iPhone's Cutting-Edge AI Features Could Be Put Behind a Paywall
Since Apple announced Apple Intelligence, the company has not detailed its strategy for how its generative AI features will be offered in the long run. Most assumed this would be mostly free. Now, new insights provide support to the prospect of Apple putting some powerful and demanding features behind a paywall after all.
Based on separate discussions highlighted by 9to5Mac this week, Apple could follow the path of OpenAI or Google by turning some Apple Intelligence features into a premium add-on or subscription service. This supports a Bloomberg forecast shared more than a month ago.
How much the advanced Apple Intelligence features might cost
First off, Counterpoint Research's analyst and partner Neil Sha said in an interview with CNBC that the iPhone maker could create a new Apple One tier that would include the premium AI tools. It added that the plan could cost $10 to $20 more compared to the current Apple One pricing.
Presently, Apple One is priced at $20 a month in the US and bundles Apple Music, Apple TV+, iCloud+ storage, Apple Fitness+, and Apple Arcade into a single plan. So if to materialize, we would likely be seeing the plan with Apple Intelligence priced north between $30 to $40 depending on the region.
CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood has also chimed in on this possibility. Speaking to CNBC, Wood said, “it can’t be ruled out that Apple may choose to charge for more advanced features within its Apple Intelligence offering.”
Why Apple could push for a paid AI service
The two analysts are looking into a single ground on why Apple could eventually bank into an AI subscription plan. The reason is mainly seen due to the high-cost of running generative AI models which requires setting up of dedicated AI servers. Hence, the company would pass those investments it would incur to its users.
It was noted that Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also mentioned last month that Apple will make Apple Intelligence free in the initial phase, while a possible upgraded Apple Intelligence or Plus version could be offered in the future.
It's unknown when this initiative will be adopted or if this will happen in all sections. But with the current development of Apple Intelligence, it's likely that it would take another year or more before a new Apple One or AI-bundled tier will be launched.
Which Apple Intelligence features are really worth your bucks?
At the same time, there are no words on which AI features are going into premium and free sections. Perhaps, we will see Apple keeping resource-hungry tasks like enhanced image generation and editing under a paid subscription. Who really knows?
The availability of Apple Intelligence is also another factor that would influence the company's foray into an add-on AI service. Right now, only the iPhone 15 Pro (review) and iPhone 15 Pro Max (review) supported at the start. Additionally, not all features of Apple Intelligence have been shipped, even so, “Siri 2.0” is not expected to hit iPhones until in the of this year.
Apple has shipped the first batch of Apple Intelligence features to developers via iOS 18.1 beta, which could be rolled out to the public in October after the iPhone 16 shipments. The other additions could arrive before the year's end, while some are scheduled for next year.
What do you think of this prospect of Apple making some Apple Intelligence features available behind a paywall? Are you willing to pay to use them? We're eager to hear your opinion in the comments.
