2024-07-28 20:00:58
The upcoming artificial intelligence features from Apple Inc. will arrive later than originally planned, causing the loss of the initial launch of the next software updates for iPhone and iPad, but it will give the company more time to fix bugs.
The company plans to start rolling out Apple Intelligence to customers as part of the software updates arriving in October, according to people familiar with the matter. This means that the AI features will arrive a few weeks after the initial launches of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 planned for September, the people said, who declined to be named in order to discuss details of unannounced releases.
Still, the iPhone maker plans to make Apple Intelligence available to software developers for the first time for early testing starting this week through the beta versions of iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, they added. The strategy is unusual, as the company typically does not publish previews of subsequent updates until about the time when the initial version of the new generation of software is publicly launched.
What is at stake is more important than usual. To ensure a smooth launch for consumers of its big bet on artificial intelligence, Apple needs the support of developers to help resolve issues and test features on a larger scale. Concerns about the stability of Apple Intelligence features, in part, led the company to separate the features from the initial release of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.
Apple announced the new features and operating systems in June at its Worldwide Developers Conference, stating that Apple Intelligence would debut as part of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. The new timeline means that the AI capabilities will not be widely released until a later update of the new operating system. An Apple spokesperson declined to comment.
The tech giant released a fourth beta version of iOS 18.0 for developers last week and aims to complete development by the end of July. When Apple unveils new iPhones each September, the company includes the accompanying new software. This requires finishing the operating system several weeks in advance to have time to install the software on the devices before shipping them out of the factory.
The launch plan for Apple Intelligence presents the possibility that the first iPhone 16 models sent to consumers this year may lack the new AI features and require a software update weeks later. Apple Intelligence includes a range of features, including prioritizing key notifications, web page summaries, and voice notes, tools to enhance writing, a revamped Siri, and the integration of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Even when Apple Intelligence launches with iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, it will be missing some features, including some of the most significant changes to Siri, such as the ability to use device data to help answer queries and for the system to use what is on a person’s screen to provide context for responses.
The company plans to roll out its full set of Apple Intelligence features through multiple updates of iOS 18 by late 2024 and throughout the first half of 2025, as reported by Bloomberg News. Beyond iPhone and iPad, Apple Intelligence will come to its Mac computers with Apple’s in-house chips as part of macOS Sequoia. It is also in development for Vision Pro, but no release for that device is planned until later.
The tech giant is betting on Apple Intelligence to compete in the generative AI space that has taken the world by storm and revolutionized both businesses and consumer devices over the past year. By limiting support to last year’s iPhone 15 Pro and the upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, Apple also believes that the new features could help sell new iPhones this year.
The iPhone 16 lineup will have few design changes, so software-related improvements (in addition to a new button to control the camera and a faster chip) will do the heavy lifting to sell the new models.