iOS 26.4 Beta Launches Without Apple Intelligence Siri Features

[lazyrighteye]

Can I just pile on the disappointment by saying none of the iOS 18 Apple Intelligence features have improved in any meaningful way in over a year? Where is the TLC for Image Playground, Visual Intelligence, Writing Tools, etc? It all still feels like a rushed first take.

Because everything AI was, is, and continues to be, a rushed first take.
AI is evolving at a rate very few companies can understand, let alone manage. And forget about implementation - that's even trickier. It's the wildest of wests on a scale, and at a rate, previously unseen/unknown.

For all of Apple's strengths, they're not immune to the pressure that is the "look, we AI!" game every company on the planet is playing right now - regardless of whether their end-user wants AI, needs AI or if it adds any value to the experience. All that matters is that they AI. Now.

With each passing OS update, The Ecosystem grows increasingly complex. Thoughtfully weaving AI into the mix, in a way that feels simultaneously inevitable and empowering is not something even the brightest are going to solve on a pre-set upgrade cycle. The only Apple misstep here was claiming to have something figured out for iOS 18. Oops. It happens. Afterward, I would not have uttered any date/timeline regarding when to expect a "more capable Siri." Just that "we're working on it" and "want to get it right." And then say nothing until it's ready for prime time. Then go big.

Gurman is the one who put the 26.4 timeline into the ether. But that's the business he's in: he hears something, he report something. And if those something happen too change or shift, then his reporting chances or shifts. That's what he is paid to do: post. Grain of salt that guy.

I have hunch that when a more capable Siri does eventually land, some of this noise will subside. We'll see.

 

[segfaultdotorg]

Apple Intelligence is dead, long live Apple Gemini Intelligence!

 

[Dark_Omen]

Visual intelligence doesn't even work. ChatGPT constantly asks "what would you like to know."

Craig needs to go, like yesterday.

 

[mjs916]

As someone who doesn’t really care or use AI features much, I can’t wait for Apple to nail this, 2 years late, so that they can get back to focusing on UI design and UX.

The influx of features required by either legislation, competition or corporate gree… I mean, shareholder responsibilities, seem to have broken things in Cupertino.

AI is in its Adam & Eve eat of the Tree of Life/Knowledge phase right now (ignoring guardrails, lying to appease or pass tests etc). I’m glad that Apple, with its on-the-nose logo for such a time, has tried to stay out of it, til it’s better than that, but it’s coming no matter what. Bring on the AI slop. Free will for the machines.

 

[Farquar]

The deadline they kissed was when Apple ran those “get Apple Intelligence now, with the iPhone 16” commercials.
That ship had sailed. But we got trombone emojis. Womp womp 🎺🎺

Yeah, no. They shipped most of the Apple Intelligence features. As Apple themselves verified, what didn't ship was about 4% of what they intended to ship. Not even enough for a false advertising lawsuit.

 

[fatTribble]

AI is evolving at a rate very few companies can understand, let alone manage. And forget about implementation - that's even trickier. It's the wildest of wests on a scale, and at a rate, previously unseen/unknown.

Reminds me a bit of when the Internet was starting. Companies scrambled then celebrated that they’re on the net. Hurray. But many sites just had basic company and product information.

There was the expectation that we’d all have easy access to useful, factual information. What we got was social media.

 

[johnsawyercjs]

Reminds me a bit of when the Internet was starting. Companies scrambled then celebrated that they’re on the net. Hurray. But many sites just had basic company and product information.

There was the expectation that we’d all have easy access to useful, factual information. What we got was social media.

I remember those days ("Our company has a landing page!! On the INTERNET!! Make it look as much like a big version of our business card as you can, since we paid our card designer good money.").

We did get some greater access to useful, factual information, but it wasn't long before much of it got encased in long-winded articles full of fluff and distractions, surrounded by ads, links to all kinds of other things, etc., and now many of those otherwise useful articles and even search engine results feel like you're on a babbling social media web page. One of the functions of AI chatbots was supposed to solve that to some extent by extracting the useful info for us, but we know how that's actually gone.

 

[hagar]

The moment the Google deal was announced, the (rumoured!) 26.4 deadline was out the window. Only then the real integration work started and this will take many months. It will be iOS 27 or iOS 27.1.

 

[Kar98]

I remember those days ("Our company has a landing page!! On the INTERNET!! Make it look as much like a big version of our business card as you can, since we paid our card designer good money.").

