Apple's AI efforts

A few publications have covered Apple's current AI efforts, including Siri's big AI upgrade taking longer than expected, and the market's growing impatience.

Some former employees say the integration of large language models hasn't been smooth, especially since Apple is trying to layer new tech onto legacy infrastructure. It's a classic Apple challenge: evolve without compromising what's already deeply embedded across hundreds of millions of devices.

Yes, competitors like OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity have stormed ahead with flashy voice assistants, and Apple's stock has lagged the Magnificent 7 this year. But Apple rarely goes first, they go second (or third), and then do it better, cleaner, and at scale.

Remember the iPod, iPhone, and even Apple Watch? They weren't the first, but they became the standard. Apple's delay likely means they're still polishing the user experience, figuring out how to deliver powerful AI on-device without compromising privacy which, in fairness, is a harder problem than cloud-based LLMs.

They've also been quietly integrating OpenAI's tech into Siri as a bridge, which shows they're pragmatic while building their own AI muscle. Last night at their Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) conference, Apple said Siri's upgrades will need more time. So if they finally do crack it, the upside surprise could be meaningful.