Apple Relies on Massive User Base to Gain an Edge in AI
Apple to unveil AI tools for everyday consumers at developers conference. Project Greymatter integrates AI into core apps and enhances operating system features. On-device processing and cloud-powered AI features in iOS 18 and macOS 15.
While Apple's AI features may not be as impressive as those of its rivals, the company is banking on its vast customer base to give it a competitive advantage. This move comes as Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI have made significant AI announcements, stealing the spotlight from Apple.
To showcase its AI-related features, Apple will dedicate a significant portion of its Worldwide Developers Conference to Project Greymatter. This initiative involves integrating AI tools into core apps like Safari, Photos, and Notes, as well as enhancing operating system features such as notifications. The system will leverage on-device processing for less computationally intensive AI tasks, while more demanding tasks will be offloaded to the cloud.
The new AI features will be introduced in iOS 18 and macOS 15, with on-device processing supported by recent iPhone, iPad, and Mac chips. The cloud component will be powered by M2 Ultra chips located in data centers. These features include voice memo transcription, AI-powered photo retouching, faster Spotlight searches, improved Safari web search, and automatic suggestions for email and text replies. Siri will also receive upgrades, offering more natural interactions and a more advanced version for the Apple Watch.
In addition to AI enhancements, Apple is revamping the iPhone home screen, allowing users to customise app icons and their placement. The company is also developing smart recaps, providing users with summaries of missed notifications, text messages, web pages, news articles, and other media.
While Apple emphasises user privacy and the benefits of on-device processing, it now faces the challenge of assuring consumers that its cloud-powered AI features will maintain privacy despite potentially sending sensitive information to data centers. Apple aims to differentiate itself from rivals like Google and Meta Platforms Inc. by avoiding customer profiling.
Although Apple's AI features may be catching up to competitors rather than leapfrogging them, the company's massive user base gives it a unique advantage. With hundreds of millions of Apple devices worldwide, the adoption of these AI capabilities is expected to be significant, potentially making Apple a major player in the AI space.
Apple to unveil AI tools for everyday consumers at developers conference
Project Greymatter integrates AI into core apps and enhances operating system features
On-device processing and cloud-powered AI features in iOS 18 and macOS 15
Source: BLOOMBERG