I have an admission: Though I frequently review new Apple products, I don't always buy them. Like many of you, I can't afford to update every bit of Apple hardware every time the company revises one of its products. So I have to carefully measure when my stuff has now become too old and needs to be replaced with the shiny and new versions.
Of course, Apple would love us all to buy new stuff all the time. But the company has to earn its sales the hard way. I might buy a new iPhone because of an upgraded camera or a new MacBook Air because of a new design and a faster processor. I might bypass the latest Apple Watch because the new features just don't matter to me.
As the heat from the iPhone's huge acceleration of growth begins to cool down and iPad and Mac sales drop from their pandemic-driven heights, Apple is looking for reasons to sell new hardware. And now, it may have found a big one in a somewhat unexpected place: artificial intelligence.
AI MODELS EAT RAM
AI algorithms are software, of course. Theoretically, all current Apple hardware should be able to run AI stuff. Apple's been building Neural Engines into its chips for years, for example. And yet the rumored addition of major AI features to Apple's platforms starting this fall may fuel a new wave of upgrades.
This is because when we discuss AI these days, we're largely discussing large language models (LLMs), things like OpenAl's Chat GPT and Google's Gemini.
Apple is reportedly building its own LLM, intending to run it natively on Apple devices rather than outsourcing it to the cloud. This could increase speed dramatically, as well Neural Engines have as enhance privacy.
This story is from the July 2024 edition of Macworld.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 2024 edition of Macworld.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
LOGITECH POP ICON COMBO: COLORFUL KEYBOARD AND MOUSE WITH REALLY SMART FUNCTIONS
Logitech has launched the new POP Icon keyboard with a matching POP mouse. The two devices are available as a combo set or individually.
The M4 Macs prove that Apple should steal from itself more
Steal from the best.
Wavlink Thunderbolt 4 Triple Display Docking Station: Affordable dock for two displays
Affordable and fast but supports two rather than three extended displays for Macs.
16-INCH MACBOOK PRO (M4 PRO) REVIEW: LOCKED IN AND LOADED
APPLE'S LAPTOP GETS GREAT UPGRADES TOMAKE IT A BETTER WORKSTATION.
The Apple Car is dead. Where does that leave Apple's auto ambitions?
What remains of the Apple Car pipe dream? We examine the legacy of Apple's doomed Project Titan.
iPad mini (A17 Pro): A little faster, a little 'smarter'
Update brings new chip brings support for Apple’s AI feature set...and not much else.
I love my desktop Mac, but I've decided to switch-here's why
Being a Mac laptop user in the Apple silicon era is better than it was in the Intel years.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8: Great sound at a mid-range price
B&W's noise-cancelling earbuds go head-to-head with Apple's AirPods Pro.
Six ways Apple Intelligence levels up with iOS 18.2 and macOS 15.2
The latest tranche of AI features is a massive upgrade.
REVIEW: M4 iMAC THIS MIGHT BE THE BEST iMAC EVER
A FASTER CHIP, MORE RAM, A BETTER CAMERA, AND A CHANGE IN PORTS MAKE THE M4 iMAC THE BEST BUY IT'S EVER BEEN.