Apple's AI plans

On Monday Apple released a range of new products, including the much anticipated Apple Intelligence (AI). The new upgrades are coming to iPhones, Macs and iPads in the second half of this year. Apple Intelligence will be powered by generative AI, giving Siri a massive upgrade, and if Siri can't assist you, free access to ChatGPT will.

For functionality, speed and privacy, much of the AI work will be done on the device, instead of being sent off to a data centre somewhere to process the request. This means that upgrades will only work on the latest hardware. For the iPhone, you will need a 15 or later. For Macs and iPads, they will require Apple's M1 chip - I guess I need a new Mac now. A new super-upgrade cycle is about to happen for Apple iPhones and Macs.

Apple's new AI has all the features that you would expect. It can write and proofread emails, transcribe phone calls, do a bit of coding and some next-level photo editing. It also has the ability to solve maths problems as you write them out. Cool.

Apple also announced a few other things: an upgrade to its payment app (which caused PayPal shares to drop 3.6%), the ability to access your iPhone screen from your Mac, and a renewed focus on gaming.

Usually after these Apple conferences, I read through the new features introduced and yawn, as I probably won't use any of them. This year, Apple has done itself proud.

Apple analysts took a little time to digest all the new products launched, after dropping 2% on Monday, the market changed its tune and Apple closed up 7% yesterday, comfortably setting a new all-time high record. Apple has an exciting AI future ahead of it.