Reporter Cai Ding
As September approaches, the technology industry will witness a series of remarkable events. From Apple and OpenAI's "Strawberry" to Meta's AI+AR glasses launch, and to new regulations in the AI field, this month will undoubtedly be the focus of attention for technology enthusiasts and industry observers.
On the early morning of August 27th Beijing time, Apple officially announced that it will hold a new product launch event on September 10th Beijing time, where it will grandly introduce the latest iPhone 16, integrating its AI tool - Apple Intelligence. Meanwhile, OpenAI will launch a new model codenamed "Strawberry" in the fall.
Meta is also not to be outdone. The company plans to hold a Connect conference on September 25th, where it will launch a series of new MR headsets and AR glasses products. Among them, the AR glasses prototype codenamed Orion incorporates AI technology.
A securities analyst who declined to be named told the Daily Economic News that the key to the upcoming new products from tech giants such as Apple and Meta is whether they can set new rules for the entire industry like Microsoft defined AI PCs. In the past few years, products lacked the carrying capacity of AI big models. Now these giants need to lead the industry development and share their experience and insights in the integration of AI software and hardware
However, with the rapid development of AI technology, regulatory issues are becoming increasingly prominent. Before September 30th, the controversial California AI bill will enter its final signing stage. Once implemented, mainstream AI models may be subject to stricter regulation.
Apple and Meta launch new products, launching a battle for the landing of AI big models
On the early morning of August 27th Beijing time, Apple officially announced that it will hold a special event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California on September 10th (Tuesday) at 1am Beijing time, with the theme of "It's Glowtime". This press conference is expected to release the latest iPhone 16, as well as new Watch and AirPods.
The focus of this press conference is expected to be Apple Intelligence, an AI tool that will be integrated into all new iPhones. Although the outside world currently does not know what the "highlight moment" in the topic refers to, some analysts speculate that it is a generative AI tool. At its annual developer conference in June this year, Apple unveiled the first batch of AI driven tools, including personalized Genmoji (AI generated emoticons) and smarter Siri.
Daniel Ives, Managing Director and Senior Stock Analyst of Wedbush Investment Bank, stated in an email to the Daily Economic News that "we believe this (new product launch) will open the largest upgrade cycle in Apple's history. Our recent research on the Asian market has given us more confidence, and this upgrade cycle will bring long-awaited growth to Apple next year. We now believe that the initial shipment volume of iPhone 16 will exceed 90 million units, far exceeding Wall Street's initial expectations of 80 million to 84 million units
Ives further predicts, "We believe that there are approximately 300 million iPhones worldwide that have not been upgraded in the past four years. As the AI driven iPhone replacement cycle begins, Apple's iPhone sales in fiscal year 2025 may exceed 240 million. We believe that Apple and its iOS ecosystem are the only key to unlocking 2.2 billion iOS devices and 1.5 billion iPhones worldwide. This could bring Apple $10 billion in high interest incremental service growth annually, and also mark the beginning of a multi pronged AI revenue stream driven by hardware and software
Meta is also unwilling to fall behind. Just two weeks after Apple's "highlight moment" - on September 25th, Meta will hold the Connect conference, where a series of new MR headsets and AR glasses products will be launched. Renowned technology journalist Mark Gurman pointed out in the new issue of Power On that the Meta code name is Orion, and the AR glasses prototype that integrates AI will be the biggest highlight.
A securities analyst who declined to be named pointed out in an interview with the Daily Economic News that a very noteworthy point about the new products that giants such as Apple and Meta will release next month is whether these companies, as industry-leading giants, will define new rules, just like the rules defined by Microsoft for AI PCs.
In the past few years, the products released by these companies were all 'weak intelligence' and basically did not have the carrying capacity of AI big models. Now these giant companies need to step forward to lead the industry and share their experience and insights in AI software and hardware integration. From the stage perspective, now is the beginning of the second half of the competition for intelligent devices, and also the beginning of typical consumer electronics carrying big models, still in the early exploration and rule definition stage, "the analyst added to the reporter.
It is pointed out by analysis that in 2024-2025, the AI big model is expected to have two landing routes: 1) AI landing on smart phones (mobile Internet); 2) AI landing on Vision Pro (spatial computing platform). And these two lines have spawned 8 specific landing directions, including large models in smartphones and various new scenarios for MR glasses.
Apple and Meta have chosen different directions, and the battle for the "landing" of AI models is about to erupt.
OpenAI 'Strawberry' launches this autumn, but California AI bill casts a shadow
In addition to hardware innovation, the progress of AI models themselves is also remarkable.
According to insiders cited by The Information, OpenAI will release a new model codenamed "Strawberry" (formerly known as Q *) this fall.
According to reports, the specific product form of the new model "Strawberry" may be part of the ChatGPT upgrade. The 'Strawberry' model will introduce groundbreaking features in AI problem-solving. This model aims to tackle new mathematical problems, create effective marketing strategies, and solve complex word tasks. In addition, the "strawberry" model can perform complex searches to conduct research activities, thereby improving the system's information processing capabilities.
In addition to solving mathematical problems, the "strawberry" model can also be used for programming and answering a range of more subjective questions, including handling multi-step tasks. It is reported that the "Strawberry" model has multiple versions, one of which is a scaled down and simplified version for chat robots, while the full version of the model has a special mission - to generate training data for the next generation flagship model Orion and solve the problem of high-quality text shortage on the Internet.
Meanwhile, according to foreign media reports, OpenAI is in talks for a new round of financing at a valuation of over 100 billion US dollars, with Microsoft, Apple, and Nvidia all participating, highlighting the high expectations of the market for its technological potential.
However, with the rapid development of AI technology and the exploration of new products by giants, related regulatory issues are becoming increasingly prominent. At the end of September, the controversial AI bill in California will enter its final signing stage. Once implemented, mainstream AI models may be subject to stricter regulation.
California legislators passed a controversial bill this week aimed at setting new restrictions on AI, ensuring that AI technology is both innovative, safe, and reliable.
The SB-1047 bill, also known as the "Frontier AI Model Security Innovation Act," will allow California law enforcement to hold large model developers legally responsible for causing "serious harm," such as causing multiple casualties or losses exceeding $500 million. In addition, AI software developers operating in the state also need to outline methods for shutting down artificial intelligence models when they encounter problems, namely effective& quot; Block switch& quot;。
Since its proposal in February this year, the bill has continuously sparked controversy from multiple parties. Top industry scholars, including "AI godmother" Li Feifei, have expressed opposition. Just recently, Li Feifei personally wrote an article explaining the many adverse effects that the bill may bring. Dozens of faculty and students from the University of California also signed a joint letter to oppose this bill.
However, on August 27th, Musk posted on social media expressing support for the California AI Act.
It is reported that the bill will ultimately need to be signed or vetoed by California Governor Gavin Newsom before September 30th local time. How this regulation will affect the future of the AI industry deserves close attention from all parties.
Overall, the upcoming September is full of anticipation and uncertainty in the AI field. From Apple's autumn press conference to Meta's AR glasses, to potential bills in California's AI field, every event has the potential to change our lives. Let's wait and witness together how technology shapes our future.