The Vaporware That Apple Insists Isn't Vaporware 25
At WWDC 2024, Apple showed off a dramatically improved Siri that could handle complex contextual queries like "when is my mom's flight landing?" The demo was heavily edited due to latency issues and couldn't be shown in a single take. Multiple Apple engineers reportedly learned about the feature by watching the keynote alongside everyone else. Those features never shipped.
Now, nearly a year later, Apple executives Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak are conducting press interviews claiming the 2024 demonstration wasn't "vaporware" because working code existed internally at the time. The company says the features will arrive "in the coming year" -- which Apple confirmed means sometime in 2026.
Apple is essentially arguing that internal development milestones matter more than actual product delivery. The executives have also been setting up strawman arguments, claiming critics expected Apple to build a ChatGPT competitor rather than addressing the core issue: announcing features to sell phones that then don't materialize. The company's timeline communication has been equally problematic, using euphemistic language like "in the coming year" instead of simply saying "2026" for features that won't arrive for nearly two years after announcement.
Developer Russell Ivanovic, in a Mastodon post: My guy. You announced something that never shipped. You made ads for it. You tried to sell iPhones based on it. What's the difference if you had it running internally or not. Still vaporware. Zero difference. MG Siegler: The underlying message that they're trying to convey in all these interviews is clear: calm down, this isn't a big deal, you guys are being a little crazy. And that, in turn, aims to undercut all the reporting about the turmoil within Apple -- for years at this point -- that has led to the situation with Siri. Sorry, the situation which they're implying is not a situation. Though, I don't know, normally when a company shakes up an entire team, that tends to suggest some sort of situation. That, of course, is never mentioned. Nor would you expect Apple -- of all companies -- to talk openly and candidly about internal challenges. But that just adds to this general wafting smell in the air.
The smell of bullshit. Further reading: Apple's Spin on the Personalized Siri Apple Intelligence Reset.
Now, nearly a year later, Apple executives Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak are conducting press interviews claiming the 2024 demonstration wasn't "vaporware" because working code existed internally at the time. The company says the features will arrive "in the coming year" -- which Apple confirmed means sometime in 2026.
Apple is essentially arguing that internal development milestones matter more than actual product delivery. The executives have also been setting up strawman arguments, claiming critics expected Apple to build a ChatGPT competitor rather than addressing the core issue: announcing features to sell phones that then don't materialize. The company's timeline communication has been equally problematic, using euphemistic language like "in the coming year" instead of simply saying "2026" for features that won't arrive for nearly two years after announcement.
Developer Russell Ivanovic, in a Mastodon post: My guy. You announced something that never shipped. You made ads for it. You tried to sell iPhones based on it. What's the difference if you had it running internally or not. Still vaporware. Zero difference. MG Siegler: The underlying message that they're trying to convey in all these interviews is clear: calm down, this isn't a big deal, you guys are being a little crazy. And that, in turn, aims to undercut all the reporting about the turmoil within Apple -- for years at this point -- that has led to the situation with Siri. Sorry, the situation which they're implying is not a situation. Though, I don't know, normally when a company shakes up an entire team, that tends to suggest some sort of situation. That, of course, is never mentioned. Nor would you expect Apple -- of all companies -- to talk openly and candidly about internal challenges. But that just adds to this general wafting smell in the air.
The smell of bullshit. Further reading: Apple's Spin on the Personalized Siri Apple Intelligence Reset.
It's not VaporWare[TM], it's FutureWare[TM]! (Score:2)
The only difference is at some point between now and the end of the universe, FutureWare[TM] will happen. If it doesn't, then it was VaporWare[TM] after all.
Honestly who gives a crap? (Score:1)
You've already got phones that do all the stuff you need them to do. They're very powerful computers and communication devices that fit in your pocket. Why do you need all these latest whiz-bang features? "When is my mom's flight landing?" Really? You need to ask that way? What a lazy piece of shit you are.
I am sure the airline or airport (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Except going to a web site on a mobile phone and trying to find anything useful is too difficult. Simply asking for the information is far easier.
If you're on a real computer then it's a bit easier, assuming there's any semblance of competency to the web site.
Re: (Score:2)
Except going to a web site on a mobile phone and trying to find anything useful is too difficult.
I do this all the time. I don't have an iPhone and siri and I don't like using google voice. To humour you, I typed in "heathrow t4 departures" , "gatwick departures", "luton departures" and "london city departures" into google on my phone, and the first link took me to a well-formatted-for-mobile list. It was super easy. I say I entered those, but it actually autocompleted a fair bit of what I'd have to type.
Fo
Re:I am sure the airline or airport (Score:4, Insightful)
no Siri & AI required and just a browser and internet connection will do nicely
I can do all these things. The idea is...I don't have to.
I don't have to open up messages and scroll through trying to find the message with the flight number (Oh! Mom didn't send it, my sister did), find the website that lets me look up the flight number and airport to get the airline, then go to the airline website that shows arrival times, then go to the traffic website to figure out what time I should leave in order to get there on time. Siri can do all those things for me and come back with, "Mom gets in at 5:30PM, but you should probably leave in 15 minutes if you want to get there on time."
Yes, I can write programs in assembler. But I don't have to.
TBD (Score:1)
AirPower (Score:2)
Sometimes, stuff is just hard to get right. Look at AirPower: announced in 2017; cancelled in 2019 because they just couldn't;t make it work right.
I'd personally rather Apple take their time and get AI done right, than jam it into every single product, irrespective of if it makes sense or not. A Copilot-powered Notepad, for example, is just silly; yet here we are. The case management built into Dynamics CRM has Copilot summaries now; they are less than useful and make page loading take so much longer.
I boug
Innovation at Apple (Score:2)
It is pretty clear what is happening (Score:3)
Apple got fooled by the promises of the AI industry and announced a product they (or anybody else) cannot make. Now, unlike the usual AI assholes (or LLM assholes to be precise), Apple has some standards and will not release a fundamentally defective product. This is not a weakness of Apple, this is a strength.
Re: It is pretty clear what is happening (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Except the AI hype cycle pretty much demanded Apple talk about it. They were one of the last to join the AI bandwagon, and everyone roasted Apple for that.
So it's pretty much if Apple doesn't announce something, they believe Apple isn't working on it and thus going to be left behind in the AI hype.
Even when they announced the stuff, they got roasted for their late AI entry.
Re: (Score:2)
No, companies generally do not get criticized for not jumping on the AI bandwagon. Some companies are all in, many are slightly in, and some are not in at all. There is no shame in any of those strategies.
Except for vaporware. Apple either gambled that it could engineer a solution in time, or it truly believed that it was on track to deliver a product on time but messed up on internal communication. Either way, Apple goofed in a way that no other large company has done.
There are tons of skeptics about the a
It works on MY computer! (Score:2)
Apple is really good at doing things at scale.
Would you prefer a half baked feature? (Score:2)
People would be equally upset over a shipped but broken feature.
Should've Done Better (Score:2)
No one ever admits it is vaporware (Score:2)
The entire point of vaporware is to claim it is going to happen.
Admitting something is vaporware defeats the purpose.
Siri, what month is my Mom landing? (Score:2)
Siri usage time 0%, ChatGPT 0%... (Score:2)