Apple Intelligence rollout timetable won't delay iPhone 16

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
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in Future Apple Hardware

Although the much-touted Apple Intelligence features will only begin showing up weeks after the initial release of iOS 18, Apple reportedly has no plans to delay releasing its annual update of the iPhone 16.

Two iPhones with sleek designs, one showing a colorful screen and the other displaying three rear cameras and an Apple logo.
The forthcoming iPhone 16 is not expected to have major hardware changes from the previous model.



Bloomberg's Mark Gurman notes that the first of the Apple Intelligence features only appeared in the first developer beta of iOS 18.1, rather than being included in the original betas. The company, in its original presentation on iOS 18, separated the base features most models of iPhone would get from the Apple Intelligence features, the latter of which only work with the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max at present.

It's expected that all models of the iPhone 16 will be able to take advantage of at least some features of Apple Intelligence when it arrives, but Apple has been cagey about when users can expect the full rollout to be complete.

Likewise, Apple Intelligence features will not appear in the initial releases of iPadOS 18 or macOS Sequoia, but will start shipping in the first major update to those releases.

Gurman, in his Power On newsletter, noted that Apple did once delay the release of an iPhone until October -- for the iPhone 4S, 13 years ago -- because major iCloud and Siri features weren't ready. This time, however, the iPhone 16 lineup is expected to launch in mid-September, as usual.

AppleInsider has published a hands-on with the first iOS 18.1 beta, which includes some of the new writing tools, summarization features, recording and transcription options, and the first effort at improving the Siri experience. Other features, such as the touted Genmoji and ChatGPT integration are expected to arrive in later betas.

The full suite of Apple Intelligence features are expected to be rolled out across the remainder of 2024. There is some speculation that some features may not be complete until early 2025.

Rumor Score: Likely

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    thttht Posts: 5,593member
    AI is a feature, not a product. 
    nubuschasm
  • Reply 2 of 9
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,481member
    Which is exactly why Apple did a separate presentation on it during the keynote, referred to it numerous times as one of iOS 18's biggest features, and is bringing it out AFTER iOS 18/iPadOS 18/macOS Sequoia debuts.

    Generally speaking, I really like how Apple is handling this. Although tech sites obviously talk about it a lot, Apple Intelligence isn't going to play ANY role for most current iPhone users, unless they all run out and upgrade their iPhones after they see what it can really do. Only people with an iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, or future iPhone model will be able to use Apple Intelligence at all.

    For the folks like me with older iPhones, we get iOS 18 and ... that's it. A lot of customization options (which some people will love), a few genuine features scattered about (great!), and another year of life for our compatible iPhones before we decide to cave and buy the iPhone 17 in fall of 2025. :smile: 

    Side note: I'm very happy that even the oldest of my "old" iPhones is still compatible with iOS 18, so I don't *have* to upgrade immediately (not that I don't want to in the near future). Thanks, Apple!
    mattinoz
  • Reply 3 of 9
    M68000M68000 Posts: 828member
    Quite frankly,  a stable iOS is much more important to me than some overhyped AI stuff.  I use my phone for personal and business use and need it to just work.  iOS 17.6 just works and is really good.

    chasm
  • Reply 4 of 9
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,481member
    Yes, 17.6 and related have been good for me as well. 
  • Reply 5 of 9
    coolfactorcoolfactor Posts: 2,314member
    M68000 said:
    Quite frankly,  a stable iOS is much more important to me than some overhyped AI stuff.  I use my phone for personal and business use and need it to just work.  iOS 17.6 just works and is really good.

    Once you start using the AI features baked into iOS, they will become indispensable. But, for some of us, there will be a "trust jump" for the generative aspects. If I've just finished carefully writing an email, I would never want some machine to rewrite it for me. 
  • Reply 6 of 9
    thttht Posts: 5,593member
    coolfactor said:
    M68000 said:
    Quite frankly,  a stable iOS is much more important to me than some overhyped AI stuff.  I use my phone for personal and business use and need it to just work.  iOS 17.6 just works and is really good.

    Once you start using the AI features baked into iOS, they will become indispensable. But, for some of us, there will be a "trust jump" for the generative aspects. If I've just finished carefully writing an email, I would never want some machine to rewrite it for me. 
    Indispensable? Nah. There will be a niche, perhaps a big niche, that will find AI about as useful as spellcheckers and grammar checkers.

    Current AI features go right into media's wheelhouse. Perhaps the niche that finds it most useful. Other niches? Next to useless.

    There is going to be banality of homogeneity that we will see in AI processed media articles. It will get to a point that people will get sick of it and just ignore it.
  • Reply 7 of 9
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,432member
    You keep repeating that AI features are delayed without evidence. Indeed as already noted Apple were clear it was coming in a number of waves post the main OS release. Might be time to do better.
    tht
  • Reply 8 of 9
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,481member
    coolfactor said:
    If I've just finished carefully writing an email, I would never want some machine to rewrite it for me. 
    And it won’t, unless you specifically ask it to.
  • Reply 9 of 9
    applesinciderapplesincider Posts: 9member
    Don’t know why the iPhone 4S release delay from 13 years ago is being singled out when the iPhone X release was also delayed until November in 2017. 
    edited August 6
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