"If AI doesn't step up soon, it will be too late! Wall Street warns: Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) may be facing a 'BlackBerry Limited moment'"

Do you still remember the BlackBerry? It was the most popular smart phone 20 years ago. In the mid-2000s, many people liked the BlackBerry for its QWERTY keyboard and instant email receiving feature. BlackBerry was once one of the most valuable companies in the world, and a pride of its birthplace, Canada. The company's stock price reached over $140 in May 2008. However, as consumers switched to the iPhone in the following years, BlackBerry's stock price plummeted. Currently, BlackBerry's stock price is around $3.65, a decrease of over 97% from its peak. So, what went wrong? At the time, BlackBerry's business profitability was amazing. Competing with Apple would mean giving up this successful model and could lead to a significant decrease in revenue and profit. For a publicly traded company, a complete transformation is very difficult. Shareholders also did not want a change - they wanted stable revenue growth, not drastic fluctuations and high-risk bets. Therefore, BlackBerry stuck to its existing model in the following years, and when it had to make changes, it was already too late: everyone was already addicted to their iPhones, not their "CrackBerries". BlackBerry was once called "CrackBerries". "CrackBerries" is a combination of "crack" (slang for powerful cocaine, an easily addictive drug) and "BlackBerry". During the mid-2000s when BlackBerry phones were most popular, this term became very popular. Apple may be facing a "BlackBerry moment" Apple easily won the mobile phone revolution. Since May 2008, Apple's stock price has risen over 3000%, with a current market value of $3.33 trillion. However, a new technological revolution has begun. Generative artificial intelligence is completely reshaping the industry, and some on Wall Street worry that Apple may now be facing its own "BlackBerry moment". The expression "BlackBerry moment" comes from a new research report released on Friday by Dan Ives, a technology analyst at the Wall Street investment bank Wedbush. In this report, Ives, breaking from his usual optimistic tone, issued a stern warning to Apple: actively enter the field of artificial intelligence, or risk becoming the next BlackBerry. Ives stated that despite competitors such as OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Amazon leading in artificial intelligence innovation, Apple is currently "sitting on a park bench drinking lemonade" rather than actively competing. Ives wrote that there are currently 2.4 billion iOS devices and 1.5 billion iPhones in circulation, giving Apple an unparalleled platform advantage, but if they do not boldly enter the field of artificial intelligence, they could waste this leading edge. Three major recommendations To avoid repeating BlackBerry's mistakes, Ives made three major recommendations for Apple. Acquire Perplexity: This artificial intelligence-based search engine startup company could be a cornerstone for reviving Siri. Ives called Perplexity's technology "one of the most impressive in artificial intelligence." He believes that relative to Apple's potential artificial intelligence monetization, the $300 billion acquisition price is insignificant. Bring in artificial intelligence talent from outside: Ives stated that Apple's pace of innovation has stagnated, with recent product releases lacking novelty. He urged Apple to bring in leaders in the field of artificial intelligence from outside to restructure its executive team, warning that the existing team, including Tim Cook, is standing still. Double down on Google's Gemini: Despite regulatory resistance, Ives believes that Apple must fully embrace Google's Gemini artificial intelligence chat Siasun Robot & Automation to deeply integrate it into the iPhone ecosystem. He stated that OpenAI is not a feasible long-term partner, and time is running out for Apple's bet. This article is from "Cailianshe", edited by: Bian Chun; GMTEight edited by: Liu Xuan.