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This time of year tends to be quite barren for tech news. Following the initial wave of early product releases, major brands often retreat to prepare for summer launches.

Apple made an unexpected splash during this year's Q1 with new Macs and a fresh lineup of M-series chips, which caught many off guard in January. However, the excitement also concealed the fact that these announcements were delayed by several months (as some keen observers noted in the URLs and HTML code).

Consequently, we find ourselves without a spring event—unless Tim Cook and his team spring something on us unexpectedly. This means there’s been no significant Apple news from January until June when WWDC kicks off.

That’s an extended lull in the tech world. There are many potential reasons for this delay—ongoing supply chain challenges, chip shortages, internal disputes within Apple—yet all of this remains speculation; the true situation is unclear.

What we do know is that this might be one of the most significant tech downturns we've seen in recent times. As much as I might sound like an Apple devotee, it’s undeniable that Apple shapes much of the tech conversation and trending topics. Their silence often leads to a broader industry quiet.

It’s incredibly challenging.

Identifying the Core Issue

In my recent commentary on the iPhone 15 rumors (which pertained to volume and mute buttons—no, really), I suggested that we reviewers share some responsibility for the current tech stagnation.

We have inflated expectations. We become unreasonably frustrated when Apple doesn’t incorporate USB-C charging across all its devices. If an Apple event lacks a “one more thing,” we quickly speculate that such a scenario wouldn’t have occurred under Steve Jobs' leadership.

At times, we can be quite bothersome, I recognize.

However, the situation is more complex than that. The tech landscape has reached a point where it’s difficult to acquire a subpar product. Whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, or computer, regardless of the brand or price point, consumers are likely to be satisfied with their purchase.

Computing power has become widely accessible; features that once required a hefty investment are now attainable without breaking the bank. It takes a lot to excite or impress consumers these days.

Then, AI arrives on the scene.

AI and Changing Expectations

Our home experiment with Siri has been a complete flop. I won't bore you with the details now, as I’ve shared my thoughts previously, but to put it simply, Apple is significantly trailing in the digital assistant arena.

This has always been a concern, but in 2023, Siri’s shortcomings have been glaringly obvious.

The emergence of AI and services like ChatGPT is both alarming and awe-inspiring. If you've tried any of these tools, whether out of curiosity or for productivity, you’ll recognize just how impressive this technology is.

I’m aware that ChatGPT isn’t a digital assistant in the same sense as Siri. You can’t ask it for tomorrow's weather, use it to time your eggs, or access your music library for a Paul Weller playlist.

However, it is considerably more intelligent than Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung's assistant combined.

Currently, we’re only seeing the initial public versions of AI. This means we’re only witnessing the beginning, and that signifies we can expect remarkable advancements in the coming years, as even the rudimentary versions of AI are already quite extraordinary.

I believe this has caught companies like Apple off guard. While machine learning and AI have been integral to its development, the rapid rise of AI in the public sphere has placed Apple in a reactive position.

This shift has instantly heightened our expectations of technology, and no update to the iPhone, Mac Pro powered by Apple silicon, or new MacBook Air design will overshadow AI in the headlines.

Potential Innovations on the Horizon

Setting AI aside (I don’t anticipate any major Siri enhancements for a while), we should consider what Apple might unveil next.

The debate around Apple’s role in the automotive sector has persisted for some time. We know they’re working on something significant, yet the outcome of Project Titan has yet to surface. The recent layoffs, changes in leadership, and rumored shifts in direction suggest we might not see an Apple car anytime soon.

There are also less headline-grabbing developments. One notable area is Apple’s potential advancements in high-resolution audio—specifically, the addition of a new proprietary codec to the AirPods line. I anticipate we might see this later this year, which could generate renewed interest in audio technology; Apple excels at creating buzz in this area.

However, I believe our best chance for something groundbreaking and, crucially, newsworthy, lies in virtual reality. The buzz around Apple’s mixed-reality headset has been too loud to dismiss, and it seems likely we’ll learn more at WWDC.

It’s unfortunate that we’ve had to wait this long, isn’t it?

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Originally published at https://markellisreviews.com on April 17, 2023.