Apple Intelligence’s possible release date rumors

Behind the confines of Apple’s ‘walled garden’, Apple Intelligence (Apple’s cheeky take on AI) has been this year’s biggest talking point. In the context of Apple’s countless marketing promotions, this is the next big thing for millions of people going around with an iPhone or working on a Mac.

The importance of Apple Intelligence is such that its newest iPhones are built around it! The iPhone 16 series has been designed from the ground up to be an Apple Intelligence phone instead of a generic hardware-centric upgrade over the previous generation iPhone 15. From assisting its cameras to helping with text formatting, Apple’s AI feature suite promises to take the classic iPhone user experience to the next level.

However, there’s a catch! The new iPhone 16 series, along with last year’s iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, are yet to get Apple Intelligence. They are all running on the latest iOS 18 but none of them boast any Apple Intelligence features – not even the newer (and smarter) version of Siri. Apple has been assuring its iPhone 16 customers that the Apple Intelligence update will be coming soon, with rumors suggesting early 2025 as the earliest possible date of release.

Now, a new rumor is suggesting that iPhone 16 users don’t need to wait that long to get a taste of Apple’s AI features. In fact, the release of Apple’s AI features could be accompanied by a couple of new Macs and an iPad in the weeks to come.

On that note, here’s an in-depth look at everything we know about the potential release date of Apple Intelligence and all other announcements Apple might make during that time.

Key details of the Apple Intelligence equipped iOS 18.1 update

While Apple continues to stand by its ‘coming soon’ promise, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has stated a release date for the upcoming iOS 18.1 update, courtesy of information from industry insiders. He even revealed the first set of features that will be reaching the new iPhones by the end of October 2024.

Gurman says that Apple will kickstart the disbursement of the iOS 18.1 update on October 28, 2024. Other than fixing crucial bugs and issues, this update will introduce some of the Apple Intelligence features like notification summaries, automated email filing and the much-hyped Image Playground app for generating images.

Since Apple has confirmed a staged release of the Apple Intelligence features, Gurman says that the next iOS 18.2 update will include Siri’s integration with ChatGPT and the ability to create custom emojis via Genmoji. By March 2024, the iOS 18.4 update will introduce the smarter Siri with the ability to control apps upon command and come up with answers to queries regarding personal information.

Gurman states that Apple is willing to take its time to ensure that its Apple Intelligence features are free of jarring bugs and that its servers are ready to handle all requests once the AI ​​features go live.

New Macs and iPads are coming too

Alongside the Apple Intelligence update, Gurman says that Apple is preparing a bunch of new products to cash in on the festive season. The November event is expected to bring us the following products:

– A new 14-inch MacBook Pro with the Apple M4 chip, replacing the regular M3 MacBook Pro.

– The new professional-spec 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the rumored M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, the beefier versions of the standard M4 chip.

– An upgraded Mac mini with the M4 and M4 Pro chips.

– An updated iMac with the latest M4 chip.

– A refreshed iPad mini with a new chipset (possibly the A18 chip from the iPhone 16).

Note: Apple has yet to confirm any of the aforementioned releases and their potential launch dates. However, Gurman’s track record on Apple’s upcoming releases has always been spot-on.

So, if you have plans to upgrade to a more powerful Mac and/or get an entry-level iPad this year, we recommend waiting for Apple’s new announcements to come in.

(Hero and Featured Image Credits: Courtesy Apple)