Apple’s new iPad mini will support Apple Intelligence, but Apple’s artificial intelligence play won’t really roll out until about five days after the new iPad hits stores on October 23, highlighting that the company’s artificial intelligence efforts are still largely be vaporware.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
The first features of Apple Intelligence are disappointing, while the more impressive capabilities follow later. In the iPad mini marketing on Apple’s website, the company highlights four features; three of them will only be launched between December and March.
Initially, the signature function consists of summaries of notifications. These can be quite useful – if accurate – but they lack the wow factor of competitors’ offerings. Compared to the latest rates from Google, OpenAI and Meta Platforms Inc. Apple’s AI is still far behind.
Even some internal research at Apple reflects this, I’m told. The study found that OpenAI’s ChatGPT was 25% more accurate than Apple’s Siri and could answer 30% more questions. In fact, some at Apple believe that their generative AI technology is – at least so far – more than two years behind the industry leaders.
That said, it’s hard to leave Apple out. It has a beloved brand, virtually unlimited resources, and a history of falling behind and succeeding (see Apple Maps). At some point, Apple will develop, hire, or push its way to the top of AI companies.
Take MacDailyNews: Yes. And you read it here first.
Until another visionary leader comes along (fingers crossed; Apple’s history has shown – cough, Sculley, Spindler, cough – that the next CEO could be much, much worse than the highly skilled caretaker Cook), Apple can afford to to miss things like generative AI. – which they clearly did – and then use the massive war chest to catch up – which they are doing now (fun times and 80 hour weeks at Apple Park!) – and, hopefully, [someday] surpass rivals (or at least be just as good). Apple will most likely unveil their catch-up iPhones (and iPads, Apple Watches, etc.) with built-in on-device generative AI and other new AI-driven features within the next few months (in June at WWDC 2024). – MacDailyNews, February 14, 2024
Apple was caught flat-footed, due to a lack of vision on the part of its leadership… So the only solution is to work with a [Google, OpenAI, Baidu, etc.] for the real GenAI stuff, while pretending really hard (marketing) that some on-device AI that Apple came up with in a few months is an “insanely awesome Apple innovation” that is at the heart of the AI announcements from Apple for 2024, when really it’s just an addition… Watch Apple is making a big show of its on-device AI at WWDC, running lots of ads touting it starting in June.
Apple hopes to buy time for the construction of data centers and the investments that will be needed to one day own their own AI technology and not have to license it from companies, for example. [Google, OpenAI, Baidu, etc.].
This is what happens after more than a decade with an interim CEO at the helm after he reaches the final page of his iteration playbook but still tries to stay in the game for too long. – MacDailyNews, April 1, 2024
Clearly, Apple isn’t as innovative as it was under Steve Jobs, who even started the company’s work on Apple Silicon, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro, but thanks to Jobs and Cook’s subsequent management of iterations of products and services that during Jobs’ Including the store expansion responsible for a significant portion of Apple’s growth, the company now has more than enough cash to compensate for Cook’s lack of vision. – MacDailyNews, April 23, 2024
The new “AI features” for iOS, iPadOS, and MacOS unveiled at WWDC are largely a marketing exercise. The pressure is on Apple’s marketing team to position the company as an innovator in the space (“only Apple puts so much on-device AI that enhances user privacy to a ‘stunning’ effect,” etc.) that is also “smart partnerships’. with other AI companies (OpenAI for example; even though it is currently forced to collaborate if they want to offer real GenAI features). Now that they’re so far behind, Apple needs to do that more than ever sell, sell, sell! – MacDailyNews, May 28, 2024
When you’re caught flat-footed, like Tim Cook’s apple, you jump into scramble mode to try to catch up. In the beginning you got a big marketing campaign (WWDC24) to buy some more time. Then you trickle out features as they are ready and actually exist. Classic vaporware. – MadDailyNews, July 31, 2024
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