Apple Intelligence and Its Uncertain Future
Update:
Sunday, September 29: One of the thoughts hanging
heavy over Apple Intelligence is what its final form might be. Tim Cook and his
team have presented one vision, which is built around the iPhone 16 family,
first at WWDC in June and in early September at the Glow time launch event.
Right now, the public has yet to see any generative AI on their iPhones. That is
set to change in October, but the vision presented by Apple will remain
incomplete for many months.
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| Apple iPhone 16 series |
In the meantime, the focus on Apple Intelligence could quickly shift to
another part of Apple’s empire where the development effort may offer a higher
benefit.
Mark Gurman Highlights Apple Intelligence's Potential in homeOS and AirPods Pro.
Writing for the Power On newsletter, respected Apple reporter Mark
Gurman picks out two areas where the Apple Intelligence can be used to improve
a product. The first is an upcoming homeOS for new smart home products. More
visible could be the need to use Apple Intelligence to revitalise Apple’s work
around mixed reality through the ears rather than the eyes:
"The AI and
Air Pods route: Apple is working on a new version of the Air Pods Pro that uses
external cameras and artificial intelligence to understand the outside world
and provide information to the user. This would essentially be the smart
glasses path — but without actual glasses."
Apple's Slow Adoption of Generative AI: Should You Wait on the iPhone 16?
Apple is behind the curve in the adoption of generative AI, and while it
is likely that its efforts on the iPhone will be seen through, its
limited resources may be diverted in the future. And if that’s the case it may
be prudent to wait before investing in the iPhone 16 hardware built from the
ground up for Apple Intelligence.
Of course, Apple has made this the only choice in the market with the withdrawal of the iPhone 15 Pro family.
Current iPhone Lineup: A17 Pro Chipset and Upcoming Refresh for iPhone SE
It’s worth noting that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are the
only iPhones that run the A17 Pro chipset. The companion iPhone 15
and 15 Plus run the A16 chipset. The iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus,
iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Plus remain in the range; all of these use
the A15 chipset.
The last iPhone still available is the third-generation iPhone SE,
running the A15 chipset. Yet there are strong indications that Apple will
be refreshing the iPhone SE in March 2025, which means stock on the
current SE will need to be run down.
Impact of A17 Chipset Cancellation: Supply Chain Management and Reduced Complexity
Cancelling the A17 iPhones will not wholly rid Apple of the
chipset—spare parts will be needed for many years to come, although the
support lifespan would have been factored into the production and design
roadmap. If we put the support issue aside and focus on the new iPhones Apple
sells, it has reduced the complexity of its chipset by twenty-five percent.
Depending on the iPhone SE fourth-generation specs, it might have reduced it by
nearly forty percent.
I’m confident that managing the supply chain in this way has played a
part in the decision, but I’d suggest there is a psychological reason to sit
alongside the practical.
Generative AI in Smartphones: Apple’s Delayed Adoption and the Path to iPhone 16
The rise of generative AI has seen the various AI-driven features become
key smartphone selling points, selling points that Apple has been unable to
take full advantage of. Eight months after Google launched the AI-focused Pixel
8 and Pixel 8 Pro, Apple presented the awkwardly backronymed Apple Intelligence
at its Worldwide Developer Conference. Next month, consumers will experience
the first small part of that, although the full suite will not be available
until March 2025, some seventeen months after Android.
And if you want to take part in the rise of generative AI on a new
iPhone and experience the staged rollout of Apple Intelligence, you have no
choice but to purchase one of the iPhone 16 family.
Apple’s Strategy to Drive iPhone Sales: Generative AI and the Impact of A17 Chipset Cancellation
Facing flat growth across iPhone sales during the last few
years, Apple is taking the opportunity presented by generative AI to force an
update cycle on those who want to use the new technology. Naturally, Apple
Intelligence will run on all of the iPhone 16 family. While it is being
backported to older handsets, only handsets running the A17 chipset will
receive the backported generative AI software.
And the two handsets that were equipped with the A17 chipset have just
been canceled.
While that will not impact those who already own either of the handsets,
those looking to upgrade and receive Apple Intelligence have just lost arguably
the best value-for-money option available to those who need to upgrade but want
to wait and see if Apple Intelligence is worth the extra investment of a new
iPhone.
They may be able to find an iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max in an
end-of-line sale with a network or specialist store, but that option will not
be available for long. If you want Apple Intelligence, you have no choice but
to go for the newest and most expensive iPhones on the market.