Apple could mitigate the Siri crisis with one simple move
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The Siri crisis is showing no sign of ending, with a blistering attack by a high-profile commenter, and even senior Apple execs admitting that the delayed features are embarrassing.At this point, there isnt anything Apple can do to completely recover from the embarrassment, but a report on an internal Siri team meeting did seem to indicate a potential way to at least mitigate the damage The Siri crisisApplerecently had to admitthat plans for three new Siri features are going to take us longer than we thought with no real explanation, and no new delivery date. As we noted at the time, these are the very features which promise to make Siri truly intelligent:Personal context (understanding things like When is my moms flight landing?)On-screen awareness (being able to do things like Add this address to her contact card)In-app actions (for example, Make this photo pop, and add it to my Miami 2025 note)The company alsoquietly deleted an iPhone 16 adin which it promoted these features, and added new disclaimers to its website.Many criticized the company for advertising non-existent features, and even John Gruber who Apple used to make a statement had had enough.With Apple not even sure whether the promised features will launch in iOS 19, the issue isnt going to go away anytime soon.But there is a way to mitigate the damageThe biggest charge leveled at Apple was that it was behaving like some AI startup showing a concept video of features that dont currently exist.But Bloombergs report did suggest that this isnt quite the case.Walker said the decision to delay the features was made because of quality issues and that the company has found the technology only works properly up to two-thirds to 80% of the time which is to say it doesnt work every one out of three times. He said the group can make more progress to get those percentages up, so that users get something they can really count on.Now, its possible that the up to in that sentence is doing some heavy lifting. But giving a range of two-thirds to four-fifths does seem to suggest that it works the majority of the time.Please dont misunderstand me: that kind of hit-rate is absolutely not acceptable for a release product, or even for a public beta. But given that the public perception now is that these features dont have any reality beyond a concept video, I think there can only be upside to Apple demonstrating that they exist, however imperfectly.Heres what I think Apple should doInvite some members of the media to private demos of the new Siri features.Show honest, real-life demonstrations that illustrate what the features deliver on the 67%-80% of the occasions they work properly. Let the press see that the new Siri exists as something much more than a concept video.But also show what happens when it doesnt work, why it cant be released now, and share the work the company is doing to address these issues.I know Apple hates to show work-in-progress. It likes to maintain secrecy until its ready to show the final result, with the magic of the reveal. But for the new Siri, that ship has sailed. The company has already done the reveal. It was a mistake, perhaps one driven by either desperation or optimism, but whats done is done.Where we are right now is even normally-sympathetic voices expressing doubt and displeasure. At this point, there is only upside to showing that the new Siri is not a conceptual fiction, but a real-life feature which works the majority of the time, but isnt yet good enough for public release.With that move, Apple could regain the credibility it has currently lost.Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel
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