Apple and Google's handshake could shake up the tech world
When the press revealed that Apple and Google were in talks to bring Google's Gemini AI model to the iPhone, the news could signal a very close partnership between the two giants.
Tech enthusiasts were abuzz when news emerged in mid-March 2024 that Apple might partner with Google to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration features for the iPhone. After all, Google and Apple are rivals.
So when the press revealed that the two companies were in talks to bring Google's AI model called Gemini to the iPhone, the news could signal a very close partnership between the two giants.
Apple has long had a policy of “don’t do it first, do it right,” so it’s no surprise that they’re behind Google, Samsung, and even Qualcomm in the phone AI game.
Sources familiar with the matter suggest that at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple will showcase its own AI-related developments.
They're expected to be mostly on-device enhancements — meaning users won't need internet access to activate them. But Google's involvement could expand the reach of those AI features.
More notably, these features will be even more powerful thanks to the use of information from Google's servers, in addition to Apple's iPhone-specific processing chip.
However, things are still open as there is also information that Apple is negotiating with OpenAI, the developer of the popular ChatGPT application.
Tech observers point out that current AI models — including ChatGPT and Gemini — are far from perfect. At this point in the AI technology development cycle, mistakes are still common.
Even though ChatGPT and Gemini both have impressive capabilities, even their latest versions are still a work in progress.
It may take some time (quarters to years) before this technology is perfected enough that failures become extremely rare, if not virtually impossible.
Observers are leaning towards the possibility that Apple will choose Google. This is understandable - the two sides have cooperated in the field of online search.
According to sources, Google even pays billions of dollars every year to make its search engine the default option in the Safari web browser on iPhones and other devices in the Apple ecosystem.
If the merger plan is successful, Apple will introduce generative AI features on iOS 18, the upcoming version of the mobile operating system on new iPhone devices.
How or even when Gemini AI will appear on the iPhone remains unclear. There are currently two options: Gemini AI embedded as part of iOS, or accessed through Google’s own apps and services.
It’s also unclear what will happen to Siri, Apple’s AI-powered digital assistant. Before the potential partnership with Apple was reported, Google teamed up with Samsung Electronics to bring Gemini AI to its latest Galaxy S24 smartphone.
Gemini will be integrated into Samsung apps like Notes, Voice Recorder and Keyboard app on this high-end phone line.
Observers say Google's tie-up with Samsung Electronics could hint at what could happen with the iPhone. However, based on Apple's history, the company is unlikely to act hastily.
Observers also believe that Apple will hardly gain any benefit by bringing an AI-integrated product to market right now, especially when current models are still prone to errors, attracting negative publicity and lawsuits.
Additionally, in the early stages of the AI boom, Apple will benefit from the upsides of this technology through Gemini without having to deal with many of the downsides.
If something goes wrong, it will be Google’s fault, not Apple’s. When the time is right and AI models are more mature, Apple may have the option to replace Google’s Gemini with its own model.
This is similar to when they stopped using Intel chips in Mac devices when Apple's own chips were ready to launch. For now, Google and its huge data store is a logical choice for Apple.
Experts say the Apple-Google partnership could be the biggest AI deal yet, a milestone in the tech industry.
About 170 million next-generation AI-enabled smartphones are expected to ship this year, according to preliminary forecasts from market tracker IDC.
The figure is a significant jump from last year's 51 million and would account for nearly 15 percent of all smartphones shipped worldwide.
IDC said that integrating a powerful AI engine on the iPhone will significantly contribute to the presence of AI smartphones in the market.
The big question here is whether Gemini integrated into the iPhone can help Google and Apple surpass Microsoft in the AI race?
Only time will tell. In the meantime, the tech world will be watching to see how the potential partnership between Google and Apple develops./.
