of iPhone 16 It will be released without some of the headlines. Apple Intelligence Features – This is arguably the biggest reason why most people upgrade to a newer model.
While Apple is understandably taking a cautious approach here, the company runs the risk of disappointing or confusing customers…
Apple Intelligence rolls out very slowly
Yesterday’s big news was, of course, iOS 18.1 Developer Betagiving you access to the first set of Apple Intelligence features.
- Writing implements
- Several improvements to Siri, including maintaining context between queries
- Email features like summaries and smart replies
- Natural language search on photos and more
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But even for developers, Apple has been slow to respond: Some features we expected to see in the 18.1 beta weren’t included, such as AI image generation tools. Image Playground.
It’s worth noting that there will be no public beta of iOS 18.1. As of now, only developers have the ability to interact with the AI. The reason Apple is likely to take this route is because it labels all AI features as “beta” in official iOS releases, just as it did with the initial Siri release. Releasing a beta of a beta would be too much of a hassle for the public.
There is a lot of uncertainty
Officially, all Apple has said is that Apple Intelligence will launch “in the fall,” and considering the season starts on September 22nd and ends on December 20th, we can’t really narrow it down that much.
There’s also a lot of uncertainty about what may or may not be included at launch. The really big changes come with an all-new Siri, with ChatGPT as its replacement. Bloomberg They say it won’t be released as a developer beta until 2025. The Wall Street Journal Yesterday I argued against it, Several These features will appear By the end of this year.
Before New Year’s Eve is over, Siri will be integrated with ChatGPT to help understand users’ personal situations (e.g., “When should I leave to pick up my mom from the airport?”).
However, Joanna Stern went on to say that “the ability for Siri to take actions within third-party apps is coming next year.”
The iPhone 16 will not have most of its AI features at launch
Apple Intelligence will likely be the top reason to upgrade to a new iPhone for a long time to come: Of the existing models, only the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will be able to use all of the upcoming AI features, while others will require you to buy a new phone.
The challenge for Apple is how to communicate this and encourage upgrades without confusing or disappointing people who buy a shiny new phone hoping that Siri has finally gotten smarter, only to find out it hasn’t, which could be a major blow to Apple’s brand image.
It’s still unclear whether the iPhone 16 will be released. Any Apple Intelligence features. If iOS 18.1 is also required for the limited selection of AI features that shipped with iOS 18.0 and developers got yesterday, it may unfortunately remain less intelligent on launch day.
That much can be managed. Apple will either pre-install iOS 18.1 before shipping, or use the Presto system it introduced earlier this year. Update in store The update will be released ahead of launch, and in the worst case scenario, the update will be available a week or so after launch, so buyers won’t have to wait long for at least some of the new AI features.
There is precedent for this
There is precedent for Apple selling a shiny new iPhone without all the headline features.
Apple touted the iPhone 7 Plus for its Portrait mode, which was the first to offer the ability to artificially blur the background to simulate the shallow depth of field available with DSLR cameras. The phone was released on November 1, 2010. September 15, 2016However, portrait mode wasn’t available until the release of iOS 10.1, more than a month later. October 24th.
It’s the same story in 2022, when the iPhone 14 will be released. September 16However, the highlight of the feature, Emergency SOS via satellite, was not available in the United States. Until November 15thIt was introduced much later in other countries, and is not yet available in most countries.
But this is a bigger issue.
Still, this is a big deal. iPhone owners: very It will be a long time before Siri becomes a truly intelligent assistant, and for many, Apple Intelligence will become synonymous with a smarter Siri.
Even if you are told that Apple Intelligence will be available on the launch day, or that Siri will be available shortly thereafter, largely If done foolishly, it can create a very bad impression on the company.
Apple is going to have to be very careful when telling iPhone owners what they’ll get and when.
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