(San Francisco) Apple is expected to take the opportunity at its annual developer conference, which begins Monday, to show how it is integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its products and to try to catch up with its larger competitors, which are much more advanced in the domain.
Since the launch of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s generative AI interface, in November 2022, Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta have worked hard to implement this technology in their offers.
If artificial intelligence has already been very present in its iPhone, iPad or Mac for many years, Apple has not made any specific announcement so far, postponing possible new AI developments until later.
During the presentation of the group’s latest results at the beginning of May, the managing director, Tim Cook, mentioned announcements in the coming weeks, without further details.
Obsessed with generative AI for 18 months, investors have heckled Apple shares, which have gained only 1% since the start of the year, compared to 11% for Microsoft, 18% for Amazon or 24% for Alphabet. (Google).
Therefore, the annual developer conference (WWDC), which takes place from June 10 to 14, “represents the most important event for Apple in a decade against the backdrop of the pressure to present to developers and consumers a package of generative AI,” says Dan Ives, analyst at Wedbush Securities.
Many, including the latter, expect the Apple firm to unveil a new version of its iOS operating system, 18epowered by artificial intelligence.
According to several American media, Apple has previously established a partnership with OpenAI, which will allow it to use the young company’s language models, these gigantic databases making it possible to answer a question asked in everyday language.
“Crucial moment”
According to Carolina Milanesi, analyst at Creative Strategies, these improvements and new features should help to strengthen the attractiveness of the brand’s products, first and foremost the iPhone.
“The goal for Apple is to get people to replace their iPhone,” insists the analyst. We will see if Apple gives them sufficient reasons to do so. »
“The moment is crucial for Apple,” insists Gadjo Sevilla, analyst at Emarketer, for whom the WWDC communication is a “litmus test” of the ability of the Cupertino (California) group to take advantage of generative AI as have already knew how to do it Google and especially Microsoft.
Any misstep by Apple at this stage could cause it to lose its place as a technological leader, facing two AI giants that already have products [disponibles] and revealed a release schedule that spans the next two years.
Gadjo Sevilla, Emarketer analyst
This new challenge comes as Apple tries to reconnect with its legend, that of a company accustomed to launching products and services likely to cause a break in consumption habits, from the Macintosh to the iPhone via the iPod.
It made a first significant shift in February with the presentation of its “mixed” (virtual and augmented) reality headset “Vision Pro”.
It is nevertheless, in its current version, a high-end product ($3,499 per unit), which is only aimed at a limited part of Apple’s traditional audience.
In addition to the lead taken by its competitors, this quest for new successes is made more urgent for Apple by the decline in iPhone sales, which fell by 10% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024.
With generative AI, the technology group is investing, in addition to the devices themselves, in its services activity, which has become the lifeblood of Apple’s growth.
According to Canalys, 16% of smartphones shipped this year will be equipped with generative AI features, a proportion it expects to rise to 54% in 2028.
Some analysts point to the issue of the use of personal data, essential to generative AI, but on which the group has always been protective and uncompromising, to the point of making it one of the reasons for its popularity.
“Wanting to control the AI ecosystem too closely would cause Apple to lose ground,” warns Gadjo Sevilla.