Apple Intelligence update: Craig Federighi explains the delay in roll out of Apple's AI features

Apple Intelligence update: Apple is expected to roll out Apple Intelligence-powered features to all supported devices next week with the roll out of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 to iPhones, iPads and Macs. However, not all Apple Intelligence based features will be available to Apple device owners next week. The company, instead of opening flood gates to all the promised AI-based features, is going for a phased approach. This means, Apple device owners will get some Apple Intelligence features next week, some in later this year and others in 2025. Ahead of the Apple Intelligence roll out, a top Apple executive has explained exactly why the company decided to go for a staggered roll out.

Apple 's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal (via MacRumours) revealed that iOS 18.1 release next week is just the beginning of staggered roll out of Apple Intelligence features over several months. He also mentioned that the company is opting for a cautious approach and rolling out new features only when they are completely ready. "You could put something out there and have it be sort of a mess. Apple's point of view is more like, 'Let's try to get each piece right and release it when it's ready," Federighi said during the interview.

He also said that Apple doesn't aim to create another chatbot on the heels of something that is already available in the market right now. Instead, it plans to offer meaningful features that have real life utility. "Those other chatbots are great if you want to ask a question about quantum mechanics, and then have them write a poem about it, but they won't open your garage or send a text message. Will these worlds converge? Of course," he added.

Besides focusing on more utilitarian use cases, the company is also taking a more measured approach manipulating images using AI. For instance, while Apple does offer a feature to remove objects from a photo, it misses out on some of the other features such as changing the background. This is being done so that users can continue using photographs as 'indicative of reality'.

For the unversed, Apple Intelligence features that will arrive with the roll out of iOS 18.1 next week include writing tools, clean up tools, smart reply in Mail and Messages, Summaries in Mail and Messages, and natural language search in Photos to name a few.