OpenClaw is what Apple intelligence should have been • Hacker News Board

Re: OpenClaw is what Apple intelligence should have been

#51

Post by FireBeyond » Thu, Feb 05, 2026, 1:46 AM UTC

crazygringo wrote: post #10

> This is exactly what Apple Intelligence should have been... They could have shipped an agentic AI that actually automated your computer instead of summarizing your notifications. Imagine if Siri could genuinely file your taxes, respond to emails, or manage your calendar by actually using your apps, not through some brittle API layer that breaks every update. And this is probably coming, a few years from now. Becaus…

> And this is probably coming, a few years from now. Because remember, Apple doesn't usually invent new products. It takes proven ones and then makes its own much nicer version.

Except this doesn't stand up to scrutiny, when you look at Siri. FOURTEEN years and it is still spectacularly useless.

I have no idea what Siri is a "much nicer version" of.

> Apple can integrate it with hardware and software in a way no other company can.

And in the case of Apple products, oftentimes "because Apple won't let them".

Lest I be called an Apple hater, I have 3 Apple TVs in my home, my daily driver is a M2 Ultra Studio with a ProDisplay XDR, and an iPad Pro that shows my calendar and Slack during the day and comes off at night. iPhone, Apple Watch Ultra.

But this is way too worshipful of Apple.

Re: OpenClaw is what Apple intelligence should have been

#52

Post by fooker » Thu, Feb 05, 2026, 1:47 AM UTC

podnami wrote: post #17

fooker wrote: post #11

> I suspect ten years from now, people will look back at 2024-2025 as the moment Apple had a clear shot at owning the agent layer and chose not to take it Ten years from now, there will be no ‘agent layer’. This is like predicting Microsoft failed to capitalize on bulletin boards social media.

Is your prediction that most people actually like to use software?

No it’ll be some idea we have not developed or named yet.

The current ‘agent’ ecosystem is just hacks on top of hacks.

Re: OpenClaw is what Apple intelligence should have been

#53

Post by fooker » Thu, Feb 05, 2026, 1:47 AM UTC

thewhitetulip wrote: post #14

fooker wrote: post #11

> I suspect ten years from now, people will look back at 2024-2025 as the moment Apple had a clear shot at owning the agent layer and chose not to take it Ten years from now, there will be no ‘agent layer’. This is like predicting Microsoft failed to capitalize on bulletin boards social media.

Or how "your next meeting will be in Metaverse"

Good example.

Re: OpenClaw is what Apple intelligence should have been

#54

Post by ozten » Thu, Feb 05, 2026, 1:47 AM UTC

Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair.

Re: OpenClaw is what Apple intelligence should have been

#55

Post by zombiwoof » Thu, Feb 05, 2026, 1:47 AM UTC

[dead]

Re: OpenClaw is what Apple intelligence should have been

#56

Post by Sharlin » Thu, Feb 05, 2026, 1:48 AM UTC

Apparently APIs are now a brittle way for software to use other software and interpreting and manipulating human GUIs with emulated mouse clicks and keypresses is a much better and perfectly reasonable way to do it. We’re truly living in a bizarro timeline.

Re: OpenClaw is what Apple intelligence should have been

#57

Post by FeteCommuniste » Thu, Feb 05, 2026, 1:48 AM UTC

thewhitetulip wrote: post #14

fooker wrote: post #11

> I suspect ten years from now, people will look back at 2024-2025 as the moment Apple had a clear shot at owning the agent layer and chose not to take it Ten years from now, there will be no ‘agent layer’. This is like predicting Microsoft failed to capitalize on bulletin boards social media.

Or how "your next meeting will be in Metaverse"

Hoping that LLMs go the way of the Metaverse.

Re: OpenClaw is what Apple intelligence should have been

#58

Post by cadamsdotcom » Thu, Feb 05, 2026, 1:49 AM UTC

malfist wrote: post #41

cadamsdotcom wrote: post #33

Unfortunately by not doing that they only managed to be the most valuable company ever. So yeah, the market isn’t really signaling companies to make nice things.

Openclaw is a nice thing?

What it is supposed to do is nice, separate from the risks.

Re: OpenClaw is what Apple intelligence should have been

#59

Post by calvinmorrison » Thu, Feb 05, 2026, 1:49 AM UTC

drBonkers wrote: post #47

calvinmorrison wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"It’s not about coming to market soonest. " First Mover effect seems only relevant when goverment warrants are involved. Think radio licenses, medical patents, etc. Everywhere else, being a first mover doesnt seem to correlate like it should to success.

Network effects. See social media, bitcoin, iOS App Store, blu-ray, Xbox live, and I’m sure more I can’t think of rn.

Network effects are maybe akin to "phsyical effects". Non-monopoly but physical space is also another 'first mover' type of moat.

Re: OpenClaw is what Apple intelligence should have been

#60

Post by FireBeyond » Thu, Feb 05, 2026, 1:50 AM UTC

joshstrange wrote: post #31

elictronic wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple had problems with just the Chatbot side of LLMs because they couldn't fully control the messaging. Add in a small helping of losing your customers entire net worth and yeah. These other posters have no idea what they are talking about.

Exactly, Apple is entirely too conservative to shine with LLMs due to their uncontrollability, Apple likes their control and their version of "protecting people" (which I don't fully agree with) which includes "We are way too scared to expose our clients to something we can't control and stop from doing/saying anything bad!", which may end up being prudent. They won't come close to doing something like OpenClaw for a…

And yet they'll push out AI-driven "message summaries" that are horrifically bad and inaccurate, often summarizing the intent of a message as the complete opposite of the full message up to and including "wants to end relationship; will see you later"?