What you should know about AI and Apple’s latest software update
4 mins read

What you should know about AI and Apple’s latest software update

Apple is rolling out a free software update that will inject its first dose of artificial intelligence into its iPhone 16 lineup as the trendsetting company tries to catch up with technology’s latest craze.

The upgrade to the iOS 18 operating system on Monday comes more than a month after four iPhone 16 models were equipped with the special computer chip needed to power the AI ​​functions were sold at prices from $800 to $1,200. Last year’s premium models – the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max – also have a processor that will activate the AI ​​technology after the software update is installed.

Latest versions of Apple’s iPad and Mac computer can also be updated with the software.

Countries outside the US won’t get the AI ​​software for their iPhones until next year at a yet-to-be-determined date. Apple spent the last five weeks test the AI ​​software among an audience of iPhone owners who signed up to help the company fine-tune the technology.

The AI ​​infusion is meant to transform Apple’s often clumsy virtual assistant Siri into a more conversational, versatile and colorful companion whose presence will be signaled by a glowing light circling the iPhone’s screen as requests are handled.

While Apple promises that Siri will be able to perform more tasks and be less prone to confusion, it will not be able to interact with other apps installed on the iPhone until another software update comes out at an as-yet-unspecified date.

Other AI features included in this software update will handle a variety of writing and proofreading tasks, summarizing the content of emails and other documents. AI will also provide a variety of editing tools to change the look of photos and make it easier to find old photos.

Other AI tricks to come in future software updates include the ability to create custom emojis on the fly or conjure up other imaginative images on demand. Apple also plans to eventually enable its AI suite to get a helping hand from OpenAI’s ChatGPT when users want it.

Most of the AI ​​features that Apple introduced on Monday are already available on Android-powered smartphones Samsung and Google was released earlier this year.

In an effort to differentiate its approach from the early leaders in AI, the iPhone’s suite of new technologies is marketed as “Apple Intelligence.” Apple also promises that its AI capabilities will do a much better job of protecting iPhone owners’ privacy by either running the technology on the device or being placed in a fortress-like data center when certain requests must be processed remotely.

Since most iPhones currently in use around the world do not have the computer chip needed for Apple’s AI, the technology is expected to drive huge demand for the new models during the holiday season and well into next year. That’s the main reason Apple’s stock price is up 18% since Cupertino, Calif., previewed its AI strategy at a conference in early June. The move has boosted Apple’s market value by about $500 billion, moving it closer to becoming the first US company to be worth $4 trillion.

Apple will give investors their first look at how the iPhone 16 is faring on Thursday when the company publishes quarterly financial information for the July-September quarter — a period that includes the first few days the new models were on sale.

Demand for the high-end iPhone 15 models ticked up as their prices fell and excitement over Apple’s entry into the AI ​​market grew, according to an assessment of the smartphone market in the latest quarter by research firm International Data Corp.

Apple’s iPhone shipments rose 3.5 percent from the same time last year to 56 million worldwide in the July-September period, second only to Samsung, according to IDC. The question now is whether Apple’s gradual rollout of more AI will prompt owners of older iPhones to splurge on the new models during the holidays, “future-proofing their purchases for the long term,” said IDC analyst Nabila Popal.

Also on Monday, Apple said that with the software update some AirPods wireless headphones can be used as a hearing aid.

An estimated 30 million people – 1 in 8 Americans over the age of 12 – have hearing loss in both ears. Millions would benefit from hearing aids but most have never tried them, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.