APPLE
Apple just ghosted AI at its biggest event
Apple’s latest event introduced updates to the AirPods, Apple Watch, and, of course, the latest iPhones - but AI? It was barely spoken about.
The one-hour 15-minute presentation primarily focused on hardware improvements rather than AI announcements.
Contrast that to last year’s iPhone event, where “Apple Intelligence” was said 182 times (probably). What followed was a big serving of disappointment, with a side of class action lawsuit.
It’s no surprise Apple avoided making similar claims this year.
Instead, CEO Tim Cook described it as the “biggest leap ever for iPhone,” but the focus was on durability, cameras, and battery life.
Most of the AI tools, like visual intelligence and live translation, were first shown at WWDC 2025 and aren’t new to the industry, as Google and Samsung launched similar features last year.
This time, Apple highlighted how AI works in the background rather than leading with it.
A faster neural engine, local language models, and new GPU-integrated neural accelerators aim to deliver MacBook Pro-level performance on an iPhone, improving gaming, speed, and other high-demand tasks.
Consumers were also surprised that the only colour options on this year’s iPhone Pro models were silver, orange and blue. C’mon, Tim, I’m not about to whip out that Gatorade iPhone in a meeting.
For the AirPods, Apple focused on features like live translation and heart rate monitoring, powered by machine learning and Apple Intelligence models running on the iPhone.
For activity and calorie tracking, Apple trained on over 50 million hours of data from 250,000 participants in a health study.
The Apple Watch updates also leaned on AI, using machine learning to analyse how blood pressure responds to heartbeats over 30 days.
TL;DR
Apple focused on hardware upgrades over front-facing AI this year.
This is probably due to the huge backlash about promised AI features last year that never materialised.
AI is powering features behind the scenes, improving speed, health tracking, and performance.
AI in stealth mode
The broader AI race is intensifying as companies invest heavily.
OpenAI was recently valued at $300 billion and expects to spend $115 billion by 2029.
Anthropic raised $13 billion at a $183 billion valuation, while Meta has invested more than $14 billion and continues hiring top AI researchers.
Apple, meanwhile, faces pressure to catch up.
At least 10 senior researchers from its AI team have left recently, with several joining Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic.
These exits highlight Apple’s slower push into AI compared to competitors, moving faster with consumer-facing AI tools.
AI isn't dead at Apple… just hiding in the basement, perhaps?