The phone 16 may launch without title AI features, risking upset buyers

Apple will not launch the iPhone 16 with some of its most popular Apple Intelligence features. These are the main reasons why many upgrade to new models. Apple’s cautious approach is understandable, but the company risks disappointing or confusing customers. Yesterday, the big news was the launch of the iOS 18.1 Developer Beta, which provided access to the first Apple Intelligence feature set:Writing tools
Some Siri improvements, including maintaining context between queries
Mail features including summaries, smart replies and more
Search Photos and more using natural language
Summary of transcriptions
Apple is slow, even for developers. We expected some features to be in the 18.1 beta, including the AI image creation tool Image Playground. We don’t expect a public beta for iOS 18.1. Only developers will be able to test out AI at this time. Apple is likely going to go this route, as it labels all AI features “beta” in official iOS releases. This is similar to what the company did with the Siri launch. Launching a beta of a beta is just too messy for public consumption.Officially, all Apple has said is that Apple Intelligence will launch in “the fall.” Given that the season starts on September 22 and ends on December 20, that doesn’t narrow things down too much!There’s also considerable uncertainty as to what will and won’t be included at launch. The real changes will be the new Siri and ChatGPT, with the former as a fallback. Bloomberg said that this wouldn’t launch as a beta developer until 2025. However, the WSJ contradicted this yesterday, claiming that these features would arrive by the end this year.
Siri will be able to tap into your personal context before the ball drops on New Year’s Eve. (Example: When should I leave the airport to pick up mom?)
Apple Intelligence will be the main reason to upgrade your iPhone for a long time. Apple’s challenge will be to communicate and encourage these upgrades without creating a mess and disappointment. Apple’s reputation could suffer if you purchase a new phone and expect Siri to be smart. If it ships with iOS 18, and iOS 18.1 will be needed to even get the limited AI features that developers received yesterday, it may remain unintelligent from day one. That much is manageable. Apple could preinstall iOS 18.1 on phones before they are shipped, or use the Presto update system launched earlier this summer to update them before they go for sale. Apple sold the iPhone 7 Plus on Portrait mode, which was the first to offer artificial blurring to simulate shallow depth of field, like you get on DSLRs. It was the same in 2022 when the iPhone 14 went on sale in September, but the main feature of Emergency SOS by Satellite wasn’t live until November 15 in the US, even later in other nations, and it is still not available in most. Apple Intelligence will be equated with a more intelligent Siri for iPhone users who have been waiting for a long time.
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