Apple Unleashes First Taste Of ‘Apple Intelligence’, Its AI For iPhones
Image via Apple
Apple’s artificial intelligence genie is finally out of the bottle, but don’t expect it to grant all your wishes just yet. The tech giant has unveiled the first version of its much-talked-about suite of artificial intelligence features, dubbed Apple Intelligence, in the developer beta of iOS 18.1. An all-encompassing integration of the technology shows how the future of the user experience across Apple’s ecosystem may be enhanced.
Currently, Apple Intelligence is accessible only to registered developers, who pay an annual fee of US$99 to join the program. After updating to the latest beta, developers must also join a waitlist through the settings app to fully utilize the new service, which taps into the company’s servers for more complex requests.
While this new AI suite will roll out to the public later this year, its presence in the iOS 18.1 version indicates that it won’t debut alongside the new iPhone hardware expected this fall, since the lineup will be introduced with the earlier iOS 18. Nonetheless, Apple Intelligence brings an array of tools designed to make daily tasks smoother and more intuitive.
Entering the fray for the first time are enhanced writing tools that allow users to rewrite, spellcheck, grammar check, and summarize text across multiple apps like Messages, Notes, Mail, and Pages.
Priority Messages in Mail
Image via Apple
Siri has also received a notable makeover, featuring a new design with a subtle glow at the edge of iPhones when activated, as well as the ability to type queries directly to get answers through Apple’s extensive knowledge base.
Loving the new Apple Intelligence Siri animation!
— Dylan (@DylanMcD8) July 29, 2024
Edit: a restart fixes the double-tap gesture. Thanks for the tips! pic.twitter.com/M9C2q5woyX
Email Summaries
Image via Apple
Smart Replies
Image via Apple
Smart Replies in Mail and Messages streamline communication by suggesting context-aware responses, while the Reduce Interruptions Focus Mode prioritizes essential notifications to minimize distractions.
Reduce Interruptions Focus Mode
Image via Apple
The Memories feature in Photos now lets users create natural language-based slideshows, and enhanced search capabilities include the ability to find specific video segments.
Memories
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However, accessing Apple Intelligence requires some of Apple’s latest hardware: an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or an iPad or Mac with an Apple silicon chip. Once updated to iOS 18.1, users can enable these new AI features through the Settings app.
The best is yet to come
All told, not all features announced at WWDC 2024 are available yet. Apple plans to introduce additional capabilities, such as the text-to-image Image Playground, Genmoji (an emoji creator), ChatGPT integration, and object erasure in Photos, over the coming year through regular updates.
[via CNBC, MacRumors, TechCrunch, images via Apple]
