Apple is Taking on ChatGPT

But will it come with a price tag?

Brandon Butch
July 21, 2023

Not yet a subscriber? Sign up here!

Good morning! ☀️ *Tim Cook voice*

iPhone 15 delays incoming, Apple is challenging ChatGPT, iOS 17 releases, and more!

Estimated reading time: 3.1 minutes

📊 Poll

Last week, I asked if you install Betas on your main iPhone..

Boy

Here were some of my favorite replies:

Yes - “I always love to install betas on my main devices, I am aware of the risk and I’m willing to take it. I get to have new features and report the bugs to Apple to make it smoother for public release.” This guy Betas.

No - “I probably will eventually but not this early - although this year has tempted me more than any other year.” And they said iOS 17 wasn’t going to be a big update. Psh

Yes - “FOMO.” This right here is prob the #1 reason to do so. I know the feeling.

This week: If you had to switch to Android, what would you miss most? Why?

What iOS feature would you miss the most?

🤖 Apple to Compete with ChatGPT

ChatGPT on iPhone (not the app, though)

We all knew it was coming at some point, but now we have confirmation that Apple is indeed working on a generative AI tool. Here’s what we know:

Apple has has built its own framework, known as Ajax, to create large language models (LLMs)
- Side note: Ajax runs on Google Cloud and was built with Google JAX, their machine learning framework
Apple is testing an AI-powered chatbot that engineers are calling “Apple GPT”
These AI offerings are similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard
There is currently no strategy for releasing the technology to consumers, but Apple is reportedly aiming to make a significant AI-related announcement in 2024

So, it looks like Time Cook and Apple’s major concerns over AI accuracy and privacy are beginning to die down. This is good news, as an AI-related announcement at some point next year would be huge.

How will it be implemented?

This is the biggest elephant in the room. Will this chatbot/AI tool be built in to Siri? If so, will there be different modes/settings?

There’s a lot of unknown right now, but you better believe Apple sees this as a future revenue-driver. Apple loves their monthly subscriptions, so don’t be surprised when this AI tool/integration ends up costing you an additional $4.99/month.

The thing is, even if the tech is the same as ChatGPT/Google Bard, Apple has the power of integrating that tech directly into all iPhones without needing to install a 3rd party app.

Question: are you willing to pay for ChatGPT/generative AI functionality integrated directly into Siri? Or do you think it should be standard in future versions of iOS? Vote below!

Will you pay for a ChatGPT-like Siri?

📲 iPhone 15 to Have ‘Severe Shortages’

iPhone 14 vs 15 bezels

You might have to wait a little bit longer than usual to get the iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max this year. Here’s why:

Apple is using a new manufacturing process for the iPhone 15 Pro & Pro Max displays, and there were issues with LG-made displays

One person with direct knowledge said the LG-made displays have failed reliability tests after it goes through a new process known as low injection pressure overmolding or LIPO.

The process involves Apple fusing the display into its metal shell prior to assembly. Apple is repeatedly tweaking the design of LG’s display so that it can pass the tests.

A new report from The Information claims that Apple is not likely to delay the iPhone 15 launch
Instead, the Pro models - especially the 15 Pro Max - will face ‘severe shortages’
However, an analyst from Bank of America (who has a track record) claimed that the iPhone 15 will face a delay this year, but only to the tune of a few weeks

So, could this be another year of staggered iPhone releases? It seems plausible that Apple would release the iPhone 15 at the end of September, and then wait a few weeks to release the Pro and Pro Max models.

If that’s not the case, though, and Apple releases all models on the same day, expect nearly instant delays for the Pro models when pre-orders go live the week prior to launch.

🤔 iOS Releases, YouTube Price Hikes & More

If you’re a YouTube Premium subscriber, prepare to fork over a couple extra bucks each month:

The price of an individual YouTube Premium subscription is increasing by $2 to $13.99/month in the US for new and current customers
If you’re subscribing from the iOS YouTube app, it’s $18.99/month
Family Premium plans did not see a price increase
YouTube is also increasing the price of Music Premium to $10.99 per month (up from $9.99)

Busy week ahead for iOS releases

After a boring week in the iOS update world - only receiving the iOS 16.6 RC build for beta testers - next week will be a lot more exciting.

iOS 16.6 final will release early in the week, likely on Monday
iOS 17 Beta 4 will release early to mid next week as well, likely on Tuesday or Wednesday
The 2nd Public Beta for iOS 17 will likely come within 24-48 hours after the Developer Beta drops

Don’t expect an iOS 16.7 Beta next week, as that is unlikely until September, around the time iOS 17 will also be releasing to everybody.

New Beats Studio Pro tease next-gen AirPods Max

Apple just released the Beats Studio Pro on Wednesday and it’s the first major overhaul of these headphones since 2017!

They cost $349 (~$200 cheaper than AirPods Max) and offer USB-C, lossless audio, and a new chip that enables Spatial Audio with Dynamic Head Tracking and Personalization.

By the way, these are Apple’s first set of headphones certified for Lossless audio.

With the launch of these headphones, I will no longer be recommending the AirPods Max, as these are a far better value.

📰 Quick News Bites

🤝 Show Support

Just reading these newsletters & giving feedback is much appreciated. But if you are feeling generous & want to support my work directly, you can buy me a coffee!

100% of the proceeds go right back into the business, and helps keep the quality of content high!

Until next week, ✌️

- Brandon

What did you think of today's newsletter?

🫶 Reader Love

That’s a new one - enjoy your time in the cabin!

Subscribe to keep reading

This content is free, but you must be subscribed to The Apple Den to continue reading.

Already a subscriber?Sign In.Not now