Apple iPhone vs. Samsung Galaxy suddenly gets interesting
Despite Huawei’s current push to add a third seat to that table, it could completely change the way we look at the iPhone vs. Android debate that has built a global duopoly. be.
Google and Samsung are pushing ahead of Apple when it comes to smartphone AI, with the latest Pixel 9 almost having AI built in, and Galaxy AI dominating Samsung’s marketing messages and device updates. However, there are serious security and privacy issues that have not yet received enough attention, but will. This looks like it’s going to be the next iteration of what happens on the iPhone stays on the iPhone, but we’re adapting to a new era where that’s just not the case anymore.
Apple is now announcing “groundbreaking privacy and security protections” and launching Apple Intelligence. Apple Intelligence, like its Android counterpart, exhausts on-device functionality and requires pushing some of its processing to the cloud. Their answer is private cloud computing (PCC). With this, Apple states: “Personal user data sent to PCC is inaccessible to anyone but the user, not even Apple. PCC is the most advanced security architecture ever deployed for large-scale cloud AI computing. I believe there is.”
That doesn’t mean Google or Samsung’s cloud AI is inherently insecure. However, a hybrid model that restricts sensitive processing to only the device is equivalent to creating an extension of the device enclave in the cloud that relies on Apple’s own silicon on both sides to ensure the integrity of the setup. Not.
From the beginning, Apple promised to provide ongoing independent verification of its claims, and now it’s doing just that. “Today, we invite all security and privacy researchers, or anyone with an interest and technical curiosity, to learn more about PCC and independently verify our claims. Publish resources.”
And they are supporting this financially. “We are pleased to announce that we are expanding the Apple Security Bounty to include PCCs and offering significant rewards for reporting issues related to security or privacy claims.” The reward is worth $1 million for “low-level bounties for arbitrary code execution with any rights and compromise of user data or requests.”
As I said when PCC was first announced, “If it works as billed, it could redefine smartphone AI and set a bar for smartphone AI.” [Apple’s] A rival that is almost impossible to jump on. A closed ecosystem of devices and cloud silicon. A near-end-to-end encryption philosophy is applied to AI queries and data sent from a user’s device, ensuring that it is semi-anonymized, enclosed, and accessible to outside researchers. We may be able to provide third party certification. ”
What happens next will be fascinating and will define this new space for years to come. Apple says it believes it is “the most advanced security architecture ever deployed for large-scale cloud AI computing” and “verifiable transparency.” [is] This is a unique characteristic that sets it apart from other server-based AI approaches. As I said at the launch, “Samsung doesn’t have an answer to this; its hybrid AI approach seems crude and overwhelming…PCC, at least in theory, is redefining the field. Masu.”
Now Samsung needs an answer to the PCC. Like cracking down on sideloading and introducing the Knox ecosystem to compete with Apple’s equivalents, this requires the same recognition that the stakes on security and privacy have grown significantly in recent years. Stay tuned for Android 15. This is primarily a security and privacy update, and ironically, Samsung has delayed the update for Galaxy devices.
Samsung is by far the dominant Android OEM and now has the opportunity to support PCC. But in order to do that, companies need to decide how much of their device AI should belong to them, and how much should belong to Google. Gemini Nano notwithstanding, I fear that Google’s cloud-centric AI philosophy will make this problem difficult to solve. Meanwhile, Apple may buy itself the time it needs to catch up on its AI capabilities.
