Hardware manufacturers are putting AI front and center, in the hopes that the new features will entice buyers into buying new gear or upgrading their current systems. Especially as the industry has faced a slowdown after the booming sales numbers brought on by COVID. However, a poll on TechPowerUp’s forum shows that this sales pitch might not be going the way these companies might have hoped for.
The polling shows dire numbers for the manufacturers leading the AI campaign. A staggering 84% of users who participated in the poll say they aren’t willing to pay a premium for hardware that includes AI capabilities. Roughly 7% say that they are willing to pony up for hardware with AI features, while about 9% still aren’t sure about making the bigger investment.
Some of the comments in the forum thread add more context to the poll results. Many users remark that they feel it’s too early to jump into the AI craze, and might be more inclined to do so a few years from now. So there does seem to be a silver lining in these darker clouds, although companies may not see sales numbers immediately spike in the way they were probably hoping for.
The participants for this poll are also important to keep in mind. People who often visit that site and join its forum aren’t your average Joe. The wider market might be more easily swayed to make the jump into hardware with AI features, especially as the hype for AI continues to build with even Apple jumping into the fray.
It’s also noteworthy that AI-enabled hardware is trending towards becoming standard, with AMD and Intel baking NPUs (neural processing units) into their latest processors, and of course Qualcomm and Apple doing the same with their Arm-based silicon.
Time will tell how this all shakes out, and if the poll results seen were a good indicator of the future of this new wave of AI hardware.