Apple's Siri Upgrade Delay Sparks Calls for Tim Cook to Address Crisis

Kuo: Cook Should Personally Address Siri Apple Intelligence Failure

Kuo referenced the well-known "Antennagate" PR crisis when the iPhone 4 launched in 2010, and the way that then Apple CEO Steve Jobs handled it. Jobs personally responded to multiple customer emails, and then Apple held a press conference to address concerns about the iPhone 4's cellular signal. Jobs ended up announcing that Apple would provide free bumpers for all iPhone 4 uses to mitigate the issue, and allow customers who were still unhappy to return their iPhones. The implication in Kuo's statement is that Apple CEO Tim Cook and other executives should follow Jobs' example, giving customers more insight into what's going wrong with Siri development. I think the worst part is that when it came time to admit that Apple Intelligence (Siri) development wasn't going as planned, Apple chose to break the news to the world through an unofficial channel. This is how the world's most valuable company handles a PR crisis. What should Apple have done? The way Steve Jobs personally addressed the iPhone 4 antennagate PR crisis back in the day provides a great example. Kuo acknowledges that it takes time to develop artificial intelligence services, and that Apple's early announcement of Apple Intelligence Siri features at WWDC 2024 is understandable "given the pressure from the board and shareholders." With the company unable to deliver the feature set in the promised timeline, Apple needs to provide a more concrete response. In the midst of Antennagate, Jobs was transparent about Apple's position and offered a concrete solution. Jobs said that Apple did not "fully understand if there were problems" when the iPhone 4 first came out, but that the company had a responsibility to educate as a "leader in the smartphone world." "We're not perfect, and we're working our asses off," Jobs said. Back in 2012, Cook did personally address Apple Maps shortcomings in iOS 6, penning an apology letter to customers. He told customers that he was sorry, and he provided insight into Apple's work to make the Maps app better. Given the uproar over the delayed Siri overhaul, it could make sense for Cook to again speak to customers directly.

Apple CEO should do a Steve Jobs on Siri delay, analyst says

Apple CEO Tim Cook should go public to explain the delay in integrating advanced Siri capabilities across its ecosystem, rather than Apple releasing the news quietly via a tech site last week, according to prominent Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The tech giant showcased an AI-powered Siri at its WWDC event in 2024, as part of its Apple Intelligence initiative. While the virtual assistant does now have some AI smarts, the more advanced features -- including personalized responses, task completion across multiple apps, and on-screen awareness -have been delayed until next year at the earliest. Recommended Videos Writing in a post on X on Thursday, Kuo acknowledged that developing great AI services "was never going to happen overnight, so the delay of Apple Intelligence is entirely understandable." He can also see why Apple announced Apple Intelligence at last year's WWDC, "even though they knew it couldn't be completed on schedule," saying that while this "was not a good move, [it] is still understandable given the pressure from the board and shareholders." But Kuo said the "worst part" came just recently "when it came time to admit that Apple Intelligence (Siri) development wasn't going as planned," with Apple choosing to "break the news to the world through an unofficial channel." He added: "This is how the world's most valuable company handles a PR crisis." Kuo said that Apple should have handled the matter in a similar way to how Cook's predecessor, Steve Jobs, dealt with the so-called "antennagate" crisis with the iPhone 4 in 2010, when a design flaw caused signal loss that resulted in a lot of upset among customers. Jobs handled the situation head on, calling a press conference in which he acknowledged the problem and offered free bumper cases to mitigate the issue. "The way Steve Jobs personally addressed the iPhone 4 antennagate PR crisis back in the day provides a great example," Kuo said in his post. But Cook, too, has been known to face difficult matters in a more public manner, evidenced by the way he handled the Apple Maps debacle in 2012 when the buggy software was released way before it was ready, causing widespread disappointment and frustration among users. Cook didn't hold a press conference, choosing instead to post a letter of apology on Apple's website in which he said the company "fell short" of its commitment to deliver world-class products, while promising to do better. But the difference between those two issues -- antennagate and Apple Maps -- and the AI Siri delay is that this time around there's no user backlash or sense of crisis about the situation. Of course, if Apple launches the all-new Siri well before it's ready, and it performs horribly, then Cook might well be compelled to confront the situation publicly. For now, Apple is intent on avoiding an Apple Maps-type error, and therefore won't be releasing the enhanced Siri tool until it's sure it's ready. So no, don't expect Cook to be holding a press conference about it anytime soon.

