Tech companies can't help showing off feature roadmaps or making promises for future tech that's not yet available. They see value in giving customers and investors an exciting preview of the near future, but the problem is that these promises are sometimes built on weak or nonexistent foundations.
When painting pictures of future technologies, tech companies have to walk a fine line between what is and isn't possible today. Overpromising and underdelivering won't help them build trust with their customers in the long run. False advertising usually doesn't lend credibility.
Unfortunately for customers, there is a growing trend among some tech companies, including mobile brands, to sell real devices alongside promises of upcoming features at full price. It doesn't always work out.
If you're thinking about Samsung being one such offender and blaming the company for the delay of One UI 7, you may want to think again. Granted, Samsung's roadmap for One UI 7 is later than usual, but compared to other brands, Samsung has been doing pretty well so far.
Grab a Galaxy S25 with One UI 7
Apple, on the other hand, may have just become one of the worst offenders to overpromise on future tech. Out of zeal or perhaps out of fear of being overtaken by its rivals, the company may have become the worst (or best) example of why this practice of selling nonexistent tech is lame and arguably unethical.
Samsung may have tricked Apple into a class action lawsuit
For those of you who might not be aware of the timeline, Apple promised an improved Siri virtual assistant with AI features for the iPhone 16 and iOS 18 in the summer of 2024. Apple almost seemed like it was under pressure from Samsung's Galaxy AI and Google's generative tech to join the AI game.
The problem was that neither the iPhone 16 nor the improved Siri was out at that time. And when the iPhone 16 went on sale, the beefed-up Siri was nowhere to be found.
At WWDC24, Apple showcased videos of what this future AI-based Siri assistant could be capable of. As it turned out, those were not real demos but more like concept videos.
Then, earlier this year, Apple confirmed the delay of AI features to its improved Siri assistant. These features won't be available in 2025 after all. They have been pushed back to 2026.
Mind you, the iPhone 16, which was supposed to be the first device to take advantage of those AI-based future Siri advancements, was released in September 2024. By the time Siri becomes smarter and adopts generative AI tools, the iPhone 16 will have been on the market for more than one year — maybe even two years.
iPhone 16 buyers essentially paid for the hardware and a non-existing feature they may never get to use on their iPhone 16s. Needless to say, Apple customers aren't happy, and this turn of events could lead to a class action lawsuit (via PYMNTS).
I find it very interesting how Samsung continues to make an example of Apple in the AI era. Samsung was the first to release AI features on its Galaxy phones and arguably rushed Apple into promising similar features for its iPhones. Needless to say, things haven't really worked out for Apple since, and it almost feels like Samsung, together with Google, may have set the perfect trap for their rival.
Was it all by design? Probably not, but we can't deny the fact that Samsung has been constantly winning at the AI game against Apple ever since mobile devices began adopting AI features. At this rate, Apple will have to work very hard to recover.
