Apple Intelligence: AI, Features, Research, Supported Devices & Cost Claims by Analysts

Highlight

• Analysts believe Apple might charge $10-20 per month for advanced Apple Intelligence features.
• It potentially will require an Apple One subscription for full access.
• No official indication that Apple plans to charge for Apple Intelligence.

Nothing in this world is free. And Apple fans are certainly not going to be pleased hearing about this new cost speculation that they might have to bear.

Analysts believe that Apple might eventually charge for some of its more advanced Apple Intelligence features, potentially costing users $10-20 per month.

One scenario they suggest is that Apple could require an Apple One subscription to access the full range of AI capabilities.

This approach would mirror the strategy used by companies like OpenAI and Microsoft, where a limited number of AI features are free, but a subscription is needed to unlock the full set.

Two analysts raised the monetization prospect when speaking to CNBC.

Neil Shah, partner at Counterpoint Research, said investment in AI is expensive and Apple will want to pass that cost onto its users […] Shah said Apple could charge between $10 and $20 for Apple Intelligence, potentially as part of Apple One, for more premium AI features […].

“Apple is one of the few connected devices companies that has successfully monetized the value-added services it offers,” Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, told CNBC this week.

“As a result, it has set a precedent with its users that they have to pay for more premium services. On this basis, it can’t be ruled out that Apple may choose to charge for more advanced features within its Apple Intelligence offering.”

However, there’s no indication that Apple plans to charge for any of the Apple Intelligence features being rolled out this year or for the new Siri features expected early next year.

If that were the case, Apple would have likely announced it by now.

While the idea of a paid Apple Intelligence tier in the future can’t be completely dismissed, especially given the company’s focus on growing its service revenue, Apple will need to strike a balance.

The challenge will be determining which AI features should be included to drive hardware sales and which could be offered as optional, subscription-based services.

Craig Federighi summed up Apple Intelligence during the WWDC keynote:

Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that puts powerful generative models right at the core of your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

There are five key pillars of Apple Intelligence that, in combination, distinguish it from other AI (artificial intelligence) tools that already exist.

• Powerful: Capable of offering truly useful help
• Intuitive: Easy to use and accessible
• Integrated: Baked into the core of your devices
• Personal: Understands your personal context
• Private: Built from the ground up for privacy

Apple claims that no one has an AI offering that can check all these boxes—a claim that certainly seems true.

The goal of Apple Intelligence?

Tim Cook put it well in the keynote: “to make your most personal products even more useful and delightful.”

Apple Intelligence – Most Exciting AI Features

Here are some of the most exciting features of Apple Intelligence announced by the company:

• Writing Tools: Apple Intelligence offers systemwide tools for rewriting, proofreading, and summarizing text across apps like Mail, Notes, and Pages.

• Genmoji Creation: Users can create original Genmoji to express themselves, taking emoji to a new level.
• Enhanced Photos: New features in the Photos app give users more control and make searching for photos and videos more convenient.
• Privacy in AI: Apple Intelligence sets a new standard for privacy, using Private Cloud Compute to balance on-device processing with server-based models.

• Image Creation: The Image Playground feature allows users to create fun, original images and custom memory movies based on descriptions.
• Smart Reply: This feature helps you quickly draft email responses by identifying questions in the email and offering relevant selections to include in your reply.

• Priority Notifications: It prioritizes important notifications, ensuring you see the most critical messages first.
• Reduce Interruptions: This new Focus mode understands the content of your notifications and shows you the ones that might need immediate attention.

• Image Wand: Allows you to turn rough sketches into related images that complement your notes.
• Custom Memory Movies: Create personalized memory movies based on the descriptions you provide.

Is your Device compatible with Apple Intelligence?

Not every device that can install iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 will be getting Apple Intelligence.

Due to the high level of computing power needed to run AI features, Apple Intelligence is limited to a select number of modern devices.

These include:

• iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
• iPads with an M1 chip or later
• Macs with an M1 chip or later

It is expected that all iPhone 16 models will also support Apple Intelligence, including the standard 16 and 16 Plus.

Here is the full list of devices that will support Apple Intelligence at launch: 

• iPhones
• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max

Full iPhone 16 lineup expected to support AI too

Macs

• M3 MacBook Air
• M2 MacBook Air
• M1 MacBook Air
• M3 MacBook Pro
• M2 MacBook Pro
• M1 MacBook Pro
• M3 iMac
• M1 iMac
• M2 Mac mini
• M1 Mac mini
• M2 Mac Studio
• M1 Mac Studio
• M2 Mac Pro

iPads

• M4 iPad Pro
• M2 iPad Pro
• M1 iPad Pro
• M2 iPad Air
• M1 iPad Air

Paid Apple Intelligence Features are at least 3 years away

In this weekends Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman has touched upon some of the recent reports about paid Apple Intelligence features.

