Would you pay $20 a month for Apple AI on the Mac mini?

[JSRinUK]

I’m a newbie in the world of AI/LLM, but I wonder what Apple Intelligence offers for a monthly fee that a local LLM doesn’t offer for free.

What I like about running local LLMs is that, if one model doesn’t offer what you want (maybe it’s censored, or doesn’t go in depth enough) you just pick a different LLM. I’m currently exploring RAG so that my local LLMs can be more specific to the work I’m using it for. And it’s all free. Even my old late-2014 Mac mini can run an LLM, if the need arises.

What does paying for Apple Intelligence bring to the table? Maybe, as I explore more and learn more, I’ll change my view but I don’t see paying for a single AI voice as being beneficial.

 

[Bazza1]

I'm one of the apparent 73% of Apple users who - while owning a device capable of using it - chose to not enable it. And that on my M2 Mini or iPhone 16. Also have never enabled Siri.

So 'No'.

For most consumers, I suspect that AI is this decade's version of 3D TV. A flashy gimmick, but almost completely pointless for everyday use.

 

[Moonjumper]

I think a lot of companies are developing AI in the hope of eventually being able to charge. But it is such a fast moving market, there will likely be new entrants offering free for many years to come, limiting the need for most to pay for any AI. On top of that, there will likely be open source options that meet most needs.

For Apple, I think it will become like their Maps features. Not committed enough to compete with the best, but some will use it as it comes with the hardware. Rather than develop their own services, I think Apple should partner with the market leaders for AI (and maps), just as they have with search.

 

[edubfromktown]

Nope. I am subscription averse.

Only ones for me are:

$10/yr cycling app
$17.99/yr Trailforks Pro early adopter
Sunday newspaper + online access
Cancel/restart Amazon Prime when needed

 

[throAU]

I’m a newbie in the world of AI/LLM, but I wonder what Apple Intelligence offers for a monthly fee that a local LLM doesn’t offer for free.

Having used both, the advantage of apple intelligence is that it is built into their apps, whereas with a local LLM you need to switch to something like LMStudio and sacrifice a large amount of RAM and CPU for it. I suspect eventually it will be wrapped into Apple Premier (or whatever they call it these days) as another value add.

 

[definitive]

Not to Apple. Look at how far Siri has come since its release: It hasn't. I am also not a huge fan of subscriptions, though I do agree that certain software requires it for the devs to keep the work going.