The journey ahead for Apple Intelligence, the AI announced at its developer conference last month, looks long and profitable. According to Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, those in Cupertino plan to monetize their artificial intelligence with a paid plan.
The key point revealed by Gurman is that Apple will divide its AI into two tiers: paid and free. These two options proposed by Apple could lead to an Apple Intelligence+ (AI+), similar to the existing iCloud+.
Cupertino believes that in the coming years, sales of its devices will remain the same as consumers renew them less frequently. Therefore, they expect to make more revenue from products like iCloud+ or AI+ in the future than from selling new phones or tablets.
Gurman reveals that Tim Cook's company will charge a subscription fee to access exclusive AI features for its new crown jewel. For now, there is no need to worry, as Apple wants to offer the full potential of its AI for free. However, the company may move to a paid model for this service over time.
This move would allow to create a new revenue stream and strengthen its offering. In addition, Gurman expects Apple to receive a portion of the revenue each time a user subscribes to a paid plan offered by its AI partners, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT or Google Gemini, which could soon appear on iOS 18.
This future paid service could be included in Apple One. The plans that offer all Apple services for a subscription are prime candidates for AI integration if it is confirmed that a monthly fee will be required for certain features.
