Apple could charge iPhone users a monthly fee for top AI upgrades – but fans say they ‘won’t pay a dime’
APPLE’S fancy upcoming AI gizmos for iPhone may not all be free as fans had hoped.
The tech giant made waves in June when it announced Apple Intelligence, with a host of big changes and fresh features.
Siri is among the list of improvements, which will have ChatGPT built into it.
This will allow the 13-year-old voice assistant to do things like prioritise your notifications for you based on your habits, as well as proof-read and summarise things you’ve written.
Most of the changes are expected to arrive in the free iOS 18 update later this year.
But analysts have warned that some premium Apple Intelligence features may come at a cost.
Experts say users might be expected to pay as much as $20 / £15 per month to access them.
One possible idea is rolling it into the Apple One subscription plan, which provides people with Apple Music, iCloud storage and Apple TV+ at present.
“Software and services makes it more lucrative for Apple to pass it on with the Apple One subscription model,” Neil Shah, from Counterpoint Research told CNBC.
iPhone fans aren’t happy about the suggestion, saying they refuse to pay for extras.
“So… who exactly do they expect to actually pay this?” one wrote on Reddit.
“Not a chance lads,” another said.
“I won’t pay a dime for that,” a third added.
Other companies are already charging for top end AI features.
Google‘s Gemini AI has an advanced tier users have to pay for.
Samsung is mulling over charging for its Galaxy AI features, pledging to keep them free until the end of 2025 for now.
Apple’s services division includes subscriptions to platforms like Apple Music and iCloud.
And it’s among the company’s most profitable these days, having made the company $24.2billion / £18.8billion in the last quarter.
“Apple is one of the few connected devices companies that has successfully monetized the value-added services it offers,” Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, said to CNBC.
“As a result, it has set a precedent with its users that they have to pay for more premium services.
“On this basis, it can’t be ruled out that Apple may choose to charge for more advanced features within its Apple Intelligence offering.”
Apple is expected to launch brand new iPhones in September, the month the firm usually unveils handsets to the world.
iPhone tricks to try today
Here are some of the best...
- Typing cursor – When typing, hold down the space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad, letting you move around words and sentences more easily
- Close all Safari tabs – To do this in one go, simply hold the overlapped squares in the bottom right-hand corner, and press close all tabs
- Delete lots of photos quickly – Hold down on a photo and then drag your finger diagonally in Photos to select lots of images at once, then hit delete
- Convert currency quickly – Swipe down from the top of your Home screen (or swipe left to right on an iPhone X or later model), then tap in the bar and type a currency (like $200) and it will automatically covert to your local currency
- Check if you’re due a battery upgrade – Batteries inside smartphones degrade over time. Just go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health, and check out the Maximum Capacity reading. Generally a battery is considered worn when you’re down to 80% capacity. If you’re below, you can buy a battery swap from Apple
- Move apps around faster – Hold an app until it starts wiggling, then (while still holding) tap other apps, causing them to stack so you can move them around easier