to be a crucial part of Apple Intelligence and theoretically revolutionize interaction with devices. Tim Cook had previously admitted that the technology did not meet the company's high quality standards and was taking longer than expected. This situation has led Apple to withdraw Siri television ads and face lawsuits for false advertising.

Some analysts interpret this delay as calculated caution on the part of Apple, which prioritizes quality user experience and privacy. The company continues to focus on processing AI functions directly on the device with smaller models, rather than relying heavily on cloud servers as OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google do. This system, while strengthening the security and privacy of user data, adds a layer of complexity to development.

However, a more skeptical reading suggests that Apple's slowness is not just due to caution, but to technological incompetence and a lack of investment. Former employees have pointed out difficulties in updating Siri with large, state-of-the-art language models, which would have led to errors that rivals like OpenAI have not suffered because they built their AI from scratch. Furthermore, there is talk of fragmented management and an initial lack of interest from executives in allocating a large enough budget to building this technology. Analysts at Bank of America estimate that it could take Apple three or more years to have a truly modern AI assistant.

Another indicator of this apparent slowdown in AI is that Apple's promised large investments in AI data centers have still not materialized. Consulting firm TD Cowen indicates that we have not yet seen a significant increase in the company's activity in this area, unlike competitors such as Google, Amazon Web Services, and OpenAI, which have been and continue to invest tens of billions of euros in data center capacity for AI services. This lack of investment coincides with the company's retreat from its overall AI strategy.

More news in form than in substance.

Beyond the low expectations in AI, Apple has unveiled what it considers the most extensive software redesign in its history. The most visible change affects the numbering of operating systems, which will now bear the number of the fiscal year of their availability. 26, which will retain the Californian geographic nickname, in this case Tahoe

The real renewal is that of the interfaces with the so-called Liquid Glass. claims that this will allow the user to focus more on the content. However, some users have already criticized Liquid Glass, indicating precisely that it impairs content visibility. introduced some incremental improvements The company will open its local AI models to application developers for the first time, enabling the creation of new intelligent experiences. However, initial access will be limited to smaller models that run locally on devices, optimized for its OpenAI and Google cloud-based model, which they already use.

The iPhone will now be able to automatically answer calls from unknown numbers, ask for the purpose of the call, and transcribe the message so the user can decide whether to respond. Automatic translation features have been introduced for text messages and phone calls, and for FaceTime, which allows real-time conversations in different languages. In this case, Samsung introduced a similar feature called earlier last year. Circle to Search with Google's AI. A new take on Mac functionality for the iPad has also been unveiled, with greater multitasking and window capabilities, a new Games app, and improvements to the Vision Pro headset, such as support for game controllers.

In short, while Apple insists on its confidence in continued development within a lucrative proprietary ecosystem, WWDC25 has revealed a strategy that, despite seeking to differentiate itself through its focus on the device and privacy, seems more focused on cosmetic changes and the AI field than the market expected. The acid test for Apple will come in 2026, when the brand is expected to revamp Siri and introduce more radical AI experiences. Until then, Apple continues to take a slow pace in the AI race, with a sense of waiting permeating the sector. For now, iPhone buyers do not seem worried and continue to renew their iPhones even if they do not include all the advanced AI that was promised. We'll see how long their patience lasts.