Apple’s recent announcement of its AI system, “Apple Intelligence,” has analysts predicting a significant boost in iPhone upgrades.
Apple Intelligence should change the growth trajectory…spurring an AI-driven iPhone upgrade cycle starting with iPhone 16.
Analysts like Daniel Ives of Wedbush Securities believe this will be a “game changer” for Apple.
Revealed at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple Intelligence promises a range of AI-powered features for iPhones, iPads, and Macs. These include better messaging, mailing, photo editing, Siri functionality, and more. It will also integrate with ChatGPT, which will conduct activities Siri is incapable of.
Goldman Sachs analysts share this same information, predicting Apple Intelligence will act as a major catalyst for device upgrades, especially with the upcoming iPhone 16 launch. Why? Probably because Apple Intelligence will only be available on newer devices—iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max or iPads and Macs with M1 chips or better.
However, it’s also been rumored that most of the features in Apple Intelligence won’t be out until next year because Apple rushed to develop Apple Intelligence after realizing it was falling behind competitors in AI. They had to swallow their pride and partner with Microsoft-backed OpenAI. And the iPhone 16s, set to be launched later this, will be without AI, at least at the launch. This made me think that it’ll wreck iPhone 16 sales, but analysts know better.
Beyond driving sales, Goldman Sachs analysts also see possibilities for future AI monetization.
With the unveiling of Apple Intelligence and the anticipated release of the iPhone 16, it appears Apple is aiming to reclaim its top spot in the smartphone race. Whether their AI-powered strategy will succeed in driving a surge in upgrades remains to be seen, but analysts are certainly betting on it.
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