Is Apple late to the AI ​​party with Apple Intelligence? According to Tim Cook, it’s not about who is first with AI, but who is best at bringing it to the general public.

In June, Apple announced Apple Intelligence, a suite of intelligent AI features for its phones and computers, at its annual WWDC conference. With Apple Intelligence, you can let AI write emails, summarize notifications, and outsource other time-consuming tasks to AI. Apple has finally jumped on the AI ​​hype train.

The iPhone maker’s eternal critics will argue that Apple did this very late. When Apple Intelligence was announced, the AI ​​train had already been rumbling along at breakneck speed for a year and a half. Apple Intelligence also missed the launch of the iPhone 16 and iOS 18. According to Bloomberg’s regular Apple analyst Mark Gurman, this sentiment can also be felt among Apple employees.

Tim Cook sees it completely differently. In a detailed interview with the Wall Street Journal, he explains his AI plans. Apple’s focus is not on being first, but on being the best.

The last will be the best

“We certainly weren’t the first to get into intelligence,” Cook admits. “But we do it the way we believe is best for the customer.” In the interview, Cook will also talk in detail about how Apple Intelligence changed his life and how it will also change the user experience of all Apple products.

Whether you agree with Cook or not, his words definitely have something to offer. The AI ​​capabilities that Apple Intelligence brings to the iPhone and Mac are certainly not new compared to what Google and Microsoft have been doing for some time. But Apple manages to integrate everything cleanly in a way that the competition hasn’t yet managed. The company knows better than anyone how to leverage its ecosystem. For example, you can ask your iPhone questions that span multiple applications at once.

Unfortunately, the whole Apple Intelligence story isn’t that relevant to people in the EU yet. In protest against the DMA and the associated gatekeeper obligations, Apple is temporarily refusing to make its AI suite available to European users. The door would still be open for macOS, but it remains closed for iOS for now.

Be patient with Vision Pro

Tim Cook talks about the other big bet Apple made this year: the Vision Pro. The AR headset was announced with great fanfare – remember the famous one OneMore Cook’s Thing moment at WWDC 2023? – but for now Apple cannot bring the product to market. Due to the high price of $3,500, sales are low and developers ignore the headset.

The fact that the Vision Pro wouldn’t immediately become a blockbuster for Apple also seems to be within Cook’s expectations. “It’s not a mass-produced product,” says Cook. “It is currently an early adopter product. People who want tomorrow’s technology today, that’s what it’s there for. Fortunately, there are a lot of people who are in this camp.”

A possible second generation should be successful. According to sources, Apple is considering a cheaper version with a lighter chip and without the EyeSight function. In Apple’s lexicon, “cheap” still means $2,000.