Apple Finally Releases Apple Intelligence On iPhone, iPad, and Mac
The Cupertino-based tech company introduced its version of artificial intelligence, aka Apple Intelligence, earlier this year at its Worldwide Developer Conference. Following the announcement, Apple ended up delaying the launch, and instead the technology has spent the last several months in beta OSes across the Apple lineup of products. However, the company has finally released its first official OSes with Apple Intelligence baked in, or at least part of it anyway.
“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,” remarked 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.”
So, what does the first official version of Apple Intelligence include? One feature is called Writing Tools. This new feature allows users to refine their language by rewriting, proofreading, and summarizing text nearly everywhere they write, including Mail, Messages, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps. Included within Writing Tools is Rewrite, which allows users to choose from different versions of what they have written, and adjust things such as tone to suit the audience and task at hand. It also includes Proofread, which will check grammar, word choice, and sentence structure while also suggesting edits.
Another feature that is now infused with Apple Intelligence is Siri. According to Apple, Siri becomes more natural, flexible, and more deeply integrated into the system experience. Many have already seen, or experienced within a beta, the glowing light that wraps around the edge of the screen when Siri is active on an iPhone, iPad, or CarPlay. With other new Siri features included, Apple probably hopes integrating Apple Intelligence into Siri will once again make the voice assistant attractive to users.
One area that many may come to appreciate Apple Intelligence is found in the Photos App. Apple Intelligence in the Photos App comes with the ability to search using their voice for just about anything by simply describing what they are looking for. An example is by stating something like, "Maya skateboarding in a tie-dye shirt." This also works when searching across videos.
Another nifty feature in the Photos App is the ability to remove unwanted objects or people with the Clean Up tool. This is similar to Google's Magic Eraser feature on its Pixel devices. Also available now is the Memories feature which gives users the ability to create the movies they want to see by simply typing a description.
One other feature that is available via Apple Intelligence in the first public release of Apple Intelligence is a new way to prioritize and stay focused. Priority Messages, a new section at the top of the inbox in Mail, will show users the emails that have priority, such as a same-day party invitation. Across the inbox, users will see summaries without needing to open a message, making it much easier to quickly identify emails that need immediate attention, and those that can wait, or simply be trashed.
While Apple finally releasing Apple Intelligence to the general public is a good thing for the company, it still has some much awaited features, such as Image Playground and Genmoji, that have yet to be released. According to Apple, new Intelligence features will be available in December, with additional capabilities rolling out in the coming months.
