Report: Apple’s AI Features Will Be Late

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple Intelligence, the tech mogul’s proprietary AI system, won’t launch with the new iPhone in September. Apple reportedly plans to roll out the new AI features “by October.” Sources familiar with Apple’s work told Bloomberg the iPhone maker needs more time to fix bugs and secure support from third-party developers.

Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. At that time, the company said the new AI features are “deeply integrated” into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia.

Still, most of the new features, including an AI-powered text editor, Rewrite, a smarter voice assistant, Siri, and an AI image generator, Genmoji, didn’t make it on the beta versions of iOS 18 and other operating systems released in July. According to Bloomberg’s report, these features will be available in the following developer betas.

Apple never specified the release date for the new AI features but said some are coming in beta this fall and others “over the course of the next year.” Apple enthusiasts assumed the features would be released with the new iPhones in September. Their enthusiasm was further fueled by reports claiming at least some of the new AI features would be launched with the new iPhone models.

If the report’s claims are true, Apple will launch iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia in September and roll out the AI features with a later update. Chances are the first batches of iPhone 16 will lack the much-anticipated AI features.

Even if the AI features arrive on time in the US, they won’t come anytime soon in Europe. Due to regulatory concerns, European customers might have to wait until 2025 to access it, the tech giant announced in June.

Apple is rolling out AI features at a slower pace than tech peers, resulting in a sales drop across all markets. This spring, the company published a paper on AI progress to show its commitment to AI innovation. It also took drastic measures, such as cutting iPhone prices in major markets like China and India, to stimulate sales.

Despite speculations, Apple hasn’t announced the official release date of its long-awaited AI features nor confirmed their delay.