ne1

This really feels like an intentionally staged and leaked pic by Apple. It's exactly the kind of thing they'd do to generate excitement about the iPhone launch without looking like they're trying to generate excitement about the launch. 

ne1 said:

"The issue isn't that Apple got caught off guard or has some kind of talent brain drain."

Usually, I would say the assertion of this article is correct. But in this case, Apple was caught off guard by the popularity of consumer available AI tools, that's why they have not yet gotten a model working to their satisfaction and have been delayed. They likely had too much of a focus on the abandoned Apple Car and Apple Vision Pro and failed to devote resources to AI early enough and recognize its importance. We all know they sat on Siri and didn't improve it for years.

So normally, you would be right but in this case, they did drop the ball. I blame the executive team for not putting enough emphasis on it earlier. 

I think the framing is important. It's not as if Apple wasn't working on LLMs in 2022 or earlier, it's just that the leadership didn't see them as worthy of pursuit that early on. I'd even argue that Apple engaging in the AI nonsense in 2024 was still too soon and only brought about because of ceaseless chatter from pundits. To be clear, I'm glad the announced and released what they did, but it was still too soon by Apple standards. And the delay was necessary, why release something that'll just spew garbage like the rest of the industry, we already have garbage generators, why add another?

AI is going to help make a lot of work easier, but it's still in its infancy. All the people pretending it's this amazing futuristic technology today is going to feel real foolish in a couple of years when it's as mundane as an excel spreadsheet. The hype is doing the technology injustice, and people are believing the hype. AI fatigue in general pop set in last year as Apple announced Apple Intelligence, and the company is lucky they took such an approach.

AI should be a background tool that you don't even realize you're using. It's why all the grift around it being some kind of world-altering technology that could be the end of mankind will ultimately fall apart, because it will never be much more than what it is today -- a powerful next bit prediction engine. It's why I find the pursuit of "superintelligence" laughable, because it's a fiction invented by people seeking investment and the ability to bypass regulations that will ultimately fail. I expect when a company finally declares the've reached superintelligence, it'll be a watered down version that's much less than expected, if not completely underwhelming and not actually "beyond human intelligence." They moved the goalposts before, they'll do it again.

Meanwhile, Apple will succeed by doing what it always does: releasing products people actually use, that are ethical, and maintain privacy.

You make some interesting points. Thank you for responding in a thoughtful manner. Context is important and I'm glad we agree on the leadership's lack of emphasis on AI. I largely agree that the technology is in its infancy and has a long way to go. But disagree that it should always be a background tool implementation. People are not only using it as such-- they're using it as a primary driver of what they need to do everyday (whether or not they should be doing that is a different matter).  

Overall, what Apple is (and should be) afraid of is the iPhone simply becoming a conduit for other AI services and apps. This was referenced last year when someone mentioned a concern that it would just become a "dumb box." We are a long way away from that right now, thankfully. However, Jonny Ives' pairing with OpenAI to create new products must be increasing Apple's concern. Nothing OpenAI (or others) create will replace an iPhone in the next few years, but in 5 years, 10? If those products (which are not meant to replace the phone) are successful, of course they will build a phone in the future. 

Whether AI is hype or not, right now people are buying into that hype (as you said) and one day, a "black box" type phone with AI as the primary driver may emerge that can do all sorts of things an iPhone can't. Which is why Apple is (and should be) busting a move on the technology now.

The good part of last year's fiasco is they are unlikely to be caught with their pants down again. I hope. 

"The issue isn't that Apple got caught off guard or has some kind of talent brain drain."

Usually, I would say the assertion of this article is correct. But in this case, Apple was caught off guard by the popularity of consumer available AI tools, that's why they have not yet gotten a model working to their satisfaction and have been delayed. They likely had too much of a focus on the abandoned Apple Car and Apple Vision Pro and failed to devote resources to AI early enough and recognize its importance. We all know they sat on Siri and didn't improve it for years.

So normally, you would be right but in this case, they did drop the ball. I blame the executive team for not putting enough emphasis on it earlier. 

9secondkox2 said:

Always have been and always will be the biggest fan of Apple’s monochrome metal looks (silver, grey, etc). So I’ll probably be getting the natural titanium color in September since it’s finally time to retire the trusty iPhone 11 Pro Max. But the camera “bump” is getting quite strange. 

Hopefully Apple can address this by iPhone 18 with a more integrated aesthetic. 

The lens cover choices seem very strange this cycle. Why wouldn't they make the metal rims flush with the lenses like in years past? It seems these would be much more susceptible to damage.

What's the deal with the transparent one? It would be pretty bad*ss if Apple made a transparent iPhone.