At the recent TechCrunch Disrupt conference, Tony Fadell, the ‘father of the iPod,’ came up to defend Apple over the slow rollout of its initiatives surrounding artificial intelligence. Apple has since received moderate responses from many users on its AI. These responses include: "Apple's AI is meh." However, Fadell has stated that Apple's emphasis on building trustworthy tools will yield wonderful returns down the line. Apple has built a solid foundation for future improvements by focusing on practical applications and user privacy, contrasting itself from competitors.
Fadell was a member of Apple between the years 2001 and 2010; nonetheless, he admitted that while the very initial feedback might not have been the most encouraging, the technology was what was paramount. He said, “People were like, 'I downloaded it,' and then, 'Apple's AI is Meh'; But it works! And that's the thing you want.” It is this that drives Apple's initiatives as it rolls out AI features in the innovative writing tools, message summarisation, and boosted Siri experience for its latest smartphone models – iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16.
Apple's approach contrasted with that of tech giants Google and Microsoft, who rushed ambitious launches of generative AI projects. He noted that smaller models don't need the kind of energy-hungry resources that have become commonplace, a jab at some competitors that have invested in energy-intensive AI technology.
In the latest earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook informed all the attendees that the backup of iOS 18.1 has seen a better response, with the uptake double that of iOS 17.1 during the same frame last year. Cook, in particular, noted that customer interest in the new AI features has been quite a driving force behind the iPhone upgrade surge. The additional AI capabilities are slated for December release, with U.S. English features released first and further expansion in April 2025.