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Hello reader,
The iPhone Duo was the star of Apple’s event last week. Starting at US$1,999, though, I’ll just be admiring it from afar.
John Ternus, Apple’s new CEO, made a big AI promise at the event: “personal intelligence that’s actually personal.” Siri will finally understand more of what you’re doing across apps and take actions for you, features Apple first promised two years ago.
But for those of us in Southeast Asia, there are two problems with that promise.
The first is price. The devices getting Apple’s best AI experience aren’t necessarily affordable for much of the region.
For example, in Indonesia, the Duo will likely retail for more than 36 million rupiah, which is about twice the monthly salary of most managerial roles in Jakarta. And that’s not even counting the paid iCloud subscription plan needed to get more AI usage.
I’m not the only one complaining about the price. Patrick McGee, the author of Apple in China, questioned why the Duo is twice the price of the Pro Max and whether that is justified.
The second is that “personal” AI still isn’t very local. Apple showed Siri splitting a bill using Apple Cash – a use case I’d love to try, except Apple Cash is only available in the US. Even Apple Pay has yet to reach Indonesia.
Image credit: Made by Ulla/Tech in Asia with the help of AI
Meta has the same problem. Its new personal AI agent, Muse, is US-only for now. Even when it reaches Southeast Asia, there’s no guarantee every feature will work.
We saw a version of this during the mobile internet era. Grab and Gojek became household names because they built around how Southeast Asians travel, shop, and pay. AI agents will eventually have to do the same.
The personal AI race isn’t just about who builds the smartest assistant. It’s about who can make one affordable and useful for everyone outside Silicon Valley.
And Siri, if you’re listening, a cheaper iPhone Duo wouldn’t hurt.
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