I’ve been living with a beta version of Apple Intelligence for over a month now. Life hasn’t changed much since its features came to my iPhone 16 Pro.
If you didn’t dare to use the public beta version, you can now experiment with Apple Intelligence. Apple finally released its much-hyped set of AI features in iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and MacOS Sequoia 15.1, updates to software that are rolling out for select iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
Powered by the company’s great language models, Apple Intelligence has been pushed as one of the biggest reasons to buy the new iPhone 16, iPad Mini or iMac. At the WWDC developer conference last June, Tim Cook declared that he would take the user experience of Apple products to “new limits.” The problem? That experience, as it stands, is pretty flat.
How to access Apple Intelligence
The rollout of Apple Intelligence is atypical for the company, which typically bundles all of its flagship features and rolls them out in one big update, often alongside new devices. In this case, iOS 18.1 arrives a month after iOS 18 and the iPhone 16 series. Even after installing iOS 18.1, you will have to sign up for a waitlist to access Apple Intelligence (assuming you have a compatible device), although this It should only take a few hours to approve. And even then, you won’t be able to access the best features of Apple Intelligence. They won’t arrive until iOS 18.2.
What can you do right now?
Let’s start with writing toolswhich helps you Rewrite, Correct or Summarize text, wherever you are, in the operating system. Rewrite changes the tone of the sentence from informal to professional, for example, while Proofread corrects typos and improves grammar. Too bad it’s almost impossible to remember that this feature exists, because it only appears when words are highlighted. Maybe Typing Tools would be better as a small button built into the virtual keyboard.
Now you can write to Sirialthough technically this is not new. This was previously an accessibility setting, which Apple has incorporated into the experience, finally catching up with Alexa and Google Assistant, which have had this capability by default for years. Siri also has a new design, with a glowing effect around the screen, and the ability to understand queries a little easier, even if you get stuck asking the question. However, despite its new coat of paint, on a day-to-day basis it feels largely the same, which can be a bit disappointing.
Additionally, you’ll see the option to send smart replies (quick AI-generated messages based on the context of the conversation, like “Thank you” or “Sounds good”) to people in Messages and Mail. While this can be helpful, it’s hard to get excited about a feature that’s been built into Gmail since 2017.
#tested #Apple #Intelligence #month #impressions
