iPhone 16 series may launch without Apple Intelligence in September: Report

Reportedly, the next generation iPhone models will not get Apple Intelligence at launch, but will get the initial set of features with iOS 18.1 update in October

Apple is not pushing the release of the 2024 iPhone series despite delay in Apple Intelligence roll out. According to a Bloomberg report, the iPhone 16-series will be launching in September, in-line with the launch schedule that Apple has followed for the last few years. This comes after Bloomberg’s last week reports that stated the iPhone 16 series devices would not come with Apple Intelligence tools out-of-the-box.

In 2011, Apple postponed its hardware launch event to include iCloud and virtual assistant Siri, which were the new software features then. Apple was expected to do the same this year as the company’s new artificial intelligence features are reportedly not ready yet. However, as per Bloomberg’s new report, Apple is not holding back the release of the new hardware and iPhone 16 series is expected to be unveiled around the same time as last year.

According to the report, new AI features that Apple collectively calls Apple Intelligence would likely roll out in October as part of the iOS 18.1 update. The report also stated that Apple will only be offering limited AI features and tools with the initial update, with the company planning a gradual release schedule for Apple Intelligence. This is also one of the reasons for Apple to not push back the release of the next iPhone models as the headline features such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT integration and an updated Siri with more control are expected to be available on the consumer front next year.

Last week, Apple released the iOS 18.1 developer beta, offering the initial set of Apple Intelligence features for testing to select users. AI features available on the attest developer beta includes Smart Reply in Messages, Writing Tools for summarisation and more, email summarisation and sorting in Mail, audio transcriptions, Memory Movie in Photos and more. The update also includes an updated interface for Siri and improvements across the board.

Though the iOS 18.1 developer beta is available for testing on all eligible iPhone models, the Apple Intelligence features are exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro models.