After nearly two years of waiting, Apple has finally jumped on the generative artificial intelligence (AI) bandwagon, with a big announcement announced by CEO Tim Cook at the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). Opening the keynote event, Cook announced, “I’m excited to introduce brand new intelligent capabilities that we hope will inspire developers, delight users, and make our platforms smarter and more useful than ever before.”
However, details Apple later provided at the keynote and on its website specified the extent of this technological leap, which will only be available to current iPhone users who have one of the two most powerful models — the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max —. and in 2024 it will be limited to users who speak and write in US English.
Apple’s new Intelligence system and the expected deep overhaul of Siri — coming this fall and in testing with the new iOS 18 operating system — will turn out more than 90% of current iPhone users unless they buy a new one. smartphone. In the absence of official data from Apple, estimates suggest that there are about 1.5 billion active iPhone users worldwide, and various analysts estimate that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max – the world’s best-selling phones – could equal 100 million units. This means that Apple Intelligence would not even reach 7% of the total number of Apple mobile phone users. What’s more, non-US users will be excluded from this percentage for the time being.
Only the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max – out of 24 models compatible with the new iOS 18 – will be able to run Apple Intelligence. This system includes features already offered by other tech giants, such as summarizing documents, notes, audio and phone calls, drafting replies to messages, checking texts and correcting style and tone, as well as new features such as creating new emoticons and images. from scratch using a few simple instructions. Other iPhones will also not have access to the redesigned digital assistant Siri, which will be able to understand requests much better, maintain a thread of conversation with the user and ask ChatGPT to resolve any questions it cannot answer.
In addition to phones, Apple Intelligence and the new Siri will also be available on tablets and computers with Apple processors — M1 or higher. In the case of iPads, five of the 15 models compatible with the iPadOS 18 operating system will benefit from this; and 13 of the 18 macOS 15 Sequoia-compatible PC models. Apple began selling Macs with Apple processors in 2020, iPad Pros in 2021, and iPad Airs in 2022. All iPad mini and iPad models without these processors will not have the new smart features.
Even Apple’s jump to generative AI won’t affect its Vision Pro mixed reality glasses, despite being one of the company’s most modern and sophisticated devices and equipped with an M2 processor, with more than enough capacity.
Promising features, but not in the short term
The Siri overhaul has also been long-awaited on the Apple Watch — where the digital assistant performs worse than on iPhones — and HomePods — which are voice-controlled only with “Hey, Siri.” Despite this, the new Siri will not come to smart watches, smart speakers or the Apple TV video player for the time being.
Apple has not provided any information on whether current models of the various platforms that remain outside the new artificial intelligence system will have access to some of its features in the future, either through the processor or through access to the same private cloud computing network. This network – launched on June 10 – will serve to address the most sophisticated generative AI requirements. There are also no details on when these features will be available in other languages such as Spanish. The tech giant only states that Apple Intelligence “will be available in beta as part of iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia this fall in US English. Some features, software platforms and additional languages will be available over the next year.”
The fact that the improved Siri will not be available on smartwatches or smart speakers disappointed tech analysts. Before the keynote, ex Macworld editor Jason Snell wrote on SixColors, “When I’m running or walking the dog, I generally only use AirPods and my Apple Watch. In theory, Siri covers me, but I generally avoid her because she’s unreliable.”
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who received a detailed leak of all the major announcements days in advance, predicted that Apple’s AI would have the advantage of being available on all Apple devices. He now warns that the company’s move into artificial intelligence will take years to come back and complete, saying the new features “probably won’t boost iPhone sales much this year.”
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