One of the main events of WWDC this year was the announcement of Apple Intelligence – a new suite of artificial intelligence tools that will appear on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. However, not all devices will support Apple Intelligence despite updates to iOS 18.
Features and Enhancements
Apple Intelligence will allow users to ask the system to paraphrase text, summarize messages or letters, and generate images and emojis. Siri will also receive significant improvements thanks to the integration of AI technologies. It will now be able to understand the context of what is shown on the user’s device screen, provide enhanced control over various aspects of its operation, and interact with applications. Apple stated at the presentation that it will use both local query processing on the device and cloud computing to implement Apple Intelligence features. Additionally, the company has entered into a partnership to integrate the popular ChatGPT chatbot into Siri.
Compatibility and Availability
However, not all users will be able to take advantage of the new AI features due to hardware limitations, even after updating to iOS 18, iPadOS 18, or macOS 15. Because some AI features require local processing, the following hardware is required to operate:
- iPhone based on the A17 Pro chip or later;
- iPad based on the Apple M1 chip or later;
- Mac computers with Apple M1 chips or later.
Thus, only iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max owners will be able to take advantage of Apple Intelligence after a software update. It is expected that AI features will also be supported by all future iPhone 16 models. Apple has published a full list of devices, including those with the M1 chip, on its website. It’s also worth noting that Apple Intelligence will be free and initially available in English in the US only. A beta version of the feature will be released this fall.
The first beta versions of iOS 18 and macOS 15 are already available to app developers, adds NIX Solutions. Public beta versions will appear next month, and a full release of updates is planned for autumn 2024. We’ll keep you updated with any new developments regarding Apple Intelligence and its rollout.