Apple says AI is fueling ‘new categories of products,’ but will they ever arrive?
Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- Apple CEO Tim Cook says the company is well-positioned for AI innovation despite launching Apple Intelligence late with limited capabilities compared to its competitors.
- Macworld examines Apple’s AI struggles, while competitors like Meta have already launched dedicated AI hardware products, such as Ray-Ban smart glasses.
- Apple is reportedly planning an AI pin for a potential release in 2027, but fundamental technological issues could hamper the company’s AI ambitions.
At an all-hands meeting on Thursday, Apple CEO Tim Cook did his best to reassure employees about the company’s prospects in the AI market, a market in which it has so far struggled to become relevant. Asked about rivals launching new types of AI devices, Cook insisted Apple was not concerned.
“New categories of products and services will be enabled by AI, and we’re extremely excited about that,” he said, as reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. “We are excited about the opportunities this opens up for Apple.”
Apple will have to say more than just positive words. The company has an AI platform, Apple Intelligence, but it was late (coming more than a month after the “AI-ready” iPhone 16 and well over a year after Google Gemini) and far less capable than competing offerings. Things are so bad that Apple, one of the richest and most well-resourced companies in history, had to seek help from a rival to get things back on track.
Apple’s partnership with Google could be just what it needs in the short term. But the problem with growth markets is that they evolve quickly, and as Cook’s speaker acknowledged, other tech companies have launched dedicated hardware products specifically designed to offer AI capabilities, while others will certainly follow soon.
This functionality could be built into a pair of glasses (like Meta’s Ray-Bans), a set of headphones, or a pin attached to the user’s clothing (like Humane AI or the project Jony Ive is working on with OpenAI). AI doesn’t have to be limited to the screen of a phone or laptop.
Reports claim that Apple is working on an AI pin, but it is extremely unlikely that such a product will appear before 2027, if at all. And as we’ve already mentioned, the company is hampered by fundamental problems with AI itself: it can hardly move forward with its AI device plans until this problem is resolved.
“AI is one of the most important opportunities of our lifetime,” Cook added during the meeting. “I truly believe there is no company better positioned than Apple to enable our customers to use AI in deep and meaningful ways.”
He may believe it, but the rest of us may need some convincing.
