WWDC 2024 is on the horizon, and Apple could use the annual developer conference to lay the groundwork for how an AI-based App store could work.
This information comes from a recent interview on CNBC with Ben Reitzes, head of technology at research and investment firm Melius Research. In the interview Reitzes was asked when he thought that Apple’s endgame regarding AI would come about, he responded by discussing the possibility of an AI app store.
“I think that in June we should start to see them lay the groundwork for this new App Store, for how it's going to work with AI, how you can buy AI apps through the App Store," Reitzes said. "I'm sure Apple will have their own apps as usual, an AI assistant, hopefully, they upgrade Siri.”
Just recently, Apple revealed its new MM1 AI model, a multimodal model that uses AI-generated data and labels to speed up training of new models. It's thought that MM1 A1 will be the basis of a new version of Siri.
Reitzes noted Apple’s past success when creating storefronts, noting that the company “has a history of convincing a lot of leaders to make apps or do something with them, while they perfect the ecosystem.”
Reitzes added that he believes that Apple is doing the same with AI. While Apple is reportedly talking to Google about bringing the latter's Gemini AI models to the iPhone, Reitzes thinks there's more to Apple's AI efforts. "They're talking about Google being one of the many models you have access to so that this new type of app store can take advantage of AI," he said.
"[There's] a huge upgrade cycle coming for iPhones, probably in 2025, where the silicone and the software is really optimized for processing AI at the edge on your iPhone so that you have a no-latency, excellent experience."
— Ben Reitzes, Melius Research
Reitzes said he expects "a huge upgrade cycle coming for iPhones, probably in 2025, where the silicone and the software is really optimized for processing AI at the edge on your iPhone so that you have a no-latency, excellent experience"
This isn't the first we've heard about upgrades coming to iPhone hardware. Recent leaks tip the iPhone 16 to sport a number of upgrades aimed at boosting the AI experience, including more RAM and storage options not to mention improvements via the upcoming A18 series of chips expected to power this fall's phones.
Whether Reitzes' predictions pan out, it's clear that Apple aims to hit the AI market with a bang. We'll likely find out more at WWDC 2024, which is likely to happen in June.
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- I test AI for a living — here’s how Apple can beat ChatGPT and Google Gemini
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