Apple Internally Discussing Whether to Bid to Acquire Perplexity AI

[JCCA]

I quite like Perplexity. I basically only use it for searching info but its quite useful.

This would actually be a nice get for Apple, its like they would have their own search engine. Also has other capabilities, but i think this would be a separate thing from Siri.

 

[lucaspttrsn]

i really wish apple would make a search engine. would love something as useful as google that's based on privacy

 

[smulji]

I have no idea why they would do this but as a complete admission they couldn't do it on their own.

No company can do everything on their own

 

[krspkbl]

Please no, it's actually somewhat decent. Don't buy it and then drag it slowly down like with Siri 😓

I agree. I just got a free year of Pro and have ditched ChatGPT/Gemini. Perplexity is awesome and I don’t want Apple ruining it.

 

[krspkbl]

i really wish apple would make a search engine. would love something as useful as google that's based on privacy

Traditional search engines are on the way out. It’s actually a good thing Apple never got into that market. Google’s share is dropping. It’s “only” ~3-4% they’ve gone down but it’s a warning sign.

They should look at making an AI search engine which is what Perplexity is. I don’t want them to buy it but it makes sense. Google has Gemini which is a million times better than actually using Google search itself.

ChatGPT is the biggest followed by Co-pilot.

Perplexity does have their own models but they also use ChatGPT/Gemini.

Unless Apple turn Siri around then it seems Apple need to buy something and honestly Perplexity is probably the best option.

 

[JosephAW]

How about this Apple to sell more computers, allow us to run our choice of llm on our Macs and A.I. on our iPhone links to our home computer so everything is a closed system.

 

[jz0309]

I take all rumors with a grain of salt. But I take Gurman seriously the most. He was the first one who said iOS would be getting a redesign, and that iPadOS would be getting new features from the Mac. And he was the first one to even suggest the Apple Intelligence features would be delayed until 2026. Hell, he was the first to say Apple was renaming everything xOS 26! I’m sorry, but that’s too specific to just be a lucky guess.

I have no issue with your view of Gurman, just mine is different.
I was taken away by you calling it a “fact” and of course you can call it whatever works for me, I just had to ask

 

[jamesnajera]

Quantum computing does zilch for AI.

Your Guide to Quantum AI - The future of computing?

The cross-section of quantum computing + artificial intelligence = Quantum AI, is trending, but what does it mean in practice?

meetiqm.com

QPU was also the topic recently in GTC Paris.

With Google’s Willow and MS topological transistor Majorana 1, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see quantum compute start training models in 2 years.

Meanwhile Apple is wasting their time thinking about buying a front end for AI.

 

[jamesnajera]

I’d love to hear your technical explanation for this, in detail, because I think you may be throwing buzzwords around that go together like oil and water.

Error correction is a major issue that is at least 3-5 years away from being anywhere near solved, and distributing Qubits across systems is significant hurdle because they tend to lose entanglement (yes I saw the recent paper about microwaves possibly being a ‘95%’ solution but it is pure theory only).

If you’ve presumably read this literature enlighten us how exactly model development will be enhanced, in any way, by adding even more error prone vaporware technology to the mix.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...o-acquire-perplexity-ai.2459396/post-33971338

 

[somethingelsefl]

I'm perplexed why they would want to acquire them since Gurman also reported they've got an AI working internally they deem as good as ChatGPT — but has resisted taking further because some executives fear it will hallucinate?

Didn’t you mean that you’re perplexity?

 

[IceCool]

I think some are missing the point here… it’s not necessarily about integrating Perplexity into Apple’s operating systems as their own AI, rather it’s about buying the experience that comes with it. Perplexity is an AI company and, from what it seems right now, Apple’s engineers could probably benefit from more people specialized in AI.

And, as someone else mentioned, it also does serve as breathing room from the “allegations.”

 

[kevcube]

Doesn't perplexity rely on ChatGPT/Gemini/Grok? lmao all they're buying is some GUI and some logic for searching the web.

Yes perplexity is just some wrapper that adds ads to your AI experience. It’s like the windows start menu for AI. If Apple buys this it’s a huge mistake

 

[cardfan]

Stumbling around in the dark.

 

[abdullamac77]

Apple executives have been discussing the possibility of the company making a bid to acquire Perplexity AI, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Perplexity is one of the leading AI startups that has proven popular as an AI-infused web search engine.

Mergers and acquisitions chief Adrian Perica, services head Eddy Cue, and other executives overseeing Apple's AI efforts have been participating in the discussions, which Gurman says "are at an early stage and may not lead to an offer." Apple declined to comment, while Perplexity said that it has "no knowledge of any current or future M&A discussions involving Perplexity."

