Apple Quietly Leveraging AI
In contrast to other tech giants that have made grandiose claims about their AI endeavors, Apple has chosen a more understated approach to leverage this technology in its latest devices. This discreet integration of AI capabilities was revealed through a series of unassuming features unveiled at the Wonderlust event.
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Key Takeaways:
- Apple conspicuously refrained from explicitly mentioning “AI” during its announcements, a marked departure from competitors like Microsoft and Google who have outlined ambitious AI strategies.
- The introduction of the iPhone 15 brought attention to AI-driven enhancements, including noise cancellation, portrait blurring, and predictive text functionalities.
- In the newly released Series 9 Watch, a powerful “Neural Engine” with four cores has been incorporated to handle machine learning tasks, promising to enhance Siri’s accuracy by an estimated 25%.
Why It’s Significant: Apple is currently downplaying its involvement in the realm of AI, opting to present its AI-related innovations under different labels. However, this shouldn’t lead to the misconception that Apple is not a contender in the AI race. The company is gearing up to launch a competitor to ChatGPT and boasts a massive user base, making it a formidable player in the AI landscape.
Apple’s iPhone launch
During its iPhone 15 launch event, Apple dedicated a significant portion of its presentation to discussing the functionalities of its products that employ artificial intelligence, albeit without explicitly naming it as such.
Apple introduced the S9 chip for the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, while the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max run on the A17 Pro chip.
Notably, the S9 chip enables on-device processing of requests made to Apple’s voice assistant, Siri. This marks a departure from the conventional AI processing that usually occurs in the cloud.
During its iPhone 15 launch event, Apple dedicated considerable time to discussing the capabilities of its products driven by artificial intelligence, even though it refrained from explicitly using the term “AI.”
The tech giant based in Cupertino shed light on the technological prowess of its iPhone 15 series and the Apple Watch Series 9, with a particular emphasis on the chips propelling these devices.
Apple, known for its in-house semiconductor designs, introduced the S9 chip for the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, while the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max harnessed the power of the A17 Pro chip.
In its presentation, Apple chose to highlight the practical functionalities enabled by these chips. For instance, the S9 chip facilitates on-device processing of requests made to Apple’s voice assistant, Siri. This represents a departure from conventional AI processing, which typically relies on cloud-based systems and internet connectivity. With increasingly potent chips, these AI processes can now occur directly on the device itself.
This shift not only enhances the speed of processes but also bolsters security by eliminating the need to transmit data over the internet.
Rather than explicitly discussing AI, Apple’s focus was on demonstrating the utility of Siri when operating on the device.
Furthermore, on the Apple Watch Ultra 2, a feature known as “double tap” allows users to control device functions by simply tapping their index finger and thumb together, a functionality reliant on AI processing.
Gene Munster, Managing Partner at Deepwater Asset Management, commented on Apple’s strategy, noting that the company avoids overtly mentioning AI in conference calls and product events. Nevertheless, he emphasized that Apple is actively pursuing AI innovation, dispelling any misconceptions about the company falling behind in this evolving technological landscape.
Read the full article on CNBC
