Apple has introduced its new Apple Intelligence features for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, integrated into the latest software updates: iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1. Apple Intelligence, a generative AI system leveraging Apple silicon, is designed to enhance user experience through privacy-first AI capabilities that allow language understanding, image creation, cross-app actions, personalised automation and more, all while maintaining strict privacy standards, Apple explained.
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Here are some highlights of Apple Intelligence's features:
Systemwide Writing Tools
Writing Tools, available across various Apple and third-party apps, allow users to rewrite, proofread, and summarise text with tailored suggestions. Users can adjust tone, receive grammar and style checks with explanations, and generate summaries in multiple formats like lists or tables.
Enhanced Siri Experience
Siri now responds in a more natural, conversational manner, seamlessly switching between text and voice. It's visually redesigned with an animated edge glow and gains new capabilities, including context awareness across interactions and thousands of Apple device-specific answers.
Photos App Enhancements
The Photos app's search function allows users to locate specific moments by describing them, e.g., "Maya skateboarding in a tie-dye shirt." It includes a new Clean Up tool to remove distractions from photos and a Memories feature to create movies based on user-provided descriptions.
Focused and Prioritised Communication
Apple Intelligence introduces Priority Messages in Mail, displaying high-priority emails, and Smart Reply, which suggests responses. Notification summaries for quick updates on the Lock Screen and focus tools also help users stay on task.
Enhanced Audio and Visual Features
Users can record, transcribe, and get summaries of audio in the Phone and Notes apps. Visual enhancements set to arrive in December include Genmoji, an Image Playground, and the ability to use Siri to visually interpret objects through Camera Control.
"Apple Intelligence introduces a new era for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, delivering brand-new experiences and tools that will transform what our users can accomplish," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "Apple Intelligence builds on years of innovation in AI and machine learning to put Apple's generative models at the core of our devices, giving our users a personal intelligence system that is easy to use — all while protecting their privacy. Apple Intelligence is generative AI in a way that only Apple can deliver, and we’re incredibly excited about its ability to enrich our users' lives."
"Apple Intelligence unlocks exciting new capabilities that make your iPhone, iPad, and Mac even more helpful and useful, from Writing Tools to help refine your writing, to summarised notifications that surface what's most important, to the ability to search for almost anything in your photos and videos by simply describing it," said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. "And it's all built on a foundation of privacy with on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute, a groundbreaking new approach that extends the privacy and security of iPhone into the cloud to protect users' information. We are thrilled to bring the first set of Apple Intelligence features to users today, and this is just the beginning."
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Privacy-First AI
Apple Intelligence uses on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute for complex tasks, ensuring data security. Optional ChatGPT integration offers knowledge expansion within Siri and Writing Tools, with no accounts required.
Upcoming Features
This rollout introduces the first phase of Apple Intelligence. Apple on Monday said future updates will add expanded language support and new ways to customise visual and text tools, rolling out in December and continuing into 2025.
Devices That Support Apple Intelligence
According to Apple, Apple Intelligence is available on iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad with A17 Pro or M1 and later, and Mac with M1 and later.
