A fresh coat of paint won’t hide the big Siri delay.
With Apple’s latest wave of hardware announcements now behind us, attention has turned to the software side of things. And the news hasn’t exactly been promising. Last week, Apple publicly confirmed a delay to its much-anticipated upgrade to Siri, which was set to be powered by Apple Intelligence. Almost simultaneously, fresh rumors emerged about a sweeping visual overhaul for iOS 19 and macOS 16, expected to be unveiled at WWDC in June.
While a redesign may sound exciting on the surface, it raises an important question: is this really what Apple should be prioritizing right now? Given the company’s struggles with artificial intelligence and its repeated delays on delivering a smarter Siri, a cosmetic refresh feels like a band-aid solution—one that won’t address the more pressing issue at hand.
A New Look or a Meaningful Upgrade?
The redesign rumors aren’t baseless. Back in January, prominent leaker Jon Prosser shared insights on his YouTube channel, Front Page Tech, revealing that he had seen a revamped Camera app for the upcoming iOS update. According to him, the redesign felt more like a visionOS-inspired change. If Apple is making significant alterations to a core app like Camera, Prosser believes it’s unlikely the company will stop there—suggesting a broader UI overhaul is in the works.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman later reinforced this speculation, reporting that iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 will introduce a fundamental redesign aimed at visually unifying Apple’s software ecosystem. VisionOS—the operating system powering Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro headset—was specifically cited as an inspiration for this shift.
While harmonizing Apple’s platforms under a consistent design language isn’t inherently a bad idea, the timing is questionable. Apple’s AI push has been fraught with delays and missteps, and revamping the UI without addressing Siri’s glaring weaknesses feels like misplaced priorities.
The Siri Dilemma: Apple’s Biggest AI Misstep
Siri’s shortcomings have been a well-documented pain point for years. When Apple Intelligence was introduced at WWDC 2024, it promised to make Siri significantly more useful, leveraging AI to interact more deeply with apps and streamline everyday tasks. Apple showcased features like Siri automatically adding addresses to contact cards, pulling ID numbers from images, and filling out forms—exactly the kind of real-world functionality that could make AI indispensable.
But those promises have yet to materialize. John Gruber, a respected Apple analyst, has been particularly vocal about Apple’s failure to deliver on these claims. Reflecting on WWDC 2024, Gruber pointed out that Apple never actually demonstrated an improved Siri in action—only pre-rendered concept videos suggesting what it could do. In hindsight, he called it nothing more than “vaporware.”
Bloomberg’s recent report painted an even bleaker picture, revealing internal turmoil within the Siri team. Following the delay announcement, Apple’s senior director Robby Walker admitted in an all-hands meeting that the postponement was “ugly and embarrassing.” Worse yet, sources indicate that a smarter Siri won’t be arriving until sometime in 2026—long after iOS 19 has been released.
To Apple’s credit, the company has made some incremental Siri improvements over the past year, such as integrating ChatGPT. But none of these updates have addressed Siri’s fundamental weaknesses, leaving it far behind competitors like Google Assistant and ChatGPT-powered AI tools. With Apple staking so much on artificial intelligence, delaying Siri’s improvements while focusing on a cosmetic overhaul feels like a strategic misstep.
The History of Apple’s Visual Overhauls
Apple hasn’t undertaken a radical redesign of iOS since iOS 7 in 2013, when it shifted away from skeuomorphic elements to a cleaner, flatter design. However, the company has steadily refined its software aesthetics over the years. Since iOS 14 in 2020, we’ve seen major additions like home screen widgets, lock screen customization, and a more flexible app layout—finally offering users a level of personalization that Android users have enjoyed for years.
Likewise, macOS has undergone significant visual transformations. In 2014, OS X Yosemite adopted the iOS 7-style flattening, and in 2020, macOS Big Sur introduced another substantial redesign alongside Apple’s transition to M-series chips. While it’s been nearly five years since Big Sur’s debut—arguably making it due for another refresh—prioritizing aesthetics over AI functionality seems short-sighted.
Is a Redesign Just a Distraction?
User interface changes can certainly enhance the experience of using Apple’s devices. A fresh design can make software feel new and exciting, even if its underlying functionality remains unchanged. However, Apple risks alienating users if it focuses too much on form at the expense of function.
With no major Siri improvements expected for another year or more, a visual overhaul could easily be seen as a smokescreen—an attempt to divert attention from the company’s AI struggles. While the UI and AI teams are likely working on separate tracks, Apple must be more transparent about its plans for Siri. A redesigned iOS might look great, but if Siri remains unreliable, Apple’s broader AI strategy will continue to be questioned.
Instead of rushing into another aesthetic refresh, Apple should be focusing its resources on delivering a truly intelligent, capable voice assistant—one that lives up to the promises it made nearly a year ago. Until that happens, no amount of new icons, animations, or interface tweaks will change the fact that Siri remains Apple’s Achilles’ heel in the AI race.
