Apple Unveils Phones 'Built for Apple Intelligence'

Tim Cook gets standing ovation as he announces new iPhone 16 models
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 9, 2024 4:25 PM CDT
Apple Leaps Into AI With iPhone 16
Apple CEO Tim Cook walks on the stage during an announcement of new products at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, California.   (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

Apple charged into the artificial intelligence craze on Monday with a new iPhone lineup that marks the company's latest attempt to latch onto a technology trend and transform it into a cultural phenomenon. The four different iPhone 16 models will all come equipped with special chips needed to power a suite of AI tools that Apple hopes will make its marquee product even more indispensable and reverse a recent sales slump, the AP reports. Apple's AI features are designed to turn its often-blundering virtual assistant Siri into a smarter and more versatile sidekick, automate a wide range of tedious tasks, and pull off other crowd-pleasing tricks such as creating customized emojis within seconds.

After receiving a standing ovation at Monday's event, Apple CEO Tim Cook promised the AI package will unleash "innovations that will make a true difference in people's lives."

  • But the breakthroughs won't begin as soon as the new iPhones—ranging in price from $800 to $1,200—hit the stores on Sept. 20. Most of Apple's AI functions will roll out as part of a free software update to iOS 18, the operating system that will power the iPhone 16 coming out in December.
  • In an attempt to set itself apart from the early leaders in AI, the technology being baked into the iPhone 16 is being promoted as "Apple Intelligence." Despite the unique branding, Apple's new approach mimics many of the features already available in the Samsung Galaxy S24 released in January and the Google Pixel 9 that came out last month. But Apple is trying to preserve its commitment to privacy by tailoring its AI so that most of its technological tricks can be processed on the device itself instead of relying on giant banks of computers located in remote data centers.
  • "Powered by the faster, more efficient A18 Pro chip and built for Apple Intelligence, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are the most advanced iPhone models we've ever made," Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said in a news release with plenty of detail on the new phones' features.

  • For users seeking to access even more AI tools than those being offered by the iPhone, Apple is teaming up with OpenAI to give users the option of farming out more complicated tasks to the popular ChatGPT chatbot.
  • Although Apple is releasing a free version of its operating system to propel its on-device AI features, the chip needed to run the technology is only available on the iPhone 16 lineup and the high-end iPhone 15 models that came out a year ago. That means most consumers who are interested in taking advantage of Apple's approach to AI will have to buy one of the iPhone 16 models—a twist that investors are counting on will fuel a surge in demand heading into the holiday season.
  • Besides its latest iPhones, Apple introduced a new version of its smartwatch that will include a feature to help detect sleep apnea as well the next generation of its wireless headphones, the AirPods Pro, that will be able to function as a hearing aid with an upcoming software update.
(More Apple stories.)

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