Apple Intelligence transitions from beta and officially launches with iOS 18.1

Apple confirmed on Monday that iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 are now generally available. The highlight of this update is the inclusion of the inaugural set of Apple Intelligence features, announced earlier at the WWDC in June.

However, only a handful of Apple devices are compatible with the new AI-based offering. This includes the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, all models of iPhone 16, iPads with an A17 Pro chip (including the latest iPad Mini) or M1 and subsequent models, or a Mac with M1 or later.

After the update is downloaded, users will be prompted by Apple to activate the feature. Upon agreeing, they will be added to a waitlist, which should take no longer than a few hours. This unusual step by Apple is due to the need for remote server capabilities for the LLM-based product, as the company prepares for significant computational demands.

Not all functions require external processing. A standout characteristic of the system, differentiating it from others like ChatGPT, is its small model approach. The novel Apple Intelligence features are trained on a selectively aimed dataset for specific functions, in contrast to the extensive, opaque methodologies used by competitors.

The first set of Apple Intelligence features include integrated writing tools, image rectification, article summaries, and a typing input for the revamped Siri experience. The next wave of features will be introduced in iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2, which are currently available for developer testing.

These subsequent updates will introduce more Apple Intelligence enhancements, like Genmoji, Image Playground, Visual Intelligence, Image Wand, and ChatGPT integration. However, Apple has not yet announced a definitive timeline for the general availability of these updates.

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