iPhone 16 Series May Arrive without Apple Intelligence
When Apple announced Apple Intelligence at WWDC, it confirmed it will ship these generative AI features to supported iPhone models including the upcoming iPhone 16 sometime this year. As we get closer to the date, it seems Apple would skip the inclusion of those features in the next-generation iPhone at launch.
No fancy AI features for the iPhone 16 at launch
In the latest Power On newsletter by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, it reported how Apple will only make Apple Intelligence available alongside the iOS 18.1 update. This means the iPhone 16 that will most likely run on iOS 18.0 out of the box would miss the suite of generative AI features when they allegedly become official in September.
It is expected iOS 18.1 will arrive a few weeks or a month after the iPhone 16's launch. This further reduces any hope of users who want to try the new AI features out on the new iPhones and iPads (via iPadOS 18) immediately.
Furthermore, not only those who will make the switch to the iPhone 16 would need to extend their patience as those with the iPhone 15 Pro (review) will also need to wait until iOS 18.1 is released to get a taste of Apple Intelligence.
Apple Intelligence in its testing phase
It's a different case for developers, though, as Gurman mentioned Apple could make Apple Intelligence available to developers and testers beginning next week via the iOS Beta program.
However, it was highlighted in a prior report that only a few AI tools will be included in the test including Image Playground to generate images alongside Genmoji and ChatGPT integration. More advanced features are believed to be shipped only next year, such as the upgraded Siri.
To that end, it's unusual for Apple to delay or skip major features it announced at WWDC on new iPhones. Gurman thinks the primary reason for the deferment is due to Apple working on addressing bugs and optimizing Apple Intelligence on its devices.
As we all know, Apple Intelligence is only compatible with iPhones powered by the A17 Pro chipset and on iPads and MacBooks with custom Apple M chipsets, leaving the iPhone 14 and older models unsupported.
Are you disappointed that Apple could delay Apple Intelligence further? What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Bloomberg
