Apple Inc. is facing a federal lawsuit alleging false advertising and unfair competition tied to the delayed rollout of its much-anticipated "Apple Intelligence" features. The suit claims that Apple’s marketing surrounding its new iPhone models led consumers to believe that several AI-powered functions would be available at launch, only for many of those capabilities to remain inaccessible post-purchase.

The class-action complaint argues that Apple created “reasonable consumer expectations” through promotional materials, keynotes, and product packaging that emphasized AI enhancements as core features of the device. According to the lawsuit, this amounts to deceptive marketing and has misled customers into making purchase decisions based on incomplete product functionality.

Legal experts note that the case could set an important precedent for how tech companies communicate the availability of AI and software-based features—especially when product roadmaps stretch months beyond hardware launches.

Apple has yet to issue a formal response, but industry analysts expect the company to defend the delay as a standard part of phased rollouts and software refinement.

As the integration of generative AI into consumer electronics becomes increasingly central to product value, this case underscores the growing need for transparency around feature availability—and could shape future advertising practices in the industry.