Apple's A19 Pro chip: A creative unlock or just an expensive flex?

Apple just announced the iPhone 17 lineup — four variants, from the ultra-thin iPhone Air to the Pro Max with 8× optical-quality zoom. The event was exciting, but I can’t help asking a bigger question: Is Apple at risk of echoing the 2000s consumer-electronics playbook — world-class hardware, but conservative software iteration? Because in today’s world, software (and increasingly AI) is what defines whether a gadget becomes indispensable or forgotten. Meanwhile, Google’s Pixel 10 series is going all-in on AI — predictive features, camera coaching, translation, journaling — embedding intelligence directly into the experience. Both strategies are fascinating: - Apple → doubling down on craftsmanship, chip integration, and security. - Google → betting the future on proactive AI-driven experiences. To be fair, Apple has been quietly building more on-device intelligence, while Google has been deepening lock-in through its services. The real race is about who can close their missing half faster. As a VC, I see this shaping not just the smartphone market but the broader direction of consumer tech. The battle isn’t just hardware vs. hardware anymore, it’s ecosystem vs. intelligence. Which approach do you think will win the next decade? Or is the better question: 👉 How can Google build true ecosystem power in the era of AI? 👉 How can Apple layer real intelligence into its ecosystem? #AI #Mobile #ProductStrategy #Ecosystem #VentureCapital

Apple just dropped the iPhone Air at $999. Here's what nobody's talking about: The AI chip inside costs more than most people's monthly phone bill. Real talk: I've been tracking Apple's AI hardware investments. The neural accelerator cores they're cramming into this thing? That's enterprise-grade processing power in your pocket. → On-device AI means your data never leaves the phone → Generative features run locally (no cloud delays) → This is Apple's play to kill Google's data advantage What kills me is the timing. While everyone's freaking out about AI privacy, Apple quietly built Fort Knox for your personal data. The irony? They're charging premium prices to protect you from the "free" AI tools mining your information. Are you willing to pay extra for AI that doesn't spy on you? 🤔 #Apple #iPhone17 #AIPrivacy #OnDeviceAI #TechStrategy

Top Tech News: Apple's "Awe-Dropping" Event Unveils iPhone 17 and More, with a Glaring AI Question Mark. Apple fans, tech journalists, and analysts were all tuned in to Apple Park for the company's latest product announcement, but the focus quickly shifted from the new hardware to a lingering question about its AI ambitions. While CEO Tim Cook, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Greg "Joz" Joswiak, and Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi introduced the new iPhone 17 lineup—including the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air—along with updated Apple Watches and AirPods, the promised next-generation, Gen AI-enhanced Siri was a notable no-show. This comes more than a year after Apple introduced its in-house "Apple Intelligence" and a landmark partnership with OpenAI at WWDC 2024. The delay in rolling out a fully capable AI assistant raises questions about Apple's ability to compete in the rapidly evolving generative AI space, where rivals have already made significant strides. The new iPhone 17 Air, with its remarkably thin profile and single camera, and the redesigned iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max with a horizontal camera bar, are expected to be the flagship devices. However, the true test for Apple may be in its software, specifically the long-awaited arrival of a smarter Siri. Reporting and analysis by John Xavier and Sahana Venugopal, The Hindu. Link to the reporting and analysis - https://lnkd.in/ghugvxZN #AppleEvent #iPhone17 #AppleIntelligence #Siri #GenAI #TechNews #TimCook #WWDC #ApplePark #iPhone17Air

Apple just dropped something big — and no, it's not a new iPhone or some fancy chip announcement. They just open-sourced FastVLM. And it changes everything we know about AI on phones. Let me break it down simply 👇 A few months ago, most AI models were way too bulky to run directly on your phone. You had to rely on the cloud — slow, battery-draining, and privacy-risky. Apple saw that problem. And instead of going bigger, they went smarter. Here’s what they pulled off: ✅ 85x faster performance than many existing models (yes, eighty-five times) ✅ Works on iPhones and Macs — no cloud needed ✅ Smaller model size, but still beats the bigger guys ✅ Handles high-quality images without lag ✅ It’s running right inside your browser (thanks to WebGPU + Transformers.js) It’s 3.4x smaller than models like LLaVA-OneVision — but still wins on speed AND quality. This is where things are headed:  AI that runs on your phone  No lag, no waiting  No need to send your data to the cloud  Real-time answers. Real-time understanding.  Private. Fast. Lightweight. #AI #Apple #FastVLM #TechNews #OnDeviceAI #OpenSource #MachineLearning #LinkedInTech

Just finished watching Apple's iPhone 17 launch event, and it leads me to the conclusion of a one-liner… "Apple is going to miss the AI train." Although Apple portrays AI as its own "Apple Intelligence," and there are a couple of features introduced in its products that clearly depict AI adoption, overall Apple's focus remains on design, durability, and status—the same mistake Nokia made a few years back. Nokia stuck to its main feature of durability and missed the train of smart screens. The same is happening to Apple. Yes, there were a couple of mentions, like the iPhone 17 being well-equipped to run LLMs locally, iPods having real-time language processing with the help of AI, and also some AI-driven features in Apple Watch 11. But overall, where are the key features of AI copilots? AI-based processing, etc.? So the conclusion is: even Apple lovers may not agree with me—but Apple is missing the train. iPhone Air is a product worth mentioning, but it's also more about design rather than software. Let’s see how long the "status symbol" continues to survive in the market. What do you say? . . #Apple #iPhone17 #AppleIntelligence #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #TechTrends #Innovation #FutureOfAI #Smartphones #Technology #Nokia #DesignVsAI #StatusSymbol #TechStrategy #MobileTechnology

