Apple's AI Features: Free Initially, Premium Options Expected by 2027

Apple Likely Won't Charge for Apple Intelligence Features Until At Least 2027

It will likely be years before Apple Intelligence has a compelling enough feature set that people will pay for, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in this week's Power On newsletter. Apple Intelligence is still so new that Gurman expects it will "take three years" for Apple to create a product that's worth charging for, and even that "may be the best-case scenario." Gurman suggested last month that Apple's long-term plan is to develop something like Apple Intelligence+, with add-on features that users would pay a monthly fee to access. Apple already has a tiered subscription setup for iCloud, so Apple Intelligence could work similar to that. iCloud provides 5GB of free storage to all users, but for a fee, iCloud+ subscription plans include more storage and also access to features like iCloud Private Relay. In the future, basic Apple Intelligence access could continue to be free, with more advanced features requiring a subscription. OpenAI and other companies charge for AI queries and image generation after a set free limit due to the computing power and costs associated with AI. As of right now, the first Apple Intelligence features are only partially available in the iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 betas. Apple has added Writing Tools, some basic Siri improvements, smart replies in Messages and Mail, and a few other features like a Memory Maker option in Photos, but Image Playground, Genmoji, and the bulk of the Siri upgrades won't be coming until later in 2024 and 2025. In addition to fully rolling out the first Apple Intelligence features that were announced at WWDC 2024, Apple still needs to work to expand the functionality to more countries, including China and the European Union. The features that Apple showed off in June likely won't all be available until 2025, and there's no word yet on when it might expand to more countries (including other languages), so it's not hard to see how it could take until 2027 or beyond to have a robust product. As another reference point, Apple introduced Emergency SOS via satellite alongside the iPhone 14 in 2022, a feature that the company plans to eventually charge a fee to use, but it will be at least 2025 before the first iPhone owners have to pay for it. Apple's fee for Emergency SOS has not yet been announced. When Apple does start charging for Apple Intelligence, it could be baked into existing iCloud+ plans or included as part of Apple One, Apple's subscription bundle. Counterpoint Research analyst Neil Shah recently speculated that Apple could charge between $10 and $20 for Apple Intelligence, with the fee rolled into an Apple One plan. The basic Apple One plan is priced at $19.95 per month right now, and it includes 50GB iCloud+ storage, Apple TV+, Apple Music, and Apple Arcade.

Apple's AI features likely to remain free in first wave, premium options expected later

Apple's recently announced AI suite, Apple Intelligence, is set to roll out with a host of new features for iPhone, iPad, and Mac users, but it might be a while before users see any costs coming with it. According to recent insights from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the initial wave of Apple Intelligence features will likely be offered at no additional charge, with potential paid features possibly years away. In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman suggests that while Apple may eventually introduce a subscription model for its most advanced AI functionalities, users can expect to access the core features for free at least until 2027. This is in agreement with previous reports indicating that Apple is planning to release these advanced features around 2027, with a expected subscription fee of up to $20 per month. Apple Intelligence is expected to debut later this year, following the launch of the iPhone 16 series in October. The first phase will enhance Siri's capabilities, making the virtual assistant more intelligent and conversational. Additionally, users will gain access to generative AI tools for image creation, editing, writing, and organisation. Gurman notes that while the initial suite of features will be free, the company might eventually offer premium options targeted at specific sectors such as corporate clients, educational institutions, or niche users. These advanced features could justify the introduction of a subscription model. Apple Intelligence introduces new Writing Tools designed to assist users in selecting the perfect words across all your writing tasks. With advanced language capabilities, it can quickly summarise lengthy lectures, proofread the text, Genmoji that helps create own personalised emoji-like images using AI, and more.

Apple Intelligence: You won't have to pay for it until this specific year, according to report

When Apple officially launches its own AI, Apple Intelligence, later this year - prepare to cough up ... nothing. In fact, according to Bloomberg's Apple insider Mark Gurman, Apple users will likely enjoy Apple Intelligence's suite of AI features for free for at least three whole years. In the latest Power On newsletter, Gurman shares that Apple isn't planning on charging anything for Apple Intelligence - yet. Everything from image generation to its AI writing tools will be free for Apple users until at least 2027. It should be noted that while Gurman is a reputable source of Apple news, the company has not yet confirmed this new information. This news about complimentary Apple Intelligence counters what was reported by other analysts just last week. Some analysts speculated that Apple could charge between $10 to $20 for its AI features, with a possibility that Apple Intelligence could be bundled with Apple One as well. Gurman himself said last month that Apple might charge for Apple Intelligence at some point. Gurman now says that Apple may look to charge for premium Apple Intelligence features down the line, but the company is not currently looking to charge anything for the time being as it pertains to the AI products that Apple will launch later this year. Gurman didn't expand on what those potential premium features might be. Mashable already tested out some of the Apple Intelligence features coming to iPhone in a few months and was impressed with the Writing Tools, the summarization feature on Safari, AI search for Photos, and the new and improved Siri. Apple, which is arriving to the AI market much later than any of its competitors, is clearly looking to focus on marketing its Apple Intelligence tools in order to catch up. When Apple Intelligence first arrives to the iPhone later this year, Apple fans will be able to use the features free of charge. And now it appears it'll be that way for quite some time, too.

