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Expected Launch Postponement: Apple’s AI Capabilities Set for Release in October - Insights

Screenshot by Nina Raemont/ZDNET

Apple has been touting the artificial intelligence (AI) features heading to the iPhone (as well as the iPad and Mac) since its WWDC event in June. Known as Apple Intelligence , the technology promises to simplify daily tasks, integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT, help fine-tune your writing, and improve Siri. Unfortunately, Apple users won’t get to enjoy these features when the new OS versions arrive in September.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman , the company plans to start rolling out Apple Intelligence to users in a software update scheduled for October. Citing “people with knowledge of the matter,” Gurman said that the new AI features will likely arrive with iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, a few weeks after the debut of the latest OS versions.

Even now, Apple is preparing developer betas of iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 for launch as soon as this week, according to Gurman. This move is unusual, as the company doesn’t typically release previews of software updates until the initial version has already reached the public.

Also: How iOS 18 will impact your iPhone’s battery health

A lot is riding on Apple’s entry into the AI landscape, meaning the company needs to test and get feedback from developers as early as possible, especially amid concerns over the reliability of the new features. With major players like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI firmly entrenched in the world of generative AI, Apple is in the awkward position of playing catchup. The company is counting on Apple Intelligence to prove that it can compete, and Apple users who are tired of Siri’s embarrassing flaws are waiting to see if AI will deliver much-needed improvements to the voice assistant.

Apple has been busy with the usual beta versions of its upcoming operating systems. For the iPhone, the company released the public beta of iOS 18 on July 17 . Following the first developer beta launched in June, the fourth iteration for developers rolled out last week.

These beta versions don’t include the much-anticipated AI features – another reason Apple wants to release the developer beta of iOS 18.1 as soon as possible.

Also: Every iPhone model that can be updated to Apple’s iOS 18 (and which ones can’t)

The delay in the rollout of Apple Intelligence also means that the iPhone 16 won’t include the AI features when it launches, likely in mid to late September. That’s also unusual as most new iPhones incorporate the latest features.

Even when iOS 18.1 lands in October, certain key AI upgrades will be missing. In a June 16 release of his Power On newsletter, Gurman said that some AI features related to Siri will arrive in 2024, but others won’t pop up until the first half of 2025 .

As for Siri, the updates you can expect this year include a new interface, the ability to understand you if you make a mistake, more natural conversation, and a “Type to Siri” option that lets you type a request instead of speaking it.

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Still to come for Apple Intelligence will be the ability to find and act on items on your device based on their context, an awareness of your current screen, and the ability to control your device and apps via several actions in one request.

As an Apple user, I’m more than willing to wait for the AI skills and Siri improvements if it means they’ll work properly and be relatively bug-free. Given the delays, though, the onus is on Apple to get it right.