May 7 (Reuters) – Apple is expected to unveil new models of its iPad tablet, some of which may be equipped with a new artificial intelligence (AI) chip, at an online event on Tuesday.
Perceived as lagging behind its major competitors in generative AI, the group’s response to Apple in this area is eagerly awaited.
May is traditionally the month that Apple renews its iPads, the time when education leaders make their back-to-school purchasing decisions. In recent years, however, Apple has also gradually moved upmarket on this type of device by equipping them with features intended for professionals, particularly in digital creation.
It is these models, called iPad Pro, currently equipped with the same chips as in its laptops, which could benefit from an update with a new processor optimized for AI.
We do not yet know the new functions that these devices will allow while Apple will also organize its annual developers conference next month, which will be largely dedicated to AI.
AI-related functions such as the ability to zoom in on a user during a video call or even slightly modify the appearance of their eyes to give the impression that they are looking directly at the camera should not be enough, according to analysts, to cause a jump in sales of new devices.
“Is it really enough to get people interested and buying them? Probably not,” said Mikako Kitagawa, an analyst at Gartner.
FUTURE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Microsoft and Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, have invested heavily in AI, deploying “chatbots” (conversational robots) which serve as virtual assistants for tasks such as writing emails or operating telephone lines. computer code. On the stock market, the shares of these two groups reached record levels.
Apple shares, for their part, are down 6% since the start of the year. The technology giant is suffering from relatively weak demand for its iPhone and acute competition in China from local players, while investors are impatient with its AI projects.
Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, said last week that his group was “very optimistic about (its) possibilities in generative AI” and that announcements were planned later this year.
For Carolina Milanesi, analyst at Creative Strategies, the release of new iPads could allow Apple to launch new chips on the market ahead of its developers conference, before a possible detailed presentation of its AI strategy.
The new features that Apple could introduce are likely to revolve around automating common tasks to make them faster. Siri, the group’s voice assistant, could also perform tasks for the user.
One of the pitfalls Apple will also seek to avoid concerns privacy: how much Apple can improve its AI capabilities while still processing most tasks in the device and not on a remote server is one of the questions . (Reporting Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; French version Gaëlle Sheehan, editing by Claude Chendjou)
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