We did get some greater access to useful, factual information, but it wasn't long before much of it got encased in long-winded articles full of fluff and distractions, surrounded by ads, links to all kinds of other things, etc., and now many of those otherwise useful articles and even search engine results feel like you're on a social media web page. One of the functions of AI chatbots was supposed to solve that to some extent by extracting the useful info for us, but we know how that's actually gone.

Except what AI produces is fluff and dross.

 

[etichi]

What a shame though I’ve got to hand to the c suite. They have brass balls. What in the actual F were they thinking when the came up with term ‘Apple Intelligence’? Let’s have fun with our brand!

Apple. Over promise. Under deliver.

 

[Johnny907]

So at what point does the board just fire Tim Apple?
Whatever touch he once had, he’s long since out of it.

 

[johnsawyercjs]

Except what AI produces is fluff and dross.

I'm referring to the chatbots, though they can also output a lot of dross when they get things wrong.

 

[mrhick01]

Meh.

Whatever it will be, it will come when Apple feels it's competent enough to integrate throughout their hardware.

 

[etichi]

Meh.

Whatever it will be, it will come when Apple feels it's competent enough to integrate throughout their hardware.

Right. apple is just withholding capability because what they have is beneath their standards. Or, maybe… they have jack squat.

 

[Kar98]

I'm referring to the chatbots, though they can also output a lot of dross when they get things wrong.

So was I. So tired of being given a novel when the answer could have been two words.

 

[MacFan782040]

What a mess. But honestly, most people won't even realize. To most people, "AI" is using ChatGPT or Gemini. Apple has room to play catchup, for now.

 

[Frantisekj]

Don’t worry! Maybe they’ll be in the next update! Or the one after that, or the one after that… or the one after that

Or Apple is just pulling our leg and trying to identify leaks channels 😀

 

[555gallardo]

Stop listening to Gurman. He is always wrong about timetables. And he never prints retractions.

Next up, in a major blow to the company’s reputation, Apple allegedly cancels a product that wasn’t even rumoured yet, we don’t even know what the product was supposed to be but Mark Gurman says it was cancelled so it definitely is a major blow to the company

 

[H_D]

To some degree Ido not get the stress everyone has with this. I barely use Apple Intelligence as it never is as good as the more advanced tools of other companies the writing tools can’t hold a candle to GPT/Claude/Gemini, Image Playground cannot compete with Flux or Seedream et al. At the moment, for every given task, from transcription to image upscaling, you go to the hopefully most advanced tool of the day (and it changes every day).
Apples AI ventures like the terrible auto-categorized tasks in Reminders, are mostly not really that helpful. I am sure AI playlists will be fun for a second but I would rather have curated lists by humans with experience and taste. And so on.
Maybe the way to go is to open the OS more for advanced models instead of trying to force a subpar Apple Intelligence on us that in the end you will barely use because it is last weeks state of the art.
In a few years things will be nivellated and plateaued, but at the moment, I wonder if racing to be the third- or fifth best is even worth it for an operation system.

 

[macfacts]

It’s not a delay if the only people saying it would launch with new features are fanboy tabloids

it's apple marketing doing it

 

[kempathonnodge]

I’ll take the late, high privacy and established quality Apple Intelligence over the rushed, imperfect one that many commentators seem happy to take.

No other company, as far as I can tell, is focusing on building a primarily “on device” architecture, then only optionally reaches to private cloud compute.

With the political situation we find ourselves in, anything that limits data collection opportunities gets my patient support.

 

[svish]

Not surprised. Was thinking it might be a part of iOS 27 only. Hopefully there won't be any further delays.

 

[freezelighter]

Tim, just leave.

 

[mrhick01]

Right. apple is just withholding capability because what they have is beneath their standards. Or, maybe… they have jack squat.

Well, from what we know, they have a deal with Google to place a version of the Gemini LLM onto Apple's private server farms for use with Apple hardware.

Maybe that model is still undergoing scrutiny and testing.

 

[Itinj24]

Does any of this have anything to do with my Siri acting super strange last three weeks it’s worse then normal. “Siri turn off the kitchen lights” Siri” what was that pause the Apple TV in bedroom1” 😡

My whole HomeKit setup has been acting strange for the past three weeks. I have a feeling they’re doing something on the server side.