Apple is on the cusp of one of the most important chapters in its history. While the iPhone and other hardware products remain a key source of revenue, investor attention is increasingly turning to how the company will use artificial intelligence to strengthen its unique ecosystem. Analysts agree that Apple has an opportunity ahead of it to turn AI into a real competitive advantage, thanks largely to its billion-strong user base and deep integration of products and services.

Unlike competitors who are building on massive investment in datacenters and the cloud, Apple is heading in a different direction - it wants to make AI part of the everyday user experience. In doing so, it seeks to create a unique value proposition based not just on technological superiority, but on strengthening customer loyalty and the ability to increase average revenue per user.

Analyst views

Several major analyst houses have highlighted in recent months that Apple $AAPL is entering a new growth phase. They expect…