Now that Apple’s latest slew of {hardware} releases are behind us, we received some information on the software program aspect final week. First, the corporate publicly introduced that it was delaying the smarter, extra private model of Siri that’ll be powered by Apple Intelligence. Then, rumors sprang up once more that Apple was giving an intensive visible replace to its software program platforms, together with iOS 19 and macOS 16 that are anticipated to be revealed at WWDC in June.
The sources for this redesign rumor are strong. Jon Prosser dropped a video on his YouTube channel Entrance Web page Tech again in January the place he stated that he had seen a redesigned Digicam app for the following model of iOS that had a variety of interface modifications that made it really feel extra like a visionOS app. His pondering is that Apple wouldn’t redesign a core app like Digicam with out bringing modifications to a few of the remainder of the OS, as nicely.
Mark Gurman at Bloomberg adopted up on that, reporting that iOS 19, iPadOS 19 and macOS 16 “will basically change the look of the working methods and make Apple’s varied software program platforms extra constant.” He additionally particularly talked about visionOS, which runs Apple’s wildly costly ($3,500) Imaginative and prescient Professional headset, as an inspiration for the brand new design.
This rumor might positively have legs. Despite the fact that visionOS doesn’t really feel radically totally different to Apple’s different software program, it does make sense that the corporate would unify visible themes throughout all its platforms and units because it often does. However at a time when the corporate is struggling mightily with its Apple Intelligence rollout and delaying a brand new Siri (which feels to me like essentially the most important replace the corporate might ship), slapping a brand new coat of paint on iOS and macOS looks like a distraction at greatest and misguided priorities at worst.
The delay to a extra clever Siri is a serious blow to Apple’s AI ambitions. Because it was first launched at WWDC 2024, it’s been the one factor which may make me improve my cellphone to at least one that works with Apple Intelligence. The promise is an assistant that has a greater understanding of the apps in your cellphone and may use them extra extensively in your behalf; it will probably do issues like mechanically including addresses to a contact card. One other instance Apple confirmed was asking Siri to search out a picture of your driver’s license, take the ID quantity on it and put it right into a kind you’re filling out. It’ll even have extra consciousness of what’s in your display screen and higher pure language understanding.
That, in fact, is all only a promise proper now. Apple commentator John Gruber, who sometimes takes a reasonably constructive view of the corporate, completely ripped the corporate a brand new one over the Siri delay. He says that at WWDC 2024, he and different members of the press noticed managed demos of Apple Intelligence options, however no proof of a wiser Siri — to this point, all we’ve seen are product movies displaying what it might do. On reflection, Gruber says {that a} smarter Siri is nothing greater than “vaporware.” “They have been options Apple stated existed, which they claimed can be transport within the subsequent 12 months, and which they portrayed, to nice impact, within the signature ‘Siri, when is my mother’s flight touchdown?’ phase of the WWDC keynote itself,” he says. “Apple was both unwilling or unable to show these options in motion again in June, even with Apple product advertising and marketing reps performing the demos from a ready script utilizing ready units.”
Apple's presentation of Siri at WWDC 2024 could be seen above.
It’s a nasty search for Apple, and was made worse when Bloomberg revealed a bit displaying the turmoil contained in the Siri staff following the delay announcement. The publication reported that Apple senior director Robby Walker held an all-hands assembly for the Siri staff saying the delays have been “ugly and embarrassing,” and that the choice to advertise these options to the general public earlier than they have been prepared compounded the problems. To be truthful, Apple has shipped just a few Siri enhancements for the reason that fall (most importantly the addition of ChatGPT), however they’re not issues which have radically modified the voice assistant’s most evident weaknesses.
Moreover, Gurman’s sources declare that we received’t see these options till someday in 2026 on the earliest, lengthy after iOS 19 can be launched. With all that in thoughts, these redesign rumors really feel like a contemporary coat of paint to distract individuals from the structural points with Apple Intelligence as an entire and the delays on a massively necessary function.
The timing additionally feels unusual. Whereas Apple hasn’t launched into a full-scale redesign of iOS because it launched iOS 7 approach again in 2013, the corporate has made small however important modifications and refinements practically yearly since which have added as much as software program that’s way more customizable and refined than it was greater than a decade in the past. Since iOS 14 in 2020, Apple added house and lock display screen widgets, main customization options for lock display screen visuals, and the wild notion of not having all of your apps aligned to an rigid grid. Apple additionally added the power to color-tint the icons to match your background picture (or simply make them any shade you need, darkish or gentle). These all add as much as an iOS that’s much more visually customizable than ever earlier than.
Android has had these options for years, so I’m not praising Apple for being some paragon of person freedom. But it surely’s clear from these modifications that Apple is lastly excited about giving customers extra management over how their telephones look. With all this in addition to many smaller visible tweaks the corporate has made over time, it’s truthful to say that iOS 18’s design language has advanced far past what we noticed with iOS 7’s full and abrupt makeover.
As for macOS, Apple has given it a number of notable visible updates over the past decade or so. In 2014, OS X Yosemite largely introduced over the flatter design from iOS 7 that eliminated skeuomorphic parts that had littered iOS and the Mac for years. Apple continued to tweak it over the next years earlier than giving it one other massive visible overhaul in 2020 with macOS Large Sur. That was the primary OS that supported Apple’s M-series Macs and as such the corporate dropped the OS X branding and moved to macOS alongside the brand new design.
Whereas I used to be initially skeptical of a serious macOS visible refresh, I’m slightly stunned to do not forget that it’s been nearly 5 years since Large Sur launched — possibly we’re proper on schedule for a visible refresh. And lately, Apple has wished to maintain its platforms as aligned as attainable, each from a function perspective in addition to how they appear. It’s not arduous to think about designers desirous to unify issues throughout platforms once more.
On condition that the person interface is actually how we work together with all these units, a design refresh can definitely maintain issues feeling new, even when the performance hasn’t modified a lot. And and not using a smarter Siri to stay up for at WWDC this 12 months, a contemporary coat of paint could be Apple’s greatest choice to make its subsequent software program updates really feel new. That stated, I don’t imply to counsel that the individuals engaged on the visible design of Apple’s software program platforms might or ought to abandon their work and rush a greater Siri out the door — the talent units and priorities of these two groups are absolutely fully totally different. However on the very least, Apple’s going to need to extra forcefully handle the elephant within the room that’s Siri than it has earlier than it will probably strive promoting us on a brand new design.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-should-focus-on-fixing-siri-not-redesigning-ios-again-164446205.html?src=rss
