An Honest Review of Apple Intelligence... So Far

Apple Intelligence: A Promised Revolution?

Overview of Apple Intelligence Features

• Apple has made a significant promise regarding "Apple intelligence," which was first announced at WWDC 2024, but the rollout has been slow and incomplete nearly six months later.

• The new iPhone launched in September without any Apple intelligence features, with updates expected to be fully available by March 2025.

• The review will cover all current Apple intelligence features and evaluate whether they meet the initial expectations set by Apple.

Writing Tools

• Writing tools utilize generative AI to enhance existing text on iPhone, iPad, and Mac; however, there are no features available for Vision Pro.

• Users can highlight text and select writing tools to adjust tone (e.g., making it more friendly or professional), though the UI is noted as repetitive.

• Different modes include "friendly" (short sentences with exclamation points) and "professional" (terse without exclamations); "concise" mode reduces text length significantly.

• Proofreading capabilities identify capitalization errors and proper nouns; however, summarization tools struggle with larger documents.

• Overall utility for professional writers appears limited based on personal experience.

Notification Summaries

• Notification summaries condense multiple notifications into single messages but have proven largely ineffective in practice.

• Users report that summarized notifications often fail to capture the essence of longer conversations or multiple messages effectively.

• While some instances may work well, many users find humor in the feature's shortcomings rather than practical use; it has been disabled by some users due to ineffectiveness.

Emoji Generation Feature

• The emoji generation feature allows users to create custom emojis using AI based on textual descriptions provided by the user.

• Although fun for specific use cases, such as generating unique reactions, its appeal may not resonate with all demographics; some requests are denied if deemed inappropriate.

Image Playground Tool

• The image playground enables users to generate cartoon-style images based on descriptive text input.

AI Features in New Apps

Image Generation and Limitations

• The app generates images that are not photorealistic, offering a few options for users to choose from. It serves as a playground for artificially generated images but has debatable usefulness.

• The app avoids generating potentially offensive content, such as firearms, although creative prompts can sometimes bypass these restrictions. It is still in beta, which may lead to unexpected results.

Notification Management Improvements

• Priority notifications aim to improve notification management on iPhone and Android devices, addressing Apple's long-standing weaknesses in this area.

• This feature surfaces high-priority notifications during focus modes and integrates with the mail app to highlight important messages, similar to Gmail's existing functionality.

Photos App Enhancements

• The new Photos app update has been widely criticized; however, it introduces an AI feature for background object removal akin to Google's Magic Eraser tool.

• Users can edit photos by selecting unwanted objects for removal using a cleanup tool that employs generative fill technology. Results vary based on scene complexity.

Recording Summaries: A Mixed Experience

• Recording summaries were initially promising but proved confusing. While call recordings transcribe accurately and identify speakers well, the summary function lacks consistency.

• Users must navigate through the Notes app to access recording features instead of having them integrated into the voice memos app, complicating usability.

Visual Intelligence Capabilities

• Visual intelligence is exclusive to iPhone 16 models and allows users to interact with their camera interface by asking questions about what they see or performing reverse image searches.

Siri's New Features and AI Integration

Overview of Siri's Capabilities

• The new Siri is more integrated and accurate compared to previous versions, but it does not introduce groundbreaking changes.

• Many users may be misled by the new animation, thinking it signifies a major update; however, significant features are still pending release.

ChatGPT Integration

• Siri can now suggest using ChatGPT for complex requests like recipes or trip itineraries when queries exceed its normal scope.

• Users can opt to sign into their ChatGPT accounts for enhanced features such as query history and access to advanced models without needing an account for basic use.

Future Developments in Siri

• Upcoming software updates promise additional Apple intelligence features, with a focus on enabling Siri to perform actions within apps.

• This capability could significantly enhance user experience if developers adapt their applications accordingly.

General Impressions of AI Features

• The current AI tools offered by Apple do not seem particularly compelling; writing tools appear safe but unnecessary for many users.

• Visual intelligence features are occasionally useful but often raise questions about practicality in everyday scenarios.

User Experience and Practicality

• A humorous anecdote illustrates the tendency to rely on technology rather than human interaction, highlighting the potential overuse of Apple's intelligent features.

• While AI-generated itineraries can be impressive, many users prefer personalized planning rather than following automated suggestions blindly.

Product Promotion and Future Expectations

• The speaker promotes Ridge travel gear while discussing personal preferences in packing strategies.

Apple's Advancements in Device Intelligence

Enhancements in Apple Devices

• The speaker expresses a positive opinion about Apple's visual intelligence capabilities, suggesting they have significant potential.

• A notable improvement mentioned is the increase in base memory across devices, which enhances overall performance.

• Every iPhone now features more RAM, contributing to better multitasking and application performance.

• The base Mac model now comes with 16 GB of RAM, making it an attractive option for consumers seeking value.