While OpenAI is basking in the glory of ChatGPT, Microsoft is going all out to cash in on the AI euphoria, Google has triggered an AI war by unleashing “Gemini” amid the hailstorm, Apple is running after AI masters like Baidu and Google for a partnership. Apple’s reluctance to fire-fight the AI war on the front foot could be detrimental in the long term.
As to how well iOS 18 will be able to leverage the potential of AI, it entirely depends on how Apple’s partnership with AI masters goes ahead. Should the rumored collaboration get embroiled in too many restrictions, the next iteration of iOS could be way behind Android 15’s AI repertoire. If the anecdotes sound sarcastic, it actually seems to be more than that.
Ever since OpenAI unleashed ChatGPT and captured everyone’s imagination, I had been waiting with bated breath to give a shot at Apple’s AI chatbot. However, the reports about Apple giving up on debuting its own generative AI chatbot and instead pushing for a generative AI partnership have kind of thrown buckets of cold water on my excitement.
Though the partnership with Google or Baidu will enable Apple to make the best use of the LLM (Large Language Model) and launch a series of eye-catching AI-driven features for iPhones right from the word go, this move might badly hurt the Cupertino giant in the long run. For one, it will make the Cupertino giant heavily reliant on a third party for the enhancement of AI-related features. And the other, it will put Apple’s own chatbot on the backburner.
Remember, what happened to Apple’s collaboration with Google Maps? When the famed collaboration ended, the iPhone maker rushed to launch a below-par and undercooked maps app called “Apple Maps”. Even though Apple’s maps app has come a long way thanks to a series of improvements, it’s still nowhere near as reliable, consistent, and versatile as Google Maps.
Failing to jump on the bandwagon at the right time has not only made Apple Maps handicapped from the onset but also put it at a serious disadvantage. Another classic example of Apple’s unwillingness to integrate the trending features brings the stock email app into the spotlight.
The one word that perfectly describes the Apple Mail app is “Bin”. Neither does it have a neat user interface nor a handy inbox management nor does it offer enough customization to deliver a personalized experience. Forget about competing with the likes of Gmail and Spark, the stock email app is nothing more than bloatware.
For all bragging about offering high-level security and privacy at all hazards, Apple takes billions from Google to keep Google Search as the default search engine for Safari. Without an iota of doubt, Google remains the most loved and popular search engine across platforms – by a long distance. Most, including me, run to Google to sort out queries or stay at the pace with the trends. But the question is not about whether or not Google is available in Safari as the default search engine. It’s solely about where this long partnership leaves Apple.
For more than a decade, Safari has banked on Google to turbocharge its intelligence and it seems the so-called robust browser will continue to count on Google to feed its prowess. When every Tom, Dick, and Harry will be done with their AI games, Apple will come up with a chatbot that will end up being a laughing stock – pretty much in tune with Apple Maps, Mail, Translate, and the beloved Siri.
On a hardware pitch, Apple has a penchant for playing on the back foot, allowing technologies to get mature before taking them for a stride, which has paid high dividends over the years. However, on a software pitch with plenty of twists, the tech giant must show some intent from the get-go and endeavor to play on the front foot to reap benefits later by overlooking short-term gains.
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