The next version of iOS will be crucial. We are not talking about version 18.3, which is currently undergoing beta testing and contains nothing interesting. We’re talking about iOS 18.4.
Apple’s marketing for the entire next year, the company’s public image and what looks like at least six months of sales of the flagship iPhone – that is, the 16th series – depend on this version of success. I am sure that Cupertino also understands this very well and considers it with all its might. If not, then disaster is guaranteed.
Apple has driven itself into this trap and is entirely to blame for what is happening. And there is a total, worldwide disrespect and humiliation of Apple Intelligence. in other words it is impossible to call it.
Everyone laughs at the helplessness of “AI” against the backdrop of the company’s aggressive actions not only to advertise this feature, but to make it its main product – the iPhone. The reality is so far out of whack with the promises of the presentations that many fans have already “wrote” an idea in style and included it in the legendary, historical failures of the IT industry.
True, in this situation it is worth making a very big amendment in the use of Apple and at the same time against the inattention of all of us. Let’s play lawyer and explain why Apple Intelligence still has one “trump card” in a rather worn sleeve.
Why Apple Intelligence was such a disappointment
There are several levels of reasons. We mentioned some of them in the last article:
▪ controversial use and low functionality
▪ support for a few languages and (especially) countries
▪ extra work and unpredictability
▪ dangerous errors in notifications leading to scandals
▪ constant heating and load on the device
▪ decreased battery life of iPhone
▪ sharply growing requirements for free memory
▪ artificial AI limitation for old gadgets
These are all questions that are unlikely to be resolved by the release of iOS 18.4. But they can be completely resolved in the process of gradual refinement of Apple Intelligence. Oddly enough, it can’t get any worse, so it can only get better.
But for this release 18.4 must go like a bomb. that in fact we haven’t yet seen more than half of what Apple’s AI has actually learned—and the smallest core of its functionality.
What’s so important about iOS 18.4?
It is not entirely correct to criticize Apple Intelligence now. Yes, the advertising is deceptive and goes ahead of the locomotive. And yes, the first results are terrible. But!
Apple Intelligence is now a car without wheels: you can sit down, but you can’t drive. And all because the old Siri is still running on the system. That is, the most confidential and most problematic assistant of the 2014 level.
In AI Apple so far the most important component is missing: a new, truly smart and modern Siri based on the updated assistant core. It was announced at all presentations, promises and those not yet realized.
The release of this kernel is planned in iOS 18.4. It is this that allows Apple Intelligence, as well as iOS itself, to become much more useful and functional than before. At least on paper.
New Sir fuel allows iPhone owners to communicate with assistant as expected in 2025: with raised (not pre-written) responses, multiple tasks at once, deep integration in applications and preservation of context, that is, personalization of responses and actions based on the latest requests and personal data on the device.
Siri suggests there will be speech command fixes for the summer. It will be better to recognize the very semantic essence of the command – there should no longer be “Okay, I created a reminder for these “Hey call your wife.” She will also see what is happening on your screen and will be able to use such data to perform special, situational tasks.
Simply put, Siri will turn into similar to ChatGPT. But at the same time, it will work mainly locally, unlike 90% of other AI assistants in smartphones.
When most of us wanted to release Apple Intelligence after the first presentation, we were waiting not for what it has today, but for this Siri. But so far, all that the company has managed to offer us at this level is a new animation challenge and poorly implemented integration with ChatGPT, which toasters currently do not have.
And if in iOS 18.4 Apple fails to make the new Siri the one it gave us, then absolutely everything the project can be considered dead from a marketing and reputation perspective until at least 2026. Considering the company’s attitude towards software releases over the past few years, expectations, unfortunately, cannot be called positive.
I’ll say this: I won’t be surprised if the new Siri cores are transferred to iOS 19 altogether. The fact that it can be introduced into the water only once – and it’s better to measure it with a margin than to cut it off in the wrong place and finally finish off the whole project.
The release of iOS 18.4 is scheduled for March this year. We are waiting. But I don’t trust it.
Source: Iphones RU

I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.