Apple Has Three Years To Develop Premium Apple Intelligence Features That Users Would Pay For, As Subscription Rumors Gain Momentum

Apple Intelligence has just been announced at the company's annual WWDC event, and it appears that the service will not remain free for long. According to a prominent analyst, Apple Intelligence would be offered to users as a paid service, and it could come with a monthly subscription fee, with some free features for the average user. However, it will still be marketed as a free-for-all service for at least the next three years. It was reported earlier this week that some features of the Apple Intelligence service will be priced as much as $20 per month. While the AI features are slated to be free at this point, Apple could have a plan in place that will allow it to generate more revenue by offering Apple Intelligence as a service with a significant fee structure. In his latest edition of the Power On, analyst Mark Gurman shares his thoughts on how Apple could market Apple Intelligence to bring it under a subscription model. Apple has spent a lot of time and money on multiple generative AI models and it might be working on a subscription-based approach for returns on its initial investment. Gurman claims that paid Apple Intelligence is likely three years away, which will give users time to be accustomed to the features. This will give Apple the upper hand as more users would be inclined toward the subscription. For the time being, Apple Intelligence will be a free-for-all service, and users should not be too worried about the subscription fee. The company could introduce new high-end features in the coming years, which could be part of the subscription, allowing some aspects of the service to remain free for the average user. Apple's new Siri experience and ChatGPT integration are considered high-end features, and the company is taking its time to perfect them before the official rollout. While the features are pretty nifty, Apple needs to gain solid ground in the category to introduce more utility-based and practical features. This means that the company has at least three years to create something that is worth a subscription fee that users would opt for, as it would be unjust for the company to charge for features that users have been using for free. Apple Intelligence will be available to all users in October with the release of iOS 18.1 and as of now, only the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max are supported. The forthcoming iPhone 16 lineup will also host a plethora of AI features and it remains to be seen if the devices will offer dedicated Apple Intelligence features.

Advanced Apple Intelligence features could cost extra by 2027

In years to come, some advanced Apple Intelligence features could have a price tag attached. In the forthcoming Apple Intelligence features, there was no mention of any fees or subscription charges. That could change as early as 2027. Apple has not specified when all of the first features of Apple Intelligence coming in iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia will arrive. While the OS upgrades will be unveiled this spring, some of the AI features will be added to future updates spread across late 2024 and into early 2025. AppleInsider has previously discussed that future Apple Intelligence features, particularly those for more advanced users, could come with a subscription or fee structure. That said, it is unlikely that users will see such features before 2027 at the earliest, according to Bloomberg's Power On newsletter. The first set of features of Apple Intelligence include a combination of intelligent summarization abilities in programs like Mail and Messages, an improved Siri assistant, image generators, and more. As with several of Apple's "add-on" services, such as Apple TV+ or iCloud+, more advanced features of Apple Intelligence are likely with a price tag. These features would likely be for specialized areas, or for large-scale services leveraging the Private Cloud Compute technology. Subscription or paid features of Apple Intelligence are most likely be aimed mostly at corporate users, the education sector, or other business or specialist users. Some analysts have speculated that such a subscription could cost users as much as $20 per month.

Apple Could Ask For Over Rs 1500 Per Month For Its iPhone AI Features - News18

Apple announced its own version of AI features that will available with the upcoming iOS 18 version and macOS users as well this year. Apple is preparing for the big launch of its AI features on iPhones later this year but the company could already be planning for the future with its aim to make money. Reports say that Apple could charge as high as $20 per month (Rs 1600 approx) for these AI-enabled features that will be rolling out with iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia this year. One of the analysts quoted in the report by CNBC suggests the high investment of adopting AI tech will push brands like Apple to pass on the costs to the end consumers. He doesn't mention when this could happen but feels the decision to charge for AI apps is inevitable. To be fair, Apple's competition is already doing it. OpenAI has a premium tier of ChatGPT that brings you features like the voice mode and other advanced capabilities. Similarly, Google has an AI One plan that costs around Rs 2000 per month and gives you access to Gemini AI and other tools. So, the fact that Apple is planning to charge for its AI features hardly comes as a surprise. We have already seen Apple take a different path with its AI ambitions, promising privacy of the users and on-device data processing. The company is even powering the data centres with its M-series chips which gives it better control of the back-end operations. Going by all these benefits, and the traditional Apple focus, it is always going to be likely that Apple will charge a higher premium for its AI services once the features are fully rolled out and deliver a top-quality performance. The recurring nature of these services will tempt Apple to keep innovating and add new layers of features that keep rivals on their toes. The company is even planning for a Siri 2.0 reboot with the help of AI and its demo at the WWDC 2024 gives us the belief that the highly criticised voice assistant can finally come of age and become a chief rival to Gemini and ChatGPT in the coming years. Apple has shown us that the hardware upgrades are getting incremental by the year, so its focus on the software and AI mostly will show its future growth path. A report by Bloomberg earlier this year hinted at an Apple Intelligence Plus model becoming prominent in the next few years, and its A-series chipset will be powering the AI technology to keep these features ticking.