iStruggle: Apple’s Playing Catch-Up With AI

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Hi AI Futurists,

At its WWDC 2025 event, Apple stayed true to form: no flashy AI demos, no bombshell product launches. Instead, it quietly introduced “Apple Intelligence,” a suite of AI features focused on privacy, user experience, and developer tools. Is it enough to remain relevant? Let’s take a look.

Here’s our agenda.

• Our Sponsor: Synthflow

• Top AI news

• Apple slow and steady in the AI race

• Top 3 selected AI tools

• AI in the wild

Best,
Lex

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Apple struggles to impress in the AI race

Apple recently introduced “Apple Intelligence,” a suite of AI features focused on privacy, user experience, and developer tools. While Microsoft and Google made headlines with showy generative AI rollouts, Apple chose a slower burn—integrating AI subtly across its OS platforms and inviting its developer base to build on top of its on-device language models. IDC’s Francisco Jeronimo called it a “classic Apple” strategy: tight integration over showmanship, betting long on differentiated value through privacy and UX.

The biggest reveal wasn’t a feature but a policy shift: Apple is opening up access to its proprietary AI models to some 30 million developers. Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring compared the move to the launch of the App Store in 2008, suggesting it could trigger a wave of third-party AI-powered apps that Apple wouldn’t (and couldn’t) build alone. While investors may have hoped for a “ChatGPT moment,” Apple is positioning itself more like the enabler-in-chief of the next AI generation rather than the headline act.

Rather than race to impress, Apple seems to be engineering for the long game—letting others move fast while it builds foundational control over AI distribution and user trust. It's a bet that AI’s killer apps will come from outside Cupertino, and Apple just needs to own the stage, not the script. The insight: long-term productivity often stems less from flashy tools and more from infrastructure that invites others to build freely—just ask any platform founder.

Takeaways at a glance

• Apple avoided a major AI reveal at WWDC 2025

• Unveiled “Apple Intelligence” with subtle OS integrations

• Gave 30M+ developers access to on-device language models

• No generative Siri or chatbot moment, unlike Google or Microsoft

• Focused on privacy, local processing, and seamless UX

• Analysts liken the move to a new “App Store moment” for AI

• Strategy aims to turn developers into AI app builders

• Apple bets on ecosystem strength over headline-grabbing AI launches

What We Think About It:

• Despite the initial struggles, Apple’s not trying to out-innovate OpenAI or Google, it’s trying to build the best distribution platform for AI. This approach could yield major upside if third-party developers build winning AI-native apps. Privacy-first also keeps regulators off their back.

What You Can Do Right Now:

• Watch how AI quietly shows up in your favorite Apple apps—no chatbot required. Try early features in Notes, Mail, or Messages once iOS 18 launches, especially if you're on the beta. Compare Apple’s private, on-device AI to cloud tools like ChatGPT and see which fits your workflow better.

• Keep an eye on new apps built with Apple’s models—some may quietly redefine how we use productivity, creativity, or wellness tools, all within Apple’s privacy-first sandbox.

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AI in the wild

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