Apple presents its new range of iPhones: the first to integrate its generative artificial intelligence system

Apple dévoile lundi son nouveau smartphone, l'iPhone 16 (illustration). dpa – Andrej Sokolow

Apple must convince the United States and China with its first iPhones “powered” by artificial intelligence to revive its growth.

Apple unveils its new smartphone, the iPhone 16, on Monday, a model without major aesthetic changes whose features should benefit from the unprecedented contribution of artificial intelligence. Its presentation, scheduled for 10:00 a.m. local time (17:00 GMT) at Apple Park in San Francisco, follows the developer conference in June, during which the group unveiled Apple Intelligence, its version of “generative” AI which allows you to create text, images and other content on demand.

An improved version of Siri

Apple also unveiled an improved version of its Siri voice assistant, which integrates ChatGPT, the chatbot developed by OpenAI, a company partly owned by Microsoft. The unveiling of the iPhone 16 comes amid fierce competition between Apple and Huawei in China, where consumers are willing to pay for much-needed artificial intelligence features. Huawei also plans to unveil its own product just hours after Apple's presentation.

Apple Intelligence is still awaiting approval from Beijing to be sold in the Chinese market. In July, OpenAI blocked access to ChatGPT in China, a move that could affect the chatbot's integration with Siri.

“The Chinese market is more hungry for AI features than the U.S. market,”, said Ben Bajarin, managing director and chief analyst at Creative Strategies. “It will be very difficult to introduce it immediately in China, so they (Apple) will rely on the merits of the hardware”.

$383 billion in revenue

Last year, iPhones accounted for more than half of Apple's $383 billion in revenue. The iPhone 16 is part of a notable shift for the California-based company, which is hoping its AI feature will attract consumers and boost sales.

Government restrictions and increased competition in the Chinese market prompted Apple to aggressively cut prices earlier this year. The iPhone 16 will be Apple's first smartphones built around AI features, but fans of innovation will have to wait.

The company announced the release of Apple Intelligence in the United States this fall, but delayed its launch in Europe due to EU regulations. “The software side, and how Apple frames it, is the bigger question,” says Ben Bajarin. Apple's rivals, such as Alphabet's Google, also offer AI features. Google, which develops the Android operating system, had brought forward the release of its Pixel smartphone to August to compete with Apple.

“The question is who will be the first to offer an intelligent personal assistant with precise and personalized knowledge and information,”, said Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst at TECHnalysis Research.