- Apple has been hit with a lawsuit for misleading consumers into buying the iPhone 16 with a promise of AI features.
- The case targets ads that it ran to deceptively market Apple Intelligence and drive "unprecedented excitement".
- It claims that Apple's ads "saturated the internet" and deceived buyers into purchasing a phone they did not need.
Apple is facing backlash after its decision to postpone the rollout of AI features for Siri earlier this month. The company is now facing a lawsuit from a US federal court for deceptively marketing many Apple Intelligence features that are currently unavailable.
The U.S. District Court in San Jose has filed a lawsuit (PDF) against Apple for falsely advertising several Apple Intelligence features for Siri and causing unfair competition. The complaint alleges that the brand heavily marketed a bunch of AI capabilities for Siri on the iPhone 16. Most of these features aren’t available, even six months after its launch.
Since announcing the iPhone 16 series, Apple has run several promotional content advertising Apple Intelligence features like Genmoji, Writing Tools, and a personalized Siri. The company has pulled some of its ads after admitting to delays over the rollout earlier this month. This lawsuit targets those ads that Apple broadcasted to promote unavailable Apple Intelligence features for the new iPhone. It states:
Apple’s advertisements saturated the internet, television, and other airwaves to cultivate a clear and reasonable consumer expectation that these transformative features would be available upon the iPhone’s release.
The suit claims that the ads that Apple ran “drove unprecedented excitement” for its iPhone 16. By doing so, the suit states, they “deceived millions of consumers into purchasing new phones they did not need”. It adds that the AI features that the company currently offers are “significantly limited or entirely absent version of Apple Intelligence”.
The case notes that Apple‘s slow progress in the rollout gives its competitors an upper advantage. It questions whether the Cupertino company will be able to keep up with the advancements in the AI race. We’re yet to hear an official word on the matter from Apple. Earlier this week, Apple reshuffled leadership for the team behind the yes-to-be-seen personalized Siri. And the latest news should cause some stir in the development.
What do you think about this Apple Intelligence lawsuit, and do you feel it’s reasonable? Let us know in the comments.
