In the increasingly intelligent world of AI assistants, Apple’s Siri seems to have dozed off.
It’s been reported that the long-awaited “more conversational” Siri update is hitting significant delays, and will now potentially not show up until iOS 20 in 2027! Meanwhile, Amazon’s Alexa+ is already receiving rave reviews.
Hey Siri – Where Are You??
Originally expected to arrive just in time for iOS 19, Apple’s new “LLM Siri” – designed to merge the assistant’s split personality backend systems – is still on the calendar.
However, what most consumers and tech enthusiasts alike are truly excited about, i.e. the new, potentially transformative conversational abilities, have been pushed so far that it’s probably not even worth setting an alarm because you’ll have a new phone! We’re talking two years away – on an as-yet-unspecified date in 2027.
Some Apple Intelligence features will make an appearance with iOS 18.5 this May, including on-screen awareness and better app controls, but the ChatGPT-like conversational spark users have been waiting for is still playing hard to get.
In his newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman sees the next Siri release as a potential bellwether for Apple’s place in the AI industry:
The next version of Siri will be a test of whether Apple can mount a comeback. The software is likely to be released in May, a full 11 months after it was introduced.
Alexa Comes Into Her Own
While Siri dawdles, Amazon’s Alexa+ has burst out of the traps and is now available to consumers as part of a monthly subscription package.
This isn’t just a new outfit for Alexa, it’s a complete personality makeover. The revamped assistant can juggle multiple conversations like a pro and acts as your personal AI agent.
Gone are the days of “Alexa, set a timer… Alexa, what’s the weather…?”
Now you can throw everything at her at once, and have full-blown, dare we say it, humanlike, conversations that will deliver the results you want – fast.
Amazon hasn’t been shy about investing in genAI tech, pouring a hefty $8 billion into Anthropic. Interestingly though, Amazon recently came out to say Anthropic’s genAI platform wasn’t fuelling Alexa – insisting that its proprietary ‘Nova’ engine drives ‘most’ Alexa interactions.
Unlike Apple’s free-but-fashionably-late approach, Amazon showcased Alexa’s premium features to a select group ahead of its now-live monthly subscription.
Bank of America analysts suggest that if just 10% of active users subscribe, Amazon could rake in around $600 million annually – not bad for teaching an old assistant new tricks!
Could Siri’s Delay Be An Enterprise Powerplay?
Apple’s slower pace in the AI assistant race might not be a sign of falling behind, but rather a deliberate strategy aimed at a different segment of the market.
While Amazon, Google, and OpenAI seem locked in a sprint to add more features faster, Apple appears to be taking the scenic route, focusing on integration with its huge ecosystem rather than standalone assistant capabilities.
Dan Ives from Wedbush Securities suggests this distinction:
We view Apple playing a different game, as they are agnostic of LLM. It’s about Apple Intelligence as a developer platform for AI. A new Siri design will happen, but not overnight.
It could be argued that Apple is potentially targeting the professional and enterprise markets more deliberately than the consumer-focused strategies of its competitors. Rather than creating a chatty companion for your kitchen counter, Apple might be envisioning Siri as the connective tissue between professional applications and workflows.
For businesses already invested in the Apple ecosystem, this could mean deeper integration with productivity tools, more secure handling of sensitive information, and AI features that enhance existing workflows rather than creating new ones.
While Amazon’s Alexa might excel at helping you order groceries or control your smart home, Apple’s vision for Siri could involve handling complex calendar management, document preparation, and secure communications for business professionals. Ives added:
Apple is a toll collector for AI on its App Store. We estimate 25% of the world will [eventually] access AI through an Apple device.
This strategic patience could pay off if Apple can deliver an assistant that feels less like a separate entity and more like an invisible extension of how professionals in its ecosystem already work. The question remains: will consumers or businesses be willing to wait for Siri’s business-grade makeover while other AS assistants, such as Alexa, charms them with immediate, if perhaps less substantive conversational abilities?
Apple’s Enduring Popularity
While Siri brushes up on its conversation skills, Apple is cracking on with its ongoing quest for world domination.
In April’s iOS 18.4 update, Apple Intelligence features will expand to more countries including India, with support for French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified).
But given Alexa’s recent upgrade, one has to wonder: in the world of AI assistants, is it better to arrive perfectly polished or just show up to the party on time? It seems that while Alexa is mingling with a cocktail in hand, Siri’s not even ordered the Uber.
The question remains whether ‘fashionably late’ will still be fashionable in 2027.
