The big picture: Apple is late to the party when it comes to shoving its devices full of AI smarts. The rollout of Apple Intelligence was supposed to happen with the release of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia in September, but reports say it's being delayed and will instead ship in the updated versions that are set to land in October. Samsung will likely be smiling at Apple's stuttering, knowing that the number of Galaxy AI devices are approaching 200 million; how many people actually use Samsung's AI and how often is unclear.
Apple officially announced it was diving into the AI field at WWDC when it lifted the lid on Apple Intelligence. Like its rival, the tech is able to rewrite text, create images, and organize information across multiple apps. There's also a Siri upgrade that turns it into a generative AI chatbot and assistant similar to those from OpenAI and Microsoft. Apple's assistant can even refer to ChatGPT to answer questions if permitted by users.
Those with compatible Apple products – iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max and devices with M-series processors – were looking forward to seeing what Apple Intelligence was capable of. But Bloomberg reports that the initial launch date is being pushed back to give the company more time to fix bugs.
It appears that the upgraded Siri is proving even more problematic. The new assistant, arguably the most anticipated AI feature, reportedly won't be ready for the 18.1 versions of iOS and iPadOS (the betas have just launched). Instead, it will launch either in late 2024 or early 2025, possibly as part of iOS 18.4.
Apple's big rival, Samsung, has watched its rollout of Galaxy AI continue smoothly for a while now. SamMobile writes that it took just months after its announcement for the suite of AI features to reach 100 million devices, including older ones.
During its recent Unpacked event where the company showed off the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6, Samsung said Galaxy AI would be available on 200 million devices by the end of the year, helped by sales of the new foldable phones.
Just how many people use Galaxy AI on a daily basis is unclear. While features like Live Translate and Photo Assist are impressive, some complain that they're not exactly new, and a lot of people aren't going to use them often – if at all.