Tim Cook should handle the Apple Intelligence crisis like Steve Jobs handled Antennagate

TL;DR: Apple's delay in releasing Apple Intelligence features has led to a PR crisis, reminiscent of the 2010 Antennagate issue. Promised features, like Siri's upgrade, are missing, causing consumer frustration. Apple's failure to roll out Apple Intelligence on time is reminiscent of Antennagate, a controversy Apple founder Steve Jobs tackled in 2010 with the iPhone 4. Perhaps current Apple CEO Tim Cook should take a page out of Jobs' book on how to manage a company crisis effectively. For those who don't know, Apple announced Apple Intelligence at WWDC in June 2024, with the company going on to tell consumers its implementation of AI would be coming to its latest generation of products. Apple showed Apple Intelligence working in a variety of different ways through advertisements (some now hidden) that showed new ways to interact with its AI that would benefit the user. Unfortunately, the most impressive features of Apple Intelligence, such as Siri's deep iOS integration upgrade, would bring it up to a similar level of performance as other AI services, such as ChatGPT. However, those features are yet to be released, and now we have learned Apple is so far behind in development that Apple Intelligence won't arrive in its entirety until sometime next year. The problem? Apple marketed its latest generation of devices with the promise of Apple Intelligence features, and while some have been released, the biggest sellers, such as the Siri upgrade, are not present, nor will they be until the iPhone 17 lineup has already been launched. To many, this seems like a bait-and-switch tactic, or perhaps more accurately, Apple overpromising on features and then severely underdelivering. The delay of Apple Intelligence is nothing short of a PR crisis for Apple, and perhaps one of the worst aspects of this whole debacle is the lack of accountability the company is taking, particularly by its senior executives, who have been silent on the public-facing side of things. These concerns have been echoed by prominent industry analysts such as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Ming-Chi Kuo, who recently took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their thoughts about the issue. Gurman explained that multiple senior Apple executives are responsible for Apple Intelligence's failure and that it's pretty rare to see individuals or an entire team let go. Ming-Chi Kuo made an interesting comparison between the PR nightmare Apple is experiencing now and the one the company faced under the leadership of the late Steve Jobs and how he tackled the Antennagate problem. For those who don't know, Antennagate was a scandal Apple faced in 2010. Users discovered that placing their hand or finger over the antenna would considerably lessen the signal strength. Jobs decided to hold a rare press conference to address the issue, where he admitted Apple isn't perfect, neither are iPhones, and ultimately took accountability for the problem, enabling him to reframe the issue to Apple's benefit. What consumers need to see is Apple executives, including, and most importantly, CEO Tim Cook, come out at a press conference and take public accountability for the delay in the product that was used a guise to sell the latest generation of devices. By doing this, Apple will regain some control over the marketing nightmare they are currently experiencing while also regaining some consumer trust from those who respect it when people admit their faults. Additionally, this would be a fantastic opportunity to provide some much-needed context on the current situation surrounding the delay. If done correctly, with some grace and apparent accountability, Apple could spin this situation to its benefit or, at the very least, reframe the issue to how it wants it to be perceived. This would reduce the current tsunami of negative press, which appears to be much needed at this time.

Analyst Urges Tim Cook To Follow Steve Jobs' Crisis Management Approach In Addressing Siri Apple Intelligence Failure, Warning That Its 'Underwhelming Performance' Could Hurt iPhone Sales

Apple caught itself in a bit of a fiasco when it delayed Siri Apple Intelligence features until next year, and the tech community is disappointed with its failure. It was initially reported that the company would release the new personal Siri experience with iOS 18.4 this year, but the date slipped until May. Now, the company has postponed the feature until next year, and a prominent analyst has shared his insights on the matter, suggesting that Tim Cook should directly address Siri Apple Intelligence's failure. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo states that Apple announcing the delay of the Siri feature through a press release was a bad decision and that the company should have addressed it through official channels. Yesterday, Kuo stated that Apple knew about the "underwhelming performance" of Apple Intelligence and the impact it would have on sales. He further mentioned that the company has tapped suppliers to be aware of the conservative iPhone shipment forecast, which could be the result of the absence of some Apple Intelligence features. It was also previously noted that Apple will delay notable AI features in iOS 19 as well, which it has been working on for a while. It only goes on to show Apple's incompetency in the AI race and the developmental challenges it is facing. Last year, it was also reported that the company was having a hard time developing iOS 19 features as it was busy fixing and addressing issues in iOS 18. Kuo mentioned the "Antennagate" crisis when the iPhone 4 was launched back in 2010 and how Steve Jobs took center stage to tackle it. The late CEO personally responded to customers through email and also held a press conference to address concerns regarding the cellular signals on the iPhone 4. It put the disappointed customers at ease, and Tim Cook should do the same with the Siri Apple Intelligence delay. Kuo wants Tim Cook to follow in Jobs' footsteps, give users assurance, and provide insights on what is going on inside the company that is causing the delays. I think the worst part is that when it came time to admit that Apple Intelligence (Siri) development wasn't going as planned, Apple chose to break the news to the world through an unofficial channel. This is how the world's most valuable company handles a PR crisis. What should Apple have done? The way Steve Jobs personally addressed the iPhone 4 Antennagate PR crisis back in the day provides a great example. Kuo also acknowledged that developing AI services is hard and requires a lot of time, and the company's early announcement of Apple Intelligence is understandable as well, considering how the company was under pressure from the board and shareholders. However, the company's decision to delay Siri Apple Intelligence and break its delivery premise requires a transparent response from the company's end. We will share more details on the matter, so be sure to stick around.