Apple has announced the release of its new Apple Intelligence features for iPhone, iPad, and Mac users through a free software update. The update, available with iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, brings a range of AI tools.
Key features of Apple Intelligence include:
- Writing Tools: Integrated across various apps, these tools help users refine their writing through rewriting, proofreading, and summarizing functions.
- Enhanced Siri: The virtual assistant now offers a more natural and conversational experience, with improved language understanding and product knowledge. The full strength of the new Siri 2.0 will be reportedly unleashed by iOS 18.4.
- Intelligent Photos App: Users can now search for specific content in photos and videos using natural language descriptions. The app also introduces a Clean Up tool for removing unwanted elements from images.
- Productivity: New features in Mail and other apps help prioritize important messages and summarize long threads.
Apple says that many of these features use on-device processing to protect user privacy. For tasks requiring more processing power, the company has introduced Private Cloud Compute, which extends device privacy into the cloud.
The initial release of Apple Intelligence is available in U.S. English, with plans to expand language support in the coming months. The features are compatible with the iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15 Pro models, recent iPads with A17 Pro or M1 chips, and later, Macs with M1 chips.
Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that this release marks “a new era” for Apple devices, while Craig Federighi, Senior VP of Software Engineering, highlighted the system’s foundation in privacy protection.
The company plans to roll out additional features in December and the months following, including more advanced writing tools and visual intelligence capabilities.
More here.