One factor that is often missed in the AI conversation is Apple is the only company that owns both mobile and desktop operating systems, and AI in its most useful form will be the fabric of an operating system that enables new features within apps.
• iOS & MacOS. Likely monetization approach: raise hardware prices. Given Apple owns both the mobile and desktop operating systems the opportunities to integrate AI are endless. Today AI can be found in how Photos organize albums, inside of Apple Watch with fall detection, and in iMessage with suggested responses. In the future, I could see using iMessage or Safari as a search substitute to find and order a product, make a recommendation for dinner, or give advice on a book to read. Apple Watch will only get smarter with AI and AI powered apps in the App Store will generate Services revenue.
Lastly, don’t forget about Tim Cooks’s 2017 assessment that “clearly, one purpose of autonomous systems is self-driving cars — there are others. And we sort of see it as the mother all AI projects”. The following year Google’s head of AI, John Giannandrea, moved over to Apple as the company’s head of machine learning and AI strategy. As for the probability of an Apple branded car, it’s a coin toss if it sees the light of day, despite the fact the company continues to invest heavily in the project.
