iOS 18 brings many new visual changes for all compatible iPhones, but there’s one feature that has many users wondering: why is Apple Intelligence only available on the iPhone 15 Pro? Furthermore, this AI feature can only be enjoyed on iPads and Macs with an M1 chip or later. In an exclusive interview on Talk Show from WWDC 2024, Apple executives provided a detailed explanation.
Since the announcement of Apple Intelligence, many have been curious why this advanced feature is limited to only iPhone 15 Pro models and other Apple Silicon devices. John Giannandrea, head of machine learning and AI at Apple, along with Greg Joswiak, head of marketing, and Craig Federighi, head of software, spoke with John Gruber from Daring Fireball to outline the reasons behind this decision.
Giannandrea explained that running generative AI models requires very high computing power. “These models, when running at runtime, are called inference, and the inference of large language models costs a lot of computational expense. So it’s a combination of the bandwidth on the device and the size of the Apple Neural Engine. We need a device that’s powerful enough to run these models quickly enough to be useful. Theoretically, these models could run on older devices, but it would be so slow as to be useless,” he said.
Gruber then asked if this was a scheme to sell more iPhones. Joswiak responded bluntly that if that were the goal, then Apple would also include the latest iPads and Macs as requirements. Craig Federighi added that Apple always tries to introduce features that can be applied to older devices. However, in the case of Apple Intelligence, the high hardware requirements make this feature only enjoyable on the latest devices. “It’s amazing to be able to run a model this powerful on an iPhone,” Federighi added.
The A17 Pro chip used in the iPhone 15 Pro has a 16-core Neural Engine, twice as powerful as the A16 Bionic chip in the standard iPhone 15 model. This indicates that the company is not just trying to sell more new iPhones, but sees the iPhone 15 Pro as the only device capable of handling Apple Intelligence features optimally.
Apple Intelligence not only brings significant changes in how devices function, but also demonstrates how seriously Apple is in integrating generative AI into their ecosystem. Although many are disappointed that older devices do not support this feature, this step also shows Apple’s commitment to providing the best experience with existing technology.
So, if you’re still wondering if Apple intentionally limited this feature to sell more new devices, Apple executives have provided the answer. They emphasize that it’s purely about hardware requirements and performance, not just a marketing strategy. Thus, we can see that innovation and technological advancements do require more powerful and sophisticated devices.
