This should be good news for the Mac: worldwide shipments of artificial intelligence (AI) personal computers are projected to total 114 million units in 2025, an increase of 165.5% from 2024, according to a new forecast from Gartner, Inc.
The research group AI PCs as a PC with an embedded neural processing unit (NPU) and uses this classification for the forecast. AI PCs include PCs with NPUs attached to Windows on Arm, macOS on Arm and x86 on Windows PCs. Gartner forecasts AI PC shipments to reach 43 million units in 2024, a 99.8% increase from 2023.
What’s more, the research group forecasts AI PCs will represent 43% of all PC shipments by 2025, up from 17% in 2024. The demand for AI laptops is projected to be higher than that of AI desktops, with shipments of AI laptops to account for 51% of total laptops in 2025.
The Canalys research group says Apple is waiting for the M4 MacBook launch to regain shipment momentum. AI laptops such as the M4 MacBook will expand the AI PC market in the second half of 2024, according to Counterpoint Senior Analyst William Li.
“The second half of 2024 will be the battlefield for AI PCs. Vendors are paving the way for the proliferation of AI PCs and the rise of a brand-new technology generation,” he adds. “However, due to the higher selling price of AI PCs, we believe enterprise (commercial) demand will run ahead of the mainstream consumer sector, although we may not see the most rapid adoption path in the first year of AI PCs. As more AI use cases and solutions are developed and applied to PCs, we will see the deployment accelerate in the future. Benefitting from AI PC demand and the replacement cycle after COVID-19, we reiterate our view of ~3% PC shipment growth in 2024.”
What’s more, Apple has filed for a patent (US 20240273335 A1) for a customizable chip for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. It involves processors for running Macs (as well as iPads and iPhones) using the upcoming Apple Intelligence features.
The company is planning to begin rolling out Apple Intelligence to customers as part of software updates coming by October, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. That means the AI features will arrive a few weeks after the initial macOS Sequoia, iOS 18, iPadOS 18 releases planned for September. In fact, users will have to wait until 2025 to see the fully revamped Siri with Apple Intelligence features.
Apple Intelligence will be deeply integrated into the upcoming updates of macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. It harnesses the power of Apple silicon to understand and create language and images, take action across apps, and draw from personal context to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks. Here are all the features of Apple Intelligence as listed by Apple in a press release.
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