Apple AI Release Reportedly Delayed Until After iOS 18 Update, Seen As 'Atypical Strategy'

Apple Intelligence will not be included in the September iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 update. Instead, according to Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with internal discussions at the world's most valuable company, the new artificial intelligence features will be rolled in the weeks and months ahead. 

The company is planning to begin rolling out Apple Intelligence to customers as part of software updates coming by October, according to people with knowledge of the matter. That means the AI features will arrive a few weeks after the initial iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 releases planned for September, said the people, who declined to be identified discussing unannounced release details. -Bloomberg

It's crucial to note that the new AI features will miss the all-important September update, signaling that engineers need additional time to fix bugs.

Here's more from Bloomberg: 

Still, the iPhone maker is planning to make Apple Intelligence available to software developers for the first time for early testing as soon as this week via iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 betas, they added. The strategy is atypical as the company doesn't usually release previews of follow-up updates until around the time the initial version of the new software generation is released publicly.

In June, Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence during the Worldwide Developers Conference. The new and improved Siri and integration of OpenAI's ChatGPT are expected to be released later this year. 

Bloomberg noted that Apple is expected to roll out a number of the Apple Intelligence features through several updates from late this year through the first half of 2025. 

Besides iPhone and iPad, Apple Intelligence will be featured on Macbooks that run the M1 chip or newer. Also, Vision Pro goggles are expected to receive Apple Intelligence, but a release date has yet to be announced by the company or leaked by insiders. 

Be sure to review Apple's Terms of Service before updating your devices to understand what data they will be harvested.