Do you think there's any chance that Apple will win the AI battle?
The most prominent pioneer in AI is certainly OpenAI, but Grok, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude aren’t doing badly either.
And now that these tools have already adapted to the market, it feels like Apple is only just waking up. 😀
Yes, Siri already partially integrates ChatGPT, but the bigger AI upgrade has been delayed multiple times.
And now I’m reading that in an internal meeting, Tim Cook told employees that Apple simply must win in AI. According to Bloomberg, he reaffirmed that the company will significantly increase its AI investments, as he already told investors.
Plus, Apple is currently hiring people with experience in search algorithms and engine development, aiming to build its answer engine.
Do you think they actually have a chance to succeed, considering how far ahead the others already are?
Replies
In my view, Apple is and will remain the best product company.
They're not really interested in the software world—not in the sense of directly selling it, anyway.
They'll keep making great devices and integrating software, but won't jump into a head-to-head battle with OpenAI or Anthropic.
Even now, you can travel to a remote Siberian village and still find people using iPhones.
@byalexai Probably they should focus on hardware, but on innovations?
@busmark_w_nika They’re already working on the software. They’re just integrating it into their own products. Just look at all their smart devices.
They simply don’t want to enter the software sales market. And I think they know very well why they’ve decided to position themselves that way.
Fenn
Apple has the best hardware for on-device inference on laptops and smartphones. They don't need to win the "AI battle"; they can remain agnostic and simply use the best models on their 1+ billion active devices.
@thoddnn But it seems that Tim has different plans. And I am not so sure whether it is the right step because it can certainly burn a lot of money (maybe for not achieving the desired outcome).
Fenn
@busmark_w_nika Maybe !
What does Tim cook really mean when he says "increase AI investments" ?
I hope those investments will help push their MLX framework, which is their real competitive advantage in the AI space.
I still believe Apple is in a very good position. It's far too early to say they are out of the game.
Here are a few reasons why:
They own the hardware entry points. I'm not just talking about the iPhone, but also the Watch, HomePods, AirPods, Vision Pro and other edge computing devices. As long as we need hardware to interact with AI—and right now, every AI interaction is through hardware—Apple has a massive advantage. The real danger signal would be if a competitor starts to significantly outsell the iPhone, and that clearly hasn't happened yet.
We're still in the very early days of the AI era. It's normal for software and apps to go viral first because they're easy to replicate, but Apple has never been a "viral software" company. It's an undeniable fact that they are behind on foundational models. But this isn't a fatal flaw. They could catch up through an acquisition, or they could build on top of the rapidly improving open-source models. Having a foundational model is great for prestige, but whether it's a profitable business is another question entirely.
Apple has the resources to endure strategic uncertainty. This is a luxury startups don't have. For a startup, missing a two-year strategic window is a death sentence. Apple has enough cash and influence to afford to wait and get their direction right. Their biggest problem right now isn't a lack of options; it's the lack of a clear, determined strategy. Once they decide on a path—whether it's building on open-source, partnering, or training their own model—they have the power to execute.
A giant hesitating isn't scary. A giant hesitating for too long is.
@zaczuo I think point number one is their biggest advantage right now. Point 3 – also valid, but when I see funding companies spending huge amounts on every idea – it’s never been easier to get cheap money. But if they can leverage their resources effectively, point 2 can be fulfilled, and they will clearly conquer the AI world. We’ll see that in the coming months/years (tech is advancing by leaps and bounds).
@busmark_w_nika Yes. I think the root fear for Apple, if any, is that the iteration speed of AI is much faster than anyone can imagine. Does Apple have the next two years of waiting time like they did before? Maybe not, if they don't hurry.
IMHO, there's no way, they fumbled the start badly. Started out on a wrong path with Siri. Meanwhile Zuck is paying astronomical bonuses for AI related hires as Meta also wants to win the AI race somehow - even if people probably would trust Apple more as an employer, there's still not an infinite pool of talent.
@kitsched I remember how everyone was bullish in AI, everybody had presentations about AI and they released during their Keynotes VR glasses. 😂 that was a little bit off :D
If Apple buys Perplexity, that's a clear win. Heard that they are in talks for acquisition.
@jonayed_tanjim But the same can be done by any other big company to prevent them from succeeding. What if someone else steps in and offers more?
Honestly I am expecting big things from the new iPhone 17... will I be able to use Siri for efficiently? I hope it is going to be able to get tasks done for me and sync with my apps, call me crazy but it would be a life changer and a HUGE game changer. If Siri could access my outlook and send that draft email, or bulk send a whatsapp message? Maybe even book an Uber?
@randeep_wilkhu There is a crucial thing, "Maybe". But the latest announcement of their improvements was like minor UX/UI changes, and I am afraid that these innovations are not enough.
Product Hunt
I kind of imagine that Apple will do what it typically does: Sit back while others developer and refine, and then years later come out with a super simple and well implemented solution that gets mass adoption. That's not really a dig at Apple, they're just not typically ones to wade into bleeding edge tech. They're more the ones to come out with a "perfected" version that's easily adopted.