The iPhone 17 Pro is a hardware success, but Apple lags behind in AI and AR.

The iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max has achieved the most "substantial" evolution in recent years. The primary reason for this acclaim is not AI tricks but rather serious investment in core hardware aspects such as battery life, heat management, camera, and texture. Improvements that enhance the fundamental usability of smartphones include 8x zoom, enhanced selfies, stability through cooling and material revisions, and the decision to expand the battery even at the cost of thickness and weight balance. Meanwhile, in the AI and AR competition, Google/Samsung and Chinese companies are solidifying their positions with "generative AI smartphones," and Meta is presenting the next-generation experience with the "Ray-Ban Display" featuring in-lens displays. Bloomberg's Gurman praises the iPhone 17 Pro's achievements but notes that Apple has "effectively skipped this year's race" in AI and AR, indicating that the coming years will be crucial. In the short term, Apple aims to win with hardware, and in the long term, catch up in AI/AR—this will be Apple's two-front strategy.