Tim Cook wants you to know he’s confident in Apple’s AI future

Apple

If you own an iPhone 16 series, you likely purchased it to be among the first to use Apple Intelligence. However, a month after the latest iPhones were released, this highly anticipated AI suite from the largest company in the world has not yet been released to the public. Tim Cook thinks the wait will be worth it.

In a long-ranging interview with The Wall Street Journal, the Apple CEO defends his company’s speed at which it is introducing AI into its products. He also sees a bright future for Apple Vision, even though the first product in a likely series of alternate reality devices, the very expensive Apple Vision Pro, has largely failed to catch on with most users.

Of AI, Cook says: “We weren’t the first to do intelligence. But we’ve done it in a way that we think is the best for the customer.” To stress this point further, he highlighted Apple Intelligence’s new email summaries tool and how it has changed his productivity and daily habits. “It’s changed my life,” he explains.

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He’s also bold enough to explain that Apple Intelligence will ultimately change how we use his company’s products. “Profoundly different,” he said.

Of the first-generation $3,500 Apple Vision Pro, Cook explains that it was never intended as a mass-market product. Instead, “it’s an early-adopter product. People who want to have tomorrow’s technology today — that’s who it’s for.”

He also noted that products like iPods, iPhones, and AirPods didn’t necessarily find success overnight. Of the Vision Pro, he contends: “Over time, everything gets better, and it too will have its course of getting better and better.

Apple Intelligence was announced at the June Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Soon after, Apple admitted that the product wouldn’t launch with the iPhone 16 series, which it announced last month. Instead, parts of Apple Intelligence will begin rolling out to supported devices before the end of this month, with other features perhaps not arriving until 2025.

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The new AI tools, which focus on improving user productivity and efficiency, as well as making the overall experience more personal, will eventually be available in each of Apple’s product lines. At the start, the tools will be available on late-model iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

The Vision Pro arrived in February with mostly good reviews. However, it has almost certainly been held back by its high price, limited battery life, and slow adoption by software developers. We’ve heard that a lower-priced option could be released as early as next year.