Apple has managed to generate some serious buzz this month, with the launch of the fun new MacBook Neo leading many (including us) to claim that the company has rediscovered its sense of fun. But it hasn't been all smiles for the company over the last couple of years.
The rollout of Apple Intelligence, Apple's own take on AI, has been bumpy to say the least. The company was already perceived as lagging behind in the AI era, but when it announced its own take on artificial intelligence in October 2024, it looked, for a moment, like the company could end up changing the meaning of AI – quite literally, given the audacious name.
Alas, it wasn't to be. The launch of Apple Intelligence was a litany of missteps, one which hasn't even finished yet. Despite Apple promising a new and improved Siri, the virtual assistant remains missing in action – and in the intervening years, Apple has seen itself become the butt of many jokes about AI. From an unkind internal nickname for the AI team to the pulling of its Siri ads, the whole thing has been uncharacteristically inelegant for the Cupertino company.
And now, new reports suggest the debacle has had deep repercussions across Apple's hardware front, and not just for the iPhone. For the last few years, rumour after rumour has suggested that Apple is planning to launch a new home device, as well as updates to the HomePod and HomePod mini. The former would mark an entirely new product from Apple, and was rumoured to resemble an iPad with some kind of 'robot arm'.
But all of these products have reportedly been delayed by the Siri debacle. Apple leaker Mark Gurman revealed via Bloomberg this week that the company's "tabletop robot and home hub" was meant to launch last year, but the company's AI woes have pushed it back, and it might not even launch in 2026.
And those woes have just got even worse. Apple's head of home hardware, Brian Lynch, has reportedly now left the company for smart ring brand Oura. According to MacRumors, this has led to "fresh upheaval" on Apple's home products team.
Whether these products will ever see the light of day remains to be seen. But one thing's for sure – if Apple wants to get 2026 right, it needs to do more than release some colourful laptops. For starters, we need that upgraded Siri.
