Apple Has Three Years To Develop Premium Apple Intelligence Features That Users Would Pay For, As Subscription Rumors Gain Momentum

Apple Intelligence has just been announced at the company’s annual WWDC event, and it appears that the service will not remain free for long. According to a prominent analyst, Apple Intelligence would be offered to users as a paid service, and it could come with a monthly subscription fee, with some free features for the average user. However, it will still be marketed as a free-for-all service for at least the next three years.

Apple could charge users for premium Apple Intelligence features, but the move is at least three years away

It was reported earlier this week that some features of the Apple Intelligence service will be priced as much as $20 per month. While the AI features are slated to be free at this point, Apple could have a plan in place that will allow it to generate more revenue by offering Apple Intelligence as a service with a significant fee structure. In his latest edition of the Power On, analyst Mark Gurman shares his thoughts on how Apple could market Apple Intelligence to bring it under a subscription model.

Apple has spent a lot of time and money on multiple generative AI models and it might be working on a subscription-based approach for returns on its initial investment. Gurman claims that paid Apple Intelligence is likely three years away, which will give users time to be accustomed to the features. This will give Apple the upper hand as more users would be inclined toward the subscription.

For the time being, Apple Intelligence will be a free-for-all service, and users should not be too worried about the subscription fee. The company could introduce new high-end features in the coming years, which could be part of the subscription, allowing some aspects of the service to remain free for the average user.

Apple’s new Siri experience and ChatGPT integration are considered high-end features, and the company is taking its time to perfect them before the official rollout. While the features are pretty nifty, Apple needs to gain solid ground in the category to introduce more utility-based and practical features. This means that the company has at least three years to create something that is worth a subscription fee that users would opt for, as it would be unjust for the company to charge for features that users have been using for free.

Apple Intelligence will be available to all users in October with the release of iOS 18.1 and as of now, only the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max are supported. The forthcoming iPhone 16 lineup will also host a plethora of AI features and it remains to be seen if the devices will offer dedicated Apple Intelligence features.