When will 'Apple Smart' be available? It will be available for trial as early as the end of summer, and will be officially launched by the end of the year or the first half of next year

In terms of AI strategy, Apple continues to steadily introduce the AI features released last week in phases, with the earliest trial opening at the end of summer and some services not fully launching until 2025.

On June 16, Bloomberg technology journalist and well-known Apple leaker Mark Gurman reported that Apple plans to gradually roll out its intelligent features in the coming months to avoid issues faced by other artificial intelligence systems.

Specifically, Apple's intelligent services will be made available for developer testing later this summer, which means they will not be included in the initial beta versions of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. When the new operating systems are officially launched in the fall, the AI features will appear in a preview version, only supporting some of Apple's devices and limited to use in the U.S. English region. In some cases, users may need to join a waiting list to experience the new features.

Gurman compiled a roadmap of features expected to be released by Apple in late 2024 and the first half of 2025:

The beta version of iOS 18 will not include all intelligent features, only featuring voice recording transcription, improved voice mail transcription, and automatic calculation of input mathematical equations.

In the preview version expected to be released in late 2024 (anticipated in the fall), Apple's intelligence will include multiple features such as AI prioritized notification sorting, quick review reminders and messages, web page summaries, voice memos, meeting notes, email summaries, as well as new writing tools, image generation, and custom AI emoji Genmoji.

Integration with ChatGPT may be ready by late 2024 or early 2025.

Significant updates to Siri are expected in 2025, including context-based information retrieval and actions on devices (e.g., finding flight landing times based on previous text conversations and emails); semantic indexing to help Siri understand the context of content and personal data on devices; precise control of devices and applications (e.g., editing and sending photos with simple commands); screen-awareness capability, where Siri can understand what you are doing on your device at any given moment and take action.

Apple's support for other languages and regions is expected in 2025.

Although Apple fans eagerly anticipate the new features, this phased approach brings multiple benefits:

Avoiding personnel bottleneck: The company can allocate engineers for specific features, release the technology upon completion, and then shift personnel to other tasks.

Orderly implementation of multilingual support: Prioritizing support for U.S. English allows Apple more time to train its AI models in multiple languages. While global coverage will take years, a longer development cycle will mean more stable functionality upon launch.

Strengthening cloud infrastructure: Apple is still strengthening its cloud service infrastructure, including deploying Mac-level chips on servers to support Apple's intelligent features. Apple is cautious about allowing too many users to simultaneously test new features, to prevent network crashes, and partner OpenAI will also be better equipped to handle surges in user activity Limiting the spread of misinformation: AI may output inaccurate or meaningless information. Starting from a smaller user group can help limit the spread of incorrect information and allow Apple and its partners to address issues before widespread promotion