Apple iPhone vs. Samsung Galaxy suddenly gets interesting
Updated on October 26th with new reporting on Google’s Gemini 2.0 release.
Despite Huawei’s current push to add a third seat to the table, a new chasm is emerging in our smartphones, one that has built a global duopoly against the iPhone. It could completely change the way we look at the Android controversy.
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 concerns that have not yet received enough attention, but will eventually.
Apple’s answer is to redefine cloud security with the same strong guarantees it claims for the iPhone. The company is so confident it is offering up to $1 million to anyone who proves it wrong, and is now making its technology publicly available for researchers to try to break it. This will be an adaptation to a new era where what happens on the iPhone stays on the iPhone, but that’s no longer the case.
In a new blog post, Apple teases “groundbreaking privacy and security protections” that power Apple Intelligence. Apple Intelligence, like its Android counterpart, uses up on-device power and requires some processing to be pushed to the cloud. The answer is private cloud computing. This means that “personal user data sent to PCC will be inaccessible to anyone but the user, including Apple,” the company explains, adding, “PCC will not be able to access any of the data sent to PCC by anyone other than the user, including Apple.” We believe this is the most advanced security architecture ever developed.” scale. “
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 not the same as creating an extension of the device enclave in the cloud, but rather on Apple’s own silicon on both sides to ensure the integrity of the setup. It depends.
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 PCC and offering significant rewards for reporting issues related to security or privacy claims.” The reward is equivalent to $1 million for “any code execution with any entitlement” and a lower level bounty for compromising 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 previously commented, “Samsung doesn’t have an answer to this. Suddenly its hybrid AI approach looks crude and overwhelming. Apple is offering the best of both worlds, giving users the ability to We promise that your data will never be stored or made accessible. [even] to Apple” on the cloud, while providing the best and most advanced generative AI that cannot be achieved on-device alone. PCC redefines space, at least in theory. ”
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.
Samsung’s challenge will take a new turn by the end of 2024, with new reports suggesting that Google plans to launch Gemini 2.0 in December. According to The Verge, “OpenAI aims to debut its next flagship AI model in December.” “Suitably, Google is also aiming to release its next major Gemini 2.0 model in the same month.”
Before that, ChatGPT debuts on iPhone, so we’ll have a lot of articles about the iPhone’s ability to push prompts to OpenAI without compromising user security, and the ability to do the same on Pixel and Samsung’s Gemini. It will be done.
Commenting on recent news reports, Android headlines “Currently, there is an announcement and possible release date for Gemini 2.0, but it is still unclear what new features will be added with the version update. Google also announced details about the launch and what the new model will bring. I haven’t confirmed that yet.”
And this is the crux. Until then, how will Google (and by proxy Samsung) respond to Apple’s AI deployment with iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.2?
Samsung’s approach to secure and private AI is more robust than Google’s. “We recognize the importance of privacy, which is why we give our users full control over what they share and what they keep private,” the company said. “We believe that our hybrid approach is the most practical and reliable solution that meets all these needs, keeping Samsung ahead of the curve. Through open collaboration with industry-leading partners, we are offering users a balance between the instant responsiveness and added privacy guarantees of on-device AI and the versatility of cloud-based AI.”
But Samsung phones also come with Gemini. And that means the product is not under Samsung’s complete control. And that’s the difference the company will need to address when dealing with Apple. This will be featured heavily at the launch of Gemini 2.0, which will be released around the same time as Apple’s most significant upgrade to its iPhone AI with iOS 18.2. It’s an interesting few months ahead, but there’s nothing to suggest, at least for now, that Apple’s answer to PCC is in the works.
But maybe, just maybe, this isn’t as important as the hype suggests. At least not yet. CNET found that “a quarter (25%) of smartphone owners do not find AI features useful, 45% are reluctant to pay a monthly subscription fee for AI features, and 34% are concerned about privacy. I am concerned.” Just over half (52%) of smartphone owners are not interested in purchasing a foldable smartphone. [And] The top motivation for US adult smartphone owners to upgrade their devices is longer battery life (61%), followed by increased storage capacity (46%) and improved camera capabilities (38%). Only 18% say AI integration is their primary motivation. ”
