Apple Intelligence is ready for launch. Does this mean it’s time to buy an iPhone 16?

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iOS 18.1 will arrive next weekofficially launching the first Apple Intelligence features on devices that can support the suite of AI-powered tools. So that will of course cause a lot of controversy iPhone 16 upgrades, as the models Apple released this fall are the only iPhones outside the iPhone 15 Pro And iPhone 15 Pro Max who will be able to implement the new capabilities. Right?

Not exactly.

“Some analysts have even made dubious claims that Apple Intelligence is already creating an ‘AI consumer revolution’ that will ’cause a huge holiday season.’ Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman wrote in a recent column in which he noted this Apple’s AI efforts lag behind the competition by about two years. “But Apple’s AI glory is still years away. If the new iPhone is a hit this year, it will likely be because of everything but AI.”

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is also pessimistic about an Apple Intelligence-inspired sales increase, citing recent production cuts that mainly affected non-iPhone 16 Pro models. “I believe Apple is best positioned to succeed in on-device AI, and I am confident in the long-term potential of Apple Intelligence to become a popular paid service,” Kuo wrote in a blog post on Medium. “However, significant growth in iPhone shipments will likely require further hardware innovation to accompany this AI development.”

That may not be the Apple Intelligence launch that people had been dreaming of, especially those who worked at Apple’s headquarters. But that’s not entirely surprising, as iOS 18.1 is just the first step in an Apple Intelligence rollout process that’s expected to last well into next year.

“Apple has made Apple Intelligence a key part of its marketing and advertising for the iPhone 16, so there should be some impact on sales when it arrives,” Techsponential’s Avi Greengart said when I asked if it was likely that the launch of Apple Intelligence a spike in iPhone 16 sales. “But there are many definitions of ‘when Apple Intelligence arrives.'”

What iOS 18.1 offers

Apple took the unusual step of releasing a beta version of iOS 18.1 ahead of the official launch of iOS 18, with the idea of ​​getting Apple Intelligence features into the hands of developers as quickly as possible. A public beta followed in September, shortly afterwards iOS 18 update has arrived.

You won’t find every Apple Intelligence feature in iOS 18.1. The update includes Writing tools that work in any app with keyboard input, including third-party offerings. You can use writing tools to get proofreading suggestions, try out different tones, or make the text more concise. You can also select text get summarieswith summary features also added to Safari, Mail and the Notes app wherever you go summarizes the transcripts of audio clips and transcripts of telephone conversations.

Mail sees other Apple Intelligence-influenced changes in the form of smart replies to messages and a priority inbox feature that brings messages with deadlines to the top of your inbox. Instead of showing the first few sentences of a message, your inbox will now display a two-line summary. Notifications are supposed to be summarized as well, but in my experience using iOS 18.1 since September, that particular feature hasn’t come up all that often.

Photos are probably the biggest beneficiary of Apple Intelligence, as you can now use natural language search to find photos and videos in your library. (This feature also seems to work to some extent on phones running the iOS 18.1 beta that don’t necessarily support Apple Intelligence, like my iPhone 12.) Using text prompts, you can make a memory film slideshow of photos and videos from your library, and a Cleanup tool Mimics Google’s Magic Eraser feature by letting you remove unwanted objects from photos with a single tap.

Siri is also getting the first changes in what will be a complete overhaul as part of Apple Intelligence. The entire screen now flashes when you summon Siri, and you can pause the assistant or correct yourself mid-way through a request. Siri has a deeper knowledge of Apple products, making it a good resource for troubleshooting. There is one type-to-Siri function also at Apple Intelligence.

These are all improvements, some more advanced than others. But they’re not exactly reinventing what the iPhone has to offer. “Even these Apple Intelligence capabilities feel like improvements to existing features spread across the operating system and don’t fundamentally change the way you use your phone,” Greengart said.

That’s for sure my impression after using iOS 18.1. There are some features that are extremely well implemented, such as the writing tool that can turn your text into more formal writing – ideal for perfecting cover letters. But other tools feel like they will need more refinement over time. There’s certainly something in this first burst of Apple Intelligence features that is reason enough to upgrade your phone.

What this means for the iPhone 16

But that’s not a criticism of the iPhone 16 series, which offers plenty of upgrade incentives without regard to Apple Intelligence. For starters, the iPhone 16 gets its share of premium features like the Camera control button and a new A18 chipset, so this no longer feels like an afterthought to the Pro models. All iPhone 16 models last a long time on a charge, and the camera improvements on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max Keep Apple’s devices at the top when it comes to the best camera phones.

So in that context, Apple Intelligence is more of a nice addition to all the changes Apple has made to its iPhone lineup rather than the sole driver of upgrades.

That assessment is in line with IDC’s forecast for iPhone sales during the holiday quarter ending in 2024. “We expect fairly healthy growth for Apple in the fourth quarter, driven by upgraders reaching the end of their typical three- to four-year lifecycle have achieved, or those who have.” currently on older iPhone models such as 13, 12 or older,” said Nabila Popal, senior research director at IDC.

“Apple Intelligence growth will come next year, with Apple forecast to reach almost 5% annualized by 2025,” she added. “By then, we expect consumer awareness of Apple Intelligence to grow, the number of use cases to increase, and additional language support to be rolled out.”

What’s next for Apple Intelligence?

With iOS 18.1 hitting phones in the coming week, attention inevitably turns to iOS 18.2. already available in beta for developers. Expect a public beta to follow soon enough.

iOS 18.2 brings more Apple Intelligence features, including a functionality exclusive to the iPhone 16: Visual Intelligence. This Google Lens-like feature lets you point your iPhone camera at something to extract information. Examples Apple mentioned when previewing the feature in September included identifying dog breeds and retrieving event information from a concert poster.

Other iOS 18.2 additions include Image Playground, Apple’s attempt to use generative AI to create images. That includes the long-awaited Genmoji feature that lets you create custom emoji using text prompts. ChatGPT will be integrated also in Siri responses, as Apple continues to refine its digital assistant.

These will be good additions to the iPhone experience, and I’m certainly looking forward to trying them. But like the iOS 18.1 additions currently hitting phones, they’re unlikely to cause the iPhone 16 spike some are hoping for.

So what will? Techsponential’s Greengart thinks Apple’s most immediate challenge is to “show that even the limited version of Apple Intelligence that comes in today’s software can do useful and interesting things you couldn’t do before. I suspect that summaries of messages and emails are the most obvious changes.”

Looking longer term, “Apple must take advantage of its privacy and cross-app ability to take action on your behalf before rivals with better-performing AI models find a way to leverage (and monetize) their technology and reduce Apple’s ecosystem benefits.” Greengart said.

IDC’s Popal sees Siri as the key. “For me, and I suspect for more users, the most exciting use case will be when Siri can function as a ‘human-like’ digital assistant that can perform multiple tasks for you and is able to talk to the user in a more ‘human-like’ way. ‘ way. “-ish way,” she said. “I think this is the direction Apple will be heading in the coming years to motivate consumers to upgrade early.”

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