Apple Intelligence Overview
If you use an iPhone, iPad or Mac computer, this newsletter contains some of the most important information you’ll ever read regarding these devices. In the most recent releases of iOS & iPadOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1, Apple has started rolling out Apple Intelligence, which is AI for Apple devices. In my 25 years of using Apple devices, the recent Apple Intelligence features released for iOS & iPadOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 are the biggest game changers I’ve ever seen. Period! Though Apple has only begun introducing Apple Intelligence (with much more planned during 2025 & 2026), if this is only the start, I can’t wait to see what else is coming.
Apple’s new “Apple Intelligence” suite of features for iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 introduces enhancements in writing, photo management, and personal assistant capabilities, powered by on-device AI for privacy-focused processing.
- Enhanced Writing Tools: Integrated across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, Apple Intelligence offers advanced writing support tools, including text rewriting for different tones, proofreading with grammatical suggestions, and summarization. These tools are designed to be accessible in various apps, like Mail and Messages, enabling users to adjust their communication based on the context, with privacy preserved through on-device processing.
- Smarter Siri: Apple has upgraded Siri to be more conversational, with improved natural language understanding. Siri now retains context across multiple requests, can be seamlessly used in both voice and text formats, and has an updated look with a soft glow around the screen edge. Siri also gains more integration across apps, helping users with specific tasks like scheduling emails or finding details in Messages.
- Intelligent Photos and Memories: The Photos app now supports natural language search, allowing users to locate specific moments by describing the scene. The Clean Up tool lets users remove unwanted objects from photos without affecting the main subject, and a new Memories feature can create movies from images based on simple text descriptions, using AI to arrange content into a story-line.
Apple Intelligence is initially available in U.S. English on recent Apple devices (iPhone 15 Pro and newer, iPad with A17 Pro or M1, and Macs with M1 or later). These updates reflect Apple’s focus on privacy by keeping AI processing on-device or within a secure private cloud environment.
Below are three Apple Support articles to help you learn more about Apple Intelligence and show you how to install Apple Intelligence on your Apple devices. I’ve been using Apple Intelligence for the few days during which it has been available, and I am amazed at how much productivity has been added to my day.
- Getting Started with Apple Intelligence on iPhone
(https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/get-started-with-apple-intelligence-iphc28624b81/ios) - Getting Started with Apple Intelligence on iPad
(https://support.apple.com/guide/ipad/get-started-with-apple-intelligence-ipade5045bb1/ipados) - Use Apple Intelligence in Mail on Mac
(https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-apple-intelligence-in-mail-mchlb2dbea8f/15.0/mac/15.0)
Larry McJunkin, President
Tellico Village Computer Users Club