Late last month, it was revealed that Apple Intelligence-powered features would only be available on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Sequoia in October of this year. Now, Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman has reported that the delay in AI features will not prevent Apple from releasing the new iPhone 16 in September.
Image source: Apple
Last week, Apple confirmed that AI features would be rolling out to iPhones with iOS 18.1. Since then, references to Apple Intelligence have been removed from the description of iOS 18, which is due to be released in September. AI features are expected to play a major role in making the iPhone 16 more appealing to buyers.
Interestingly, Apple has delayed the launch of new iPhones in the past due to software not being ready for a mass release. Mark Gurman’s post points to an instance where the iPhone 4S was released to the public in October because the new Siri and iCloud features weren’t ready for the traditional June release. Although more than a decade has passed since then, Apple could again delay the launch of new iPhones to have them hit the market at the same time as the AI features.
“In recent years, Apple has typically launched iPhones in September. Apple is now facing a similar problem. Apple Intelligence, the core feature of the iPhone 16, won’t be ready until October. However, this time, Apple has taken a different approach and won’t hold up the launch of new phones until the services are ready. I’m told the iPhone launch will be around the same time as last year. A quick glance at the calendar makes September 10 a likely date. To get Apple Intelligence, users will need to update their new phones to iOS 18.1 in October,” Gurman said in a statement.
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