Apple Starts Its First Step In 'AIPC' By Unveiling The AI-Enhanced MacBook Air
3min read Apple launched its new MacBook Air, which is considered an AI computer, before they disclosed more AI plans.
On March 6, Apple's new MacBook Air equipped with the M3 chip was made available for orders. In line with Apple's tradition, it updated both the 13-inch and 15-inch models.
The M3 chip is definitely the highlight of this update: It leads the product line into the realm of AI, a step ahead of the iPhone. Meanwhile, compared to M1 chip models, the M3's processing speed exceeds by up to 1.6 times, and up to 13 times compared to the versions with Intel processors.
The company emphasized the dynamical cache feature in the M3 chip's GPU, which, along with its neural engine's AI abilities, can enhance performance in professional applications and games. This also enables macOS to offer intelligent functions, such as camera functions, real-time voice-to-text, translation, text prediction, visual understanding, and assisting functions.
Users can also utilize AI functions in apps like Goodnotes 6, Pixelmator Pro, and CapCut. Such functions include AI-assisted homework checking, automatic photo optimization, and background noise removal.
With the unified memory architecture of the M3 chip, users can run optimized AI models on the new MacBook Air, such as large language models, and discrete models for localized image generation.
Additionally, in collaboration with cloud-based solutions, users can run creative apps that leverage their AI capabilities, like Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365, Canva, and Adobe Firefly, among others.
In fact, this is Apple's first direct emphasis on a product's AI performance. Before this, whether for the M3 chip or MacBook Pro equipped with it, Apple never highlighted AI as a core feature.
Yet, the M-series chips are indeed an essential part of Apple's infrastructure in their AI strategy. With their integrated CPU and GPU used for accelerating machine learning hardware modules, even including a neural engine in the chip itself, the chip can improve a device's AI abilities.
Counterpoint's senior analyst, Ivan Lam, thinks that previous models like M2 could provide different levels of AI applications, but M3 has improved performance and energy efficiency. Apple's emphasis on M3's AI application is indicative of Apple shifting its focus towards AI, especially after its car project's setback.
At a shareholders meeting not long before, Apple CEO Tim Cook expressed plans to disclose more about the use of generative AI later this year. He sees the generative AI's potential as truly groundbreaking.
At the same time, AI PCs are emerging as the mainstream trend.
On one hand, upstream processors like Intel and AMD have explicitly stated their commitment to AI PCs. On the other hand, PC manufacturers are also seizing this opportunity, speeding up to creation of products with AI abilities.
Microsoft plans to launch devices known as AI Personal Computers by the end of March, while Honor and Asus have already included the AI PC concept in their products.
Compared to existing products, AI PCs and AI phones exhibit similar trends, most notably in system-level AI experience optimization, as well as application-level auxiliary tools or generative AI tools.
Thus, they practically share the same pros and cons, that is, they can to a certain extent improve user experience, but in its early stage, with limited application scenarios, users' perceptibility of AI wouldn't be strong.
However, this doesn't affect the high market expectations for AI PCs. The global PC industry has suffered a double-digit decline for three consecutive years, and AI PCs are a precious turning point.
According to the latest report from market research firm IDC, AI PC shipments are expected to approach 50 million units in 2024, and it projects this figure to rise to 167 million units in 2027, accounting for about 60% of global PC shipments. For comparison, Canalys data shows a total of 247 million desktop and laptop units shipped globally in 2023.
Ivan Lam believes that AI applications in PCs will be ubiquitous. He predicts that by 2025, the sales share of AI laptops will reach 50%, with at least one NPU or AI accelerator (AI Engine) in addition to the main CPU and GPU.
He also pointed out that the current competitive landscape is still in its early stages, and manufacturers have not yet established any distinct advantage. In the future, manufacturers will optimize their hardware and software for their products' AI applications. Besides, the brand's global reputation, market share, and sales volume are also direct factors affecting advantage establishment.
Whether it's the tech's innately progressing laws or products seeking new market routes at different stages, the union of PC and AI seems almost irreversible. PC manufacturers won't miss this opportunity. This means that only companies who can quickly produce a truly killer AI PC will seize more advantages.