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.
@thoddnn I understood (from what I read) that he wants to predominantly invest in workforce and dev talents.
MoneyVision
@timobechtel Where are you heading? What do you think are Apple's next steps? Any acquisition?
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.
@justin_bolfrey Yesterday was late! :D just kidding but they seem to mess up with totally unimportant things, look at that glass UI. 🥲
@justin_bolfrey I wish for the same as noone else (and not just because I own their stocks) :D
@vijay_chauhan22 What is your prognosis :D let's predict the fortune, wizard. 🔮:D
Finden
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.
Finden
@busmark_w_nika Thats a shame - they are really missing the mark here
I honestly don't think so. One thing that I believe differentiates Apple from the rest of the companies you mentioned is that Apple does so much more than just pure software sales. The backbone of their ecosystem is their hardware. They have phones, ipads, laptops, headphones, watches and more. They've managed to build an immensely large dedicated userbase such that they don't quite have to really compete on the level of OpenAI, Anthropic and the others. When they do release their own AI (I'm sure they will) I would expect that many people, especially previous apple product users will jump ship.
@keremcan01 Sure, their hardware is impressive, and the real strength has always been the synergy between hardware and software. But these days, other manufacturers can build solid hardware at a fraction of the cost. If someone pairs that with strong AI capabilities and polished software, Apple might no longer stand out the way it used to. Of course, that’s just hypothetical.
I think it does if SIRI stop embarassing me in front of Alexa. haha
@santosh__kumar9 Which one is better? :D
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?
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.
@jakecrump Work smart, not hard concept? :D If yes, in such case they are hidden geniuses :D
Better late than never, I guess? I just hope they step up their game quickly, because they're quickly getting left behind too.
@ricalgmn Their only luck is they have a lot of money to move on :D
@busmark_w_nika Exactly that haha. What do you think of the coming iOS? Would you be switching right away?
@ricalgmn ATM I have iPhone 15 but still actively using iPhone 7 Plus (Relics) :D If it is not necessary, I stick to devices and systems that are relevant to me and enable me to use what I need/want.
@busmark_w_nika Totally get that and I relate. I also have my 15 now and not looking to change anytime soon.
Honestly, I think Apple could still win as long as they have a clear direction.
We just can’t underestimate the power of their user ecosystem.
What I still can’t believe is how dumb Siri is, even after all these years.
It came out so early, and yet… here we are.
I just want my Siri to finally get smarter.
More than a big vision, I’d love to see some real, tangible updates I can actually feel.
@bunzeewithai They focused too much on unimportant things, VR headset, glass UI etc :D
Define: winning.
@chrismessina From one of those TechCrunch articles, I understood that he wants to position Apple top of mind when it comes to AI, so ideally to overtake Open AI and other (currently dominant) players in the market.
But may have interpreted this incorrectly. It just left that impression on me from the text.
Apple doesn’t need to win the AI arms race they just need to win the experience layer.
They’ve never chased “first-to-market.” Not with maps, not with payments, not with wearables. But once they enter, they redefine the category by integrating it beautifully across their ecosystem and that’s where I think their AI play will shine.
If Apple nails invisible AI like frictionless on-device intelligence, better context-awareness across apps, or making Siri actually useful again they don’t need to beat GPT or Claude. They just need to make you feel like AI is working quietly, securely, and elegantly behind the scenes.
As someone building automation workflows (where UX is often the biggest blocker), I’d bet on that kind of trust-driven design.
@priyanka_gosai1 Maybe it is not really about being first but about building that cult that people are blindly chasing no matter what. 😅
Apple might be late to AI, but I don't know, with their ecosystem and hardware, they’re primed to catch up fast.
With Tim Cook’s doubling down on AI, aiming to weave it deeply into Apple products, not just software, a lot could change rapidly. Not to mention, they have the advantage of having over a billion devices out there already.
@dheerajdotexe That is their main advantage – device dominance, and those are necessary, e.g. for running other LLMs. If they want to succeed in the AI battle, they really need to hire the best people on the labour market.
Apple still has a real shot imo, just not by copying OpenAI or Google head-to-head. Apple’s superpower has always been about owning the full experience, tight hardware-software integration, privacy, and making complex tech feel invisible for regular users. That’s a lane where they can still lead, and with over a billion devices already in people’s hands, it's not a big deal.
Right now, Apple feels slow because they rarely rush to launch the shiniest thing first, they wait, watch everyone else break things, then launch something very polished that fits perfectly into their ecosystem.
Imagine a genuinely helpful Siri across apps and devices, versus just a chatbot, it could be a game changer, maybe not “winning” the AI race as we see it, but redefining what winning means for the average user.
@sanskarix Ofc, when they leverage the research and applied systems from other LLM makers and double on it, they can come up with something huge. The question is whether they will do it. I feel like last few years, they haven't come up with real innovation.
Definitely, but that’s exactly how Apple has always played the game.
They don’t rush into trends. They observe, refine, and show up when the timing makes sense. It happened with the iPhone, the Apple Watch, and even AirPods. They weren’t first, but they ended up setting the standard.
OpenAI and the others have had a head start, no doubt. But Apple isn’t trying to beat them at being fast. They’re focused on making AI work in a way that feels natural, private, and tightly woven into the Apple experience.
Tim Cook saying Apple must win in AI just confirms what they’ve always done. Take their time, get it right, and launch in a way that changes how people use tech altogether.
@marshal_seyram We will see how successful they will be. :) But they have enough money, if they hire the top talents working on that, anything is possible 🤞
@zhantang What do you mean by that? Will they create a monopoly? Or can you elaborateon that?