If reports are to be believed, the highly anticipated software “Apple Intelligence” may not be ready in time for the public release of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia in September this year.
Apple Intelligence May Not Arrive On iOS 18
For those unaware, Apple Intelligence is an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that aims to bring a new set of generative AI features to the latest iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
However, a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman cites people with knowledge of the matter requesting anonymity as saying Apple is reportedly planning to start rolling out Apple Intelligence to customers as part of software updates by October. In other words, the new AI features expected to arrive with the initial iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 releases and on the upcoming iPhone 16 series in September will be delayed until October.
According to Gurman, Apple is delaying the release of the AI platform so that the company has more time to test features, fix bugs, and improve stability before it is launched to the general public.
He added that Apple plans to introduce its AI features and integrations as part of the first major update with iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 in October, just a month from the public release date. The company has already released the first developer betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 with AI features for testing as a part of the ongoing beta release cycle.
Since the first version of Apple Intelligence will be available in October, the upcoming iPhone 16 series, set to release in September, could launch without the new suite of AI-backed features and tools, requiring a software update.
Apple Intelligence will include a revamped Siri, summarisation, transcription and text generation, Image Playground, Genmoji, Integration with ChatGPT for ubiquitous chatbot conversations, and other generative AI capabilities.
Gurman added that the complete suite of Apple Intelligence features is expected to roll out to iOS 18 via multiple updates at the end of 2024 and during the first half of 2025.
Even without the new AI integrations, Apple’s upcoming operating systems are expected to bring new features on iOS 18 such as a more customizable and personalized home screen, new theming options for app icons, a significant update to Control Centre, a completely redesigned Photos library, an upgraded Messages app plus RCS, on-device categorization in the Mail app, and much more.
As for the current lineup, Apple Intelligence will be available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad, and Mac with an M1 chip or newer, with Siri and device language set to U.S. English. Apple Intelligence is also expected to arrive on the Apple Vision Pro, although it is unclear when it will be released on the device.