iOS 18: These iPhones Likely Won't Support Some AI Features
What might be the potential limitations for older iPhone models in supporting advanced AI features despite being compatible with iOS 18?
The potential limitations for older iPhone models in supporting advanced AI features despite being compatible with iOS 18 could be due to hardware limitations. As mentioned in the news article, on-device AI capabilities will largely require an iPhone 15 Pro or later to work. This is because Apple's own large language model (LLM) is expected to handle basic AI tasks and it will be entirely on-device, powered by the iPhone's processor.
It's not clear what the criteria for a basic task will be, but the LLM is said to include code that determines if a request can be processed on the device or requires Apple's servers. This suggests that older iPhones may not have the necessary processing power or memory to handle more advanced AI tasks on-device.
Additionally, it's worth noting that non-supported standard iPhone 15 models have 6GB of RAM, while the supported Pro models have 8GB of RAM. Likewise, all Apple Silicon iPads and Macs come with a minimum of 8GB. Even when scaled back for narrow use cases, LLMs require a lot of working memory due to the sheer number of parameters involved, so this could be where Apple is coming up against the hardware limitations of its own devices.
What specific tasks will the redesigned Siri be capable of performing according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman?
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the redesigned Siri in iOS 18 will be capable of performing tasks such as opening specific documents, moving notes to folders, sending or deleting emails, opening a particular site in Apple News, emailing a web link, and asking for an article summary. Initially, these features will be limited to Apple's own apps, but support for third-party apps is expected in the future.
What are the two main types of AI features Apple plans to introduce with iOS 18?
Apple plans to introduce two main types of AI features with iOS 18: basic AI features that will be processed on-device, and more advanced capabilities that will require communication with Apple's servers. The basic AI features will be handled by Apple's own large language model (LLM), which will be entirely on-device and powered by the iPhone's processor. These features are expected to include tasks such as opening specific documents, organizing notes in folders, deleting an email, summarizing an article, and emailing a web link. On the other hand, the more advanced AI capabilities will rely on Apple's servers and are likely to offer enhanced functionalities that require more processing power and resources.