Is Apple No Longer Innovative? Can we Expect Apple AI? 

Innovation has been at the core of Apple’s success for many decades, which is why it has a humongous customer base worldwide. People love Apple products, whether we talk about the iPhone series, iPad, Macbook, or other devices.  But what if we say Apple is losing its innovative edge? Loyal Apple customers might not like this statement, but it is actually true. Apple is no longer innovative in the way it used to be. In the times when people are waiting for Apple AI, Apple is still stuck with its traditional approach. It focuses more on hardware and software integration rather than working on  Apple AI development.

In today’s blog, we will discuss why Apple is losing its innovative edge, why Apple Sales are declining and how soon we can expect an Apple AI. So just relax and read the article till the end.

Apple sales declining: Facing The Core Crush

According to a Forbes report, Apple’s sales declined more than 3% during the fiscal year ending September 2023. Moreover, it is expected to generate single-digit growth of only 5% in the next five years. On a larger scale, this might not be a huge decline, but looking at Apple’s customer base, it is clear that Apple is lacking somewhere in terms of innovation. 

Another report by Statista states that the worldwide search for iPhones has declined since 2012 after last peaking with the iPhone 5. Moreover, the iPhone 14 saw nearly 40% fewer searches on Google in comparison to the iPhone 5’s debut in 2005.  Today, we are waiting for the launch of the iPhone 16, which is believed to have Apple AI capabilities. However, at the core, it can be rightly said that Apple is no more creative. Apple is falling behind other tech giants such as Amazon, Google, Tesla, and especially Samsung. The Korean tech giant has already launched Samsung AI in the latest Galaxy S24 series. 

Apple is No More Creative: Reasons Behind Failure 

In 2018, Apple released revamped versions of several devices, including the iPad Pro, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro. Apple made many changes to the iPad devices to make them more adaptable and appealing to a mass audience. The new iPad Pro no longer offers the Home button or headphone jack. This innovation backfired on Apple as people felt it removed important features without providing other suitable alternatives. 

The truth is that Apple is failing because it is focusing more on building customer loyalty and brand image than on innovation. Some of the main areas where Apple is failing are: 

1. Folding Phones 

One of the biggest categories that Apple lacks is the introduction of folding phones. Brands like Samsung, Vivo, and Huawei have already introduced their folding phones in the market years ago. Apple released a concept image of a folding iPhone two years back, but no further improvements were made. There can be many reasons behind this. One is that Apple is already a market leader, and they don’t want to shift their focus towards other things like folding phones. However, to stay in the market, you need to adapt to changes irrespective of how big a brand you are. 

2. Apple AI adaption 

People are already living in the era of smart voice assistants and want an upgrade to AI, whereas Apple is still unresponsive. Siri’s results don’t match the results of Google or Amazon smart assistants. However, there are rumours that Apple is introducing Apple AI with its upcoming IOS 18 and iPhone 16 models. AI is still growing, and it’s the right time; Apple must hit the bull eyes by introducing Apple AI capabilities

3. Apple As a Service

It might sound surprising, but Apple is also failing regarding delivery service. In 2019, Apple discontinued using the iTunes store and introduced three separate platforms for music, movies and podcasts. This was again a failure for Apple as they had a single service for these offerings, and there was no point in bringing this diverse change.  The main reason behind this move was to carve away the market shares of other technology leaders such as Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. However, Apple was too late for this move.

Apple’s Biggest Failures of All Time 

Some of the biggest failures in the history of Apple are: 

1. Apple Cancels Airpower Wireless Charger Release 

In 2017, Apple’s designed an airpower charging mat for iPhones, iPads, Airpods and Apple Watches. During the initial testing, it was found that the charger mat was not compatible with all the devices, so its release was cancelled. 

2. Issues With iPhone Battery 

The battery has always been the biggest concern for Apple users. In 2017, Apple received complaints that older iPhones were becoming sluggish, which affected their performance. In response to this, Apple admitted that it is slowing down older iPhones to conserve battery life. However, Apple users were unaware of this fact, which resulted in a backlash against Apple’s privacy policies.

3. USB-C Rollout

One of the biggest changes the iPhone has ever made is the introduction of USB-C charging. iPhone introduced USB C-type charging on iPhone 15 models. An innovation people were waiting for.  Although it was a strategic move to bring innovation in design, people did not like it. Soon after the iPhone 15 release, complaints regarding lightning port failures, slow charging speed, etc hit Apple’s desk. Many people even called this a frustrating and confusing move by Apple to protect their brand image.

Can we expect Apple AI? It’s Time For Apple To Upgrade 

Apple is far behind Samsung in terms of AI integration. However, during the latest WWDC conference, Apple focused on introducing Apple AI capabilities with the new iOS 18 update. Moreover, Apple is also expected to offer various Apple AI functions in its upcoming iPhone 16 series. The company is currently working on generative AI features for which they have acquired a Paris-based startup, Datakalab, which specialises in AI compressing algorithms and computer vision technology. The latest software will include AI features for several applications, including Apple Music, Notes, etc. 

Apart from this, there are several categories where Apple AI is being internally tested and developed, such as:

• Apple GPT: Competitor of ChatGPT that works on Ajax language models.
• Ask Apple Care: This will respond to technical issues using Apple’s internal technical knowledge database. 
• Apple AI Siri: It will bring generative AI capabilities to Siri, making it smarter and faster than ever before.

Therefore, we can expect Apple AI in the coming few months, with much expectation from the iPhone iOS 18 and iPhone 16 series.