Apple to take slow and cautious route to rollout Apple Intelligence, likely to stretch into 2025

Apple is taking a measured approach to the introduction of its new artificial intelligence (AI) features, aiming to avoid the challenges that have plagued other AI systems. Alongside these AI developments, Apple is making significant progress with the Vision Pro’s software, preparing for thinner iPhones, and exploring a new satellite-texting feature as its latest paid service.

Last week, Apple unveiled its new AI service, Apple Intelligence, but it won’t be available for developers until later this summer. It won’t be part of the first beta releases of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, as reported by Bloomberg.

When the software launches this fall, it will only be a preview, available on a limited number of devices and only in American English. In some cases, users might even need to join a waitlist to access certain features.

This rollout strategy marks a significant shift for Apple. Historically, the company has introduced new features at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) for release in the fall, but sometimes these features faced delays. This time, Apple is clearly communicating that its latest technology won’t adhere to a strict timeline.

The staggered approach offers several benefits:

Staffing Efficiency: Apple can allocate its engineers to specific features, release them when ready, and then move them to other tasks, preventing the bottlenecks caused by trying to launch too many new features simultaneously.

Language Training: By starting with American English, Apple gains more time to train its AI models in other languages, ensuring better performance from the outset.

Cloud Infrastructure: Apple is still enhancing its cloud infrastructure with Mac-grade chips to handle the new AI features. A gradual rollout minimises the risk of overloading the network.

Managing AI Hallucinations: AI services like chatbots can sometimes produce incorrect information. A smaller initial user base limits the spread of misinformation and allows for fixes before broader adoption.

Initial AI Features and Future Plans
The first version of Apple Intelligence will include AI-driven notifications, summaries of alerts and text messages, webpage and voice memo summaries, and new writing tools. There will also be image generation capabilities and custom AI-created emoji called Genmoji. However, these features won’t be in the initial beta version of iOS 18, which will include transcription of voice recordings, improved voicemail transcriptions, and automatic calculations for typed-out math equations.

The public release of iOS 18 is typically in September, coinciding with new iPhone launches. However, because devices need to be manufactured and pre-equipped with the operating system weeks in advance, the features need to be ready by mid-August. Many AI features likely won’t be finished in time, with some not launching until next year.

Major Siri Enhancements Delayed to 2025
Significant upgrades to Siri, showcased at WWDC, are expected in 2025. These enhancements will enable Siri to:

Contextual Searches: Siri can find information based on the context of your device usage, such as locating a flight’s landing time based on text conversations and emails.

Semantic Indexing: This helps Siri understand the context of your on-device content and personal data.

Precise Control: Siri will manage your device and apps more precisely, like editing photos and sending them via email or summarising meetings and texting recaps.

On-Screen Awareness: Siri will understand what you’re doing on your device and respond appropriately, such as answering specific questions related to your current activity.

The initial version of Siri in iOS 18 will still have new features, including a more natural conversational interface, improved user understanding, and enhanced Type to Siri for text queries.

Support for additional languages and regions in Apple Intelligence is also planned for 2025. Integration with ChatGPT might miss the initial release but is expected later in 2024. Apple is exploring more chatbot partnerships, potentially with Google and Anthropic in the US and partners like Baidu and Alibaba in China.

Other Notable Features Rolling Out Later
Several other features won’t be ready for the first release of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, visionOS 2, and macOS Sequoia:

Mail App Enhancements: A redesign to group emails by categories like newsletters, announcements, and shopping.

Swift Assist: An AI-powered programming companion for Xcode to help write code and answer programming questions.

Home App Features: Support for robot vacuum cleaners and home electricity monitoring.

Cross-Device File Management: A tool for dragging and dropping files between Apple devices.

Spatial Video Editing: The ability to edit 3D movies for the Vision Pro in Final Cut Pro.

Expanded Virtual Display: Panoramic virtual screens for the Vision Pro.

Live Sports Streams: Viewing up to five simultaneous live sports streams in the Apple TV app on the Vision Pro.

These features are categorised as coming “later this year” and are likely to appear in updates to Apple’s operating systems in October and December.

Apple’s cautious and strategic approach to rolling out new AI features reflects its commitment to quality and user experience. By taking its time, Apple aims to ensure its new technologies work seamlessly and effectively, setting the stage for continued innovation in the years to come.

As Apple fans eagerly await these updates, they can rest assured that the company is prioritizing reliability and performance above all.