Whether or not Apple makes a bid for Perplexity may hinge on the outcome of the ongoing Google antitrust trial, as Apple's deal with the search engine giant to make Google the default search engine on Apple devices and which brings Apple roughly $20 billion per year could be nullified as part of a ruling against Google.

Perplexity's most recent funding round valued the company at $14 billion, so an outright acquisition by Apple would undoubtedly be by far the largest deal in the Cupertino company's history, topping its $3 billion purchase of Beats over a decade ago.

As an alternative to an acquisition, Apple could instead choose to partner with Perplexity to add its AI search capabilities to Safari and Siri, and the two companies have met multiple times in recent months to discuss Perplexity's technology. Perplexity is, however, said to be close to a far-reaching deal with Samsung to bringing its AI features to the phones of Apple's biggest rival, a move that could complicate any potential deal with Apple.

Article Link: Apple Internally Discussing Whether to Bid to Acquire Perplexity AI

It may sound weird but Apple should absolutely NOT acquire any AI company. They need to do this themselves, even if it means hiring AI experts from other companies. Partnering is not bad as an idea too.. but they need to own it all.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I'm perplexed why they would want to acquire them since Gurman also reported they've got an AI working internally they deem as good as ChatGPT — but has resisted taking further because some executives fear it will hallucinate?

Hallucinations are scary. Not because they're wrong, but due to how accurately AI portrays the wrong answer as correct. And given how much trust people have in Apple, it can go very wrong.

If AI would just add something like "I think" or "but I'm not 100% certain", it would go a long way in fixing the blind trust we have in AI.

 

[icolove]

Bet you that those execs mentioned here talk about acquisition of <insert name here> all the time, actually that's the job of M&A leaders ... this is just Gurman throwing name in ...

The latter is true a lot with Marky Mark, I had the "pleasure" of meeting him an couple of times.

 

[TechWhisperer]

Apple should acquire OpenAI to bolster its AI capabilities. With Jony Ive now collaborating with OpenAI, Tim Cook could seamlessly justify bringing Ive’s expertise back into the fold without losing face.

 

[icolove]

Apple should acquire OpenAI to bolster its AI capabilities. With Jony Ive now collaborating with OpenAI, Tim Cook could seamlessly justify bringing Ive’s expertise back into the fold without losing face.

OpenAI is never going to be for sale. "Leading" tech companies don't sell to companies that have no idea what they're doing (I guess Twitter could be the outlier). Microsoft, Google, OpenAI are it.... Apple is, and will remain on the outside looking in.

On the surface acquiring Perplexity makes no sense unless there are some parents they want instead of working around them.

It's time for Apple's board to make the decision they have needed to for a awhile, or they will truly be dead in the water in the space .

You think Ive wants to be in the same room as Cook and Cue?

 

[TechWhisperer]

OpenAI is never going to be for sale. "Leading" tech companies don't sell to companies that have no idea what they're doing. Microsoft, Google, OpenAI are it.... Apple is, and will remain on the outside looking in.

It's time for Apple's board to make the decision they have needed to for an awhile, or they will truly be dead in the water in the space .

I too doubt OpenAI will merge with Apple, they’ve likely already had that discussion. A merger might seem like Apple’s only shot at thriving in this new AI era, but AI isn’t just another device, it’s a transformative entity.

The iPhone risks being overshadowed by AI’s rise. OpenAI knows this and has no reason to tie its future to Apple’s hardware legacy.

Apple’s crown jewels will keep it afloat for now, but they won’t carry the company through the next decade.

 

[Skyscraperfan]

AI is getting annoying. I only want AI if I intentionally request it. No with every Google search. Otherwise it feels as if a person is reading my search and talking with me about it.

 

[klasma]

With Google’s Willow and MS topological transistor Majorana 1, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see quantum compute start training models in 2 years.

Nope, won’t be happening, this is a mirage. Neither QC hardware nor quantum algorithms are anywhere near that.

 

[Chytin]

Doesn't perplexity rely on ChatGPT/Gemini/Grok? lmao all they're buying is some GUI and some logic for searching the web.

Yes it is a wrapper and their results are spot on. Siri would greatly benefit from it.

 

[TheOldChevy]

Why don't they buy Anysphere ? They look much more promising.

 

[Bob1985]

I use only Perplexity. It is great. I worry that Apple would find a way to worsen the experience.

 

[Abazigal]

Apple should just wait it out and let all these LLMs crash and burn once they run out of investor funding.