Apple AI Launch Was Just A Beginning

Apple Intelligence may have been launched officially last 28 October, but it was not a complete rollout. What happened is just a glimpse of how Apple hopes to transform its products with artificial intelligence.

The tech giant unveiled initial features of Apple Intelligence — its suite of AI tools — on select devices with its latest software update for iPhones, iPads and Macs.

Apple’s AI features for iPhones will only be available for free to users with any iPhone 16, iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, who update to iOS 18.1. Apple Intelligence is also available for iPad and Mac models that support iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.

With the new featurres, Apple is implementing its first set of generative AI tools that aim to change how people use their iPhones and cement Apple’s stake in the AI race against competitors like Microsoft and Google. Generative AI is the technology that produces unique text and images in response to user-prompts — from obscure images to relentlessly catchy music.

The release of Apple Intelligence comes immediately after the company released the iPhone 16 in September, which is equipped with chip hardware designed to support Apple’s AI-powered features.

A pivot to AI has been a focus for Apple since it first unveiled the suite of Apple Intelligence features at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Implementing new generative AI is at the forefront of Big Tech ambitions to maintain exponential growth, and after years of sluggish sales, Apple is betting on AI to boost its performance and reinvigorate its consumer base.