Apple’s new AI features expected for just these iPhone models (for now)

After staying silent for two years about its AI developments, Apple is finally gearing up to share its latest projects with the public on Monday at its annual developer conference, WWDC. Reports suggest that Apple is unveiling features big and small that will significantly impact your device experience — only if you have one of the newest iPhone models. 

Apple is expected to unveil many highly anticipated upgrades, such as a new and improved Siri, new summarization tools, a more customizable home screen, AI-powered photo editing, and more. However, according to Bloomberg, you’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro — or a new model iPhone coming out this year — to use these features.

Also: What to expect from WWDC 2024: Siri, AI upgrades, iOS 18, MacOS 15, more

While requiring Apple’s latest or upcoming hardware to experience these new features may seem like a money grab, the provision is likely due to the processing hardware necessary to carry out the AI features, especially for tasks that require on-device processing.  

On-device processing of AI tasks offers two key benefits: It keeps the information more secure and ensures less latency. However, not all iPhones, especially older models, have the processing power to handle those tasks, and according to the report, the new AI services will rely on both on-device and cloud-based processing, depending on the complexity of the task. 

Specifically, these tasks require the A17 Pro chipset, which currently is found only in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Even the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are not viable options as they run on the A16 Bionic. 

The good news is that if you are a Mac or iPad user, you won’t need the newest model. The Bloomberg report notes that to use the AI features on a Mac or iPad, you will need an M1 chip at least. With Apple currently up to M4-chip iPads and M3-chip Macs, users with older devices have some wiggle room. 

Also: What is ‘Apple Intelligence’: How it works with on-device and cloud-based AI

Additionally, if you don’t own the iPhone 15 Pro and don’t plan on upgrading anytime soon, no worries; you will likely experience some of iOS 18’s AI features, specifically those that run on the cloud. However, if you want the full iOS 18 experience, you may want to start preparing for an upgrade. 

For the latest news from WWDC, including all announcements, analysis, and hands-on time with the latest technology, stay tuned to ZDNET.