Apple will integrate OpenAI's ChatGPT in iOS 18.2 system soon, and is expected to be officially pushed in December. This move will significantly improve the intelligence of features such as Siri and provide users with a more convenient way to subscribe to ChatGPT Plus. iOS 18.2 beta has added the option to upgrade directly to ChatGPT Plus in settings, with a monthly subscription fee of $20. This move may attract a large number of Apple users to subscribe to paid services, because the free version of ChatGPT is limited, such as model, voice mode, and the number of DALL-E images generated.
According to the latest news, an option to upgrade to ChatGPT Plus directly in the settings is added to the beta version of iOS18.2, which will provide users with an easy way to subscribe to OpenAI’s paid service for $20 per month.
This change may attract a large number of Apple users to sign up for ChatGPT Plus because the free version has limited functionality. Free users cannot use OpenAI's latest models (such as o1-preview) and cannot enjoy advanced features such as advanced voice modes. In addition, users of the free version can only generate two DALL-E images per day, and the number of messages sent is also limited. Therefore, many users may choose to subscribe for a paid subscription to get a better user experience.
There are still questions about the profit model of Apple and OpenAI cooperation. Although there are reports that Apple did not pay directly for the integration, they achieved a win-win situation by increasing the exposure of OpenAI. By adding the upgrade option of ChatGPT Plus in the settings, Apple hopes to effectively promote user registration, thus bringing more paid users to OpenAI. If user registration is not active, OpenAI will face a large influx of new free users, which could lead to a substantial increase in its AI inference costs.
Also, it is not clear whether Apple will draw commissions from ChatGPT Plus, which is registered through the setup app. Apple seems to hope to drive sales of new phones by providing advanced AI capabilities to attract more customers. Apple also said it will integrate AI models from other developers in the future, possibly including Google's Gemini to further enrich the intelligence of its products.
Against this backdrop, OpenAI is carrying out a new round of financing, and is facing the problem of frequent resignation of executives. It is reported that Apple originally planned to participate in OpenAI's latest $6.6 billion financing, but Apple chose to withdraw after OpenAI's chief technology officer Mira Murati left.
Key points:
Apple will integrate ChatGPT in iOS 18.2, and users can directly upgrade to ChatGPT Plus through settings.
ChatGPT Plus provides more functions, free version users have limited functions, and paid users have a richer experience.
The cooperation between Apple and OpenAI has not yet clarified its profit model, and the two parties hope to achieve mutual benefit by increasing exposure.
Apple's cooperation with OpenAI integrates ChatGPT into iOS system, bringing users a smarter experience, and also bringing new business opportunities and challenges to both parties. Although the cooperation model and profit methods remain to be seen, this undoubtedly marks a trend of further integration of AI technology and mobile operating systems. In the future, the integration of more AI models will bring users richer functions and a more convenient user experience.