He does believe that the company will eventually start charging for these features, it won’t be as soon as anticipated by people .

Gurman writes that he expects the company to develop more advanced features on top of the existing Apple Intelligence feature set and charge for those features, but he believes that it’ll take the company at least three years to develop something worth charging for, and that “may be the best-case scenario.”

FAQs

Q1. What is Apple Intelligence?

Answer. Apple Intelligence is a suite of AI features integrated into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia.

It combines generative models with personal context to enhance user experience across Apple devices.

Q2. What are some key features of Apple Intelligence?

Answer. Key features include systemwide Writing Tools for rewriting, proofreading, and summarizing text, Genmoji creation, enhanced Photos app capabilities, and advanced privacy measures through Private Cloud Compute.

Q3. Will Apple charge for Apple Intelligence features?

Answer. While analysts suggest that Apple might eventually charge $10-20 per month for advanced features, there is no indication that Apple plans to charge for the features being rolled out this year or the new Siri features expected next year.

Q4. How does Apple Intelligence ensure privacy?

Answer. Apple Intelligence uses Private Cloud Compute to balance on-device processing with server-based models, ensuring that user data is processed securely and privately.

Q5. How does Apple Intelligence change Siri?

Answer. Apple Intelligence enhances Siri with more advanced AI capabilities, making interactions more intuitive and responsive.

These updates are expected to roll out early next year.

Q6. What all can Apple Intelligence do?

• Language tools

• Writing Tools: AI will be able to rewrite and proofread your text anywhere you write it, even third-party apps.
• This will be especially useful when sending an email or writing an article or social media post.
• Priority notifications: AI will understand from context which notifications are most important and surface those to the top for you.
• Priority messages in Mail: Similarly, AI will prioritize the email messages that most merit your attention.
• Smart Reply: AI will generate email replies for you, offering them up for your approval before being sent.
• Reduce Interruptions: This new Focus mode works like Do Not Disturb, but intelligently allows important notifications to break through.
• Summaries of content: Whether in a transcript from a meeting or when viewing an email, AI will summarize content for you.

• Image tools

• Image creation: Create totally original images with a simple typed request, even ones that feature a loved one.
• Genmoji: Create totally original emoji on demand for any occasion.
• Clean Up: Remove unwanted objects from a photo with ease.
• Powerful search: Find exactly the photos you’re looking for in the Photos app.
• Image Wand: Use the Apple Pencil to draw a circle in a Note and AI will automatically create a new image with its awareness of the other note contents.
• Create Memory movies: Type a request in the Photos app to have a new Memory video created using the best-matching images in your library.

• New and improved Siri

• Richer language understanding: Siri with Apple Intelligence is far more forgiving of clunky requests. For example, you can say, “Siri, set an alarm for — oh wait no, set a timer for 10 minutes. Actually, make that 5.”
• Personalized assistance: Siri can perform new actions with a deep awareness of your personal context. For example, you can say, “Play that song my wife sent me the other day.”
• Onscreen awareness: Now Siri will know what’s on your screen and can assist accordingly. For example, you might say, “Add this address to their contact card.”
• Take action across apps: Siri can now perform cross-app actions that save you time. For example, you could ask, “Siri, add this location to my Road Trip note.”
• Fresh look: Activate Siri, and rather than popping up in one place, the assistant will instead animate all around the borders of your device with a beautiful glowing light.
• Quick typed requests: With a quick double tap at the bottom of your iPhone or iPad’s screen, a keyboard will pop up so you can type a request to Siri rather than speaking it.
• Deep Apple product knowledge: Now you can ask Siri questions about any of your Apple devices and OS features and it can provide the info you need.

• ChatGPT integration

Apple has officially partnered with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT deeply into the iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia systems.

Here’s how Apple details the ChatGPT feature:

With ChatGPT from OpenAI integrated into Siri and Writing Tools, you get even more expertise when it might be helpful for you — no need to jump between tools.

Siri can tap into ChatGPT for certain requests, including questions about photos or documents.

And with Compose in Writing Tools, you can create and illustrate original content from scratch.

ChatGPT will not require an OpenAI account, nor will any of the information it processes be saved or shared with others.

Apple is maintaining its privacy standards with this integration rather than depending on OpenAI to do so.

Also Read: Apple Intelligence: AI-Powered Enhancements Boost Company Stock to Record High

Also Read: Apple to Integrate OpenAI Technology in iOS 18: Enhancing AI Features