Apple Intelligence is notably absent from the company's latest entry-level iPad.NurPhoto via Getty ImagesApple released its new entry-level iPad today a device that notably lacks support for Apple Intelligence at a time when competitors like Amazon and Google are ramping up their AI capabilities across their products.The launch comes just days after Amazon unveiled Alexa Plus, its ambitious, improved AI assistant redesign that provides more natural conversations while performing complex tasks. Google, meanwhile, has spent the past year aggressively expanding its Gemini AI capabilities to devices at all price points, recently enhancing its abilities to understand and respond to images, text, and speech simultaneously.Apple Intelligence: New iPad SegmentationThe new 11th-generation iPad brings welcome improvements despite its lack of Apple Intelligence support, including an A16 chip that delivers up to 50% faster performance than its predecessor and double the starting storage at 128GB. The $349 price point also remains unchanged, preserving its position as Apples most affordable tablet. Yet, despite these enhancements, its processor remains unable to support Apple Intelligence features, creating a distinct differentiation within the company's own product lineup.What makes this decision particularly intriguing, is Apple's simultaneous announcement of a new iPad Air with the M3 chip a device that fully supports Apple Intelligence. This notable split within Apple's freshly updated tablet range establishes AI capabilities as a clear differentiator between product tiers a surprising approach given the prominence of AI in consumer tech.This hardware-driven segmentation is a stark contrast to Google's more inclusive approach. Google has designed Gemini to function on virtually all Android handsets running Android 10 with at least 2GB of RAM a lower barrier to entry that better democratizes access to AI across a range of price points.Apple Intelligence itself has followed a deliberate rollout timeline since its introduction in June 2024, with features gradually appearing beginning in October 2024. Industry analysis suggests that Apple's cautious deployment may continue, with reports indicating that significant Siri enhancements could arrive on extended timelines. This measured release strategy aligns with Apple's historical behavior where features are often refined and polished before release.Apple Intelligence: Contrasting AI PhilosophiesAmazon is betting big on improving its Alexa assistant to provide a better service across all ... [+] devices.SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesThe different approaches to AI implementation suggest fundamentally different corporate philosophies about how AI should evolve and reach consumers.Amazons dramatic pivot toward making AI the centerpiece of its strategy, for example, represents a radical transformation. After years of hardware experimentation that yielded mixed results, Amazon has invested heavily in cloud infrastructure and Large Language Models (LLMs), effectively acknowledging that the value proposition of Echo devices was never about the hardware itself but the intelligence powering them. By recently introducing Alexa Plus as a standalone subscription service, Amazon signals its belief that AI capabilities have intrinsic value that transcends the devices they run on essentially betting that consumers will pay for intelligence as a distinct offering.Google's strategy with Gemini takes a platform-centric approach that leverages the company's dominance in search and the Android ecosystem. By bringing sophisticated AI capabilities to devices across virtually all price points, Google positions AI not entirely as a premium feature (although paid tiers exist).Apple's more measured, tiered approach stands in contrast to both competitors. By restricting Apple Intelligence to devices with more capable processors, the company creates a clear product hierarchy. This cautious strategy may partly reflect technical constraints, but it could also mirror Apple's traditional focus on delivering polished user experiences rather than racing to market, while also looking to provide consumers with more affordable hardware options.The evolving AI landscape will likely reveal how these strategies pan out over the next few years. As AI offerings like Gemini, Alexa Plus, and Apple Intelligence increasingly becomes the competitive battleground for consumer technology, these strategic differences may ultimately determine which companies lead the next era of innovation and whether AI ultimately becomes a universal computing layer available to all users, or remains a premium feature for those willing to invest in higher-end devices.