🚨 Apple Unveils the A19 Pro Chip — A New Era of On-Device Intelligence 🚨 Yesterday, Apple announced the A19 Pro chip, powering the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air — and it’s a massive leap forward in AI-driven performance. For years, AI has been something you access. With the A19 Pro chip, Apple is making it something you simply have. Apple’s latest chip is setting the new standard for on device-intelligence.    Here’s what makes it groundbreaking:  ⚡ Estimated 40% Faster Sustained Performance  The A19 Pro brings optimized performance cores, better branch prediction, and a 50% larger last-level cache for efficiency — redefining speed and responsiveness.    🧠 AI at the Core  Equipped with a 16-core Neural Engine, the chip runs large, complex AI models directly on-device.  This enables Apple Intelligence features like:  💠 Smarter Visual Intelligence   💠 Real-time Call Screening   💠 Enhanced “Genmoji” Creation     🎮 GPU with Built-in Neural Accelerators  Apple integrates AI accelerators directly into each GPU core, resulting in a 3x boost in peak GPU compute performance compared to the A18 Pro — ideal for graphics-intensive AI workloads.    This isn’t just an upgrade; it’s a paradigm shift in how our devices think, learn, and respond — setting the stage for the next generation of intelligent applications.    What do you think — is Apple leading the on-device AI revolution?     #AppleEvent #A19Pro #iPhone17 #AppleIntelligence #AI #OnDeviceAI #Innovation #iPhone17Pro #iPhoneAir #Smartphones #Apple #FeathrTech

🚨 Apple’s big event. New iPhone. New updates. And yet… Apple’s stock tanked. 📉 Dropped 1.5% immediately after the launch. 📉 Fell another 3.23% the very next day. Why? Because consumers and Wall Street weren’t impressed. The “big reveal”? 📸 More camera upgrades (again)😬. 🤖 Almost little to no movement on AI when Samsung, Google, and even startups are betting everything on it. Yes, there were some interesting announcements: 🔹ProRes RAW + Apple Log 2 video tools which is great for filmmakers. 🔹iPhone Air an ultra-thin at 5.6mm, built with spacecraft titanium. But let’s be honest…for the everyday consumer, these feel like refinements, not revolutions. The market reaction says it all: 👉 Customers want meaningful innovation, not incremental tweaks. 👉 Investors want future bets, not just safer iterations. Apple still has unmatched loyalty. But loyalty isn’t infinite. In an AI-first world, another camera bump or thinner frame just won’t cut it.

🚨 Apple just dropped their 2025 roadmap, and it's about to change everything. While everyone's debating AI winners and losers, Apple quietly announced over 20 Apple Intelligence features already live—with a "more personalized Siri" launching next year. But here's what caught my attention: → iPhone 17 Air: Just 5.5mm thick \(thinner than a pencil\) → 120Hz displays across the entire iPhone 17 series → Apple Watch Series 11 with blood pressure monitoring → Foldable iPhone confirmed for 2026 The plot twist? Wedbush's Dan Ives called Apple's AI strategy a "disaster" compared to competitors. Yet Apple's investing billions in AI infrastructure and expanding language support globally. This reminds me of 2007 when "experts" said the iPhone would flop because it lacked a physical keyboard. Sometimes the quiet revolution is the most powerful one. Apple isn't just playing catch-up in AI—they're playing a completely different game. While others chase flashy demos, Apple's building AI that actually works in your pocket. The September event will reveal their three-year iPhone redesign plan. What do you think: Is Apple's "slow and steady" AI approach brilliant strategy or falling behind?

Everyone's betting on AI. Apple's betting on nostalgia. The feeling in my gut was… dread. I watched Apple’s launch event. The sleek videos, the gentle music, the familiar faces. It was supposed to feel like magic. It felt like a funeral. For the first time in a decade, I wasn’t excited. I felt a cold disconnect. The iPhone 17 looked beautiful, but it had no soul. No “one more thing.” The whole world is moving toward cross-device intelligence, toward AI agents that feel human. Google is quietly building agents that see, hear, and understand. Samsung just released a phone where every button press feels like it’s thinking with you. Meanwhile, Apple's big AI promise? Deferred to 2026. I used to believe Apple’s patience was strategic. That they were waiting to unveil something truly groundbreaking. But the more I watch, the more I believe this isn’t the calm before the storm. It’s the silence of a company that’s lost its way. 💔 They're selling hardware refreshes in a world that’s already moved on. The real race isn’t about chips and screens anymore. It's about intelligence, context, and anticipation. And Apple? They’re running a completely different race. Alone. P.S. Is it a mistake to bet on hardware in the age of AI? Image source: CNBC TV18 #iphone17 #iphoneair #iphone #iphonelaunch #AI #Tech #Apple