iPhone 16 series: Apple could weave sales pitch about intelligence features

Apple Intelligence is expected to be the biggest selling point for iPhone 16 series, but the artificial intelligence features are not expected to be available at the launch

Apple is reportedly planning to highlight Apple Intelligence, its new suite of artificial intelligence features, as a key selling point for the iPhone 16 series. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman stated on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that Apple has already begun training its retail employees on these features.

Gurman also mentioned that Apple has scheduled a “mandatory meeting” for all retail employees on Thursday, September 12, deviating from the usual Sunday pre-launch meetings. The iPhone 16 series launch event is expected to take place on September 10.

If the reports are accurate, Apple’s retail staff may face a challenge as Apple Intelligence features are not expected to be available on the initial version of iOS 18 that the new iPhones will run. The features are anticipated to be introduced with iOS 18.1, likely rolling out in October. Even then, iOS 18.1 may not include all the features showcased at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Features such as writing assistance, notification summaries, and more are expected with the iOS 18.1 update. However, advanced capabilities like OpenAI’s ChatGPT integration into Siri, Image Playground for image generation, Genmoji for AI-generated emojis, and others may not be available until late 2024 or early 2025.

In addition to Apple Intelligence, the iPhone 16 series is expected to feature significant hardware upgrades, including a new chip with a more powerful Neural Engine for AI processing tasks. The new iPhones are also likely to include a dedicated “Capture Button” for camera-related actions via touch gestures. Cosmetic changes are anticipated, such as vertically aligned rear camera sensors on the standard iPhone 16 models and a new Bronze Titanium colour for the Pro line.