Apple Intelligence Apparently Too Smart for M1 Macs After Listing Error

[MacRumors]

Update: It took a day, but Apple has now corrected its Apple Intelligence device compatibility list to show support for the earliest Apple silicon Macs. The original article follows.



Apple's website is causing some confusion among Mac owners, and for good reason – its device compatibility listing for Apple Intelligence appears to have dropped support for M1 Macs.

The U.S. version of its Apple Intelligence webpage has been updated at the bottom to list "M2 or later" Mac models as eligible for the AI features, replacing the long-standing "M1 and later" requirement.

However, regional versions – including the UK and Canada sites – continue to reference M1 Macs as compatible with Apple Intelligence. Meanwhile, Apple's support page, titled "How to get Apple Intelligence" and dated November 10, still lists "Mac with M1 or later" under the device requirements.

Looking at the difference between the live webpage and the last archived snapshot from November 6, Apple appears to have intentionally changed Apple Vision Pro from "M2" to "M2 or later" to reflect the recent launch of the Vision Pro with M5 chip. But whoever did the edit also appears to have erroneously changed the Macs in the list to "M2 or later" as well. (Another clue is that Apple never released an M2 iMac.)

On the Canada and UK pages, Apple has not yet updated the Vision Pro to "M2 or later", which is a further sign that this is exactly what has happened. We expect Apple will correct the U.S. webpage later today once it learns of the mistake.

Apple Intelligence began rolling out in October 2024, bringing generative and contextual AI tools across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It touts a range of capabilities, including composing text and emails, generating images, summarizing documents and texts, and more.

We are still waiting for Apple to release a more advanced version of Siri with contextual awareness that has been promised since last year. Apple is expected to roll out the new version of ‌Siri‌ around March or April 2026.

(Thanks, Jason!)

Article Link: Apple Intelligence Apparently Too Smart for M1 Macs After Listing Error

 

[stocklen]

Until Apple Intelligence becomes demonstrably useful, these tech requirements are not really relevant.

Give it another year or so when the 'proper' Apple Intelligence is both hopefully released AND potentially doing genuinely useful things then im sure the M1 will be too long in the tooth to cope with it but old enough to appreciate devices might need an upgrade.

 

[Ev0d3vil]

Not like it matters to me, Apple Intelligence has no use case for my use.

 

[1Peace]

Apple just trying to say “Still on M1 Mac? Please update your device”.

 

[Berti10]

Yet, the iPad Pro with M1 is still on the list

 

[ridgero]

Of course, the 32-core Neural Engine of the M1 Ultra just isn’t powerful enough to summarize the weather. Totally understandable.

 

[sunapple]

Highly doubt that even the most advanced stuff Apple Intelligence can currently do requires more processor power than that of an iPod shuffle.

 

[212rikanmofo]

If this is true then good. I don't care nor wish to have this satanic AI crap on any of my devices. AI is making people more stupid and lazy. People need to learn to use their brains instead of depending on AI.

 

[carswell]

Have been thinking about upgrading my M1 Mac Mini. This would be a good reason not to. /s (kind of)

 

[klasma]

Apple Intelligence Apparently Too Smart for M1 Macs After Listing Error

If listing errors make Apple Intelligence smarter, maybe we should have more of those.

 

[bollman]

By the time Apple Intelligence actually gets released fully, M5 will not be enough

 

[wanha]

If this is true then good. I don't care nor wish to have this satanic AI crap on any of my devices. AI is making people more stupid and lazy. People need to learn to use their brains instead of depending on AI.

like any technology that has come before, the value or detriment of AI is in how you use it.

Used correctly, it is like a bicycle for the mind and an extension of our left brain.

Alas, most people use it as a replacement for logical thinking and reflection or as a source of knowledge and facts.

 

[vbctv]

Who says it's an error? The M1 Macs were the last ones with 8GB RAM standard. Maybe on Mac it will need 16GB RAM, compared to iPad where they all have 8GB RAM except the higher end Pro's.

 

[ricketysquire]

Of course, the 32-core Neural Engine of the M1 Ultra just isn’t powerful enough to summarize the weather. Totally understandable.

System requirement inflation. They used to make the most amazing triple A titles on console hardware that was a fraction of power of today's hardware. Now, you need a literal super computer to make a trash, buggy game.

 

[gpat]

Plot twist: the website is wrong because the webmaster went lazy and used Apple Intelligence to write the list.

 

[stocklen]

like any technology that has come before, the value or detriment of AI is in how you use it.

Used correctly, it is like a bicycle for the mind and an extension of our left brain.

Alas, most people use it as a replacement for logical thinking and reflection.

dont worry, 30 years ago this chap would have been saying the exact same thing about spell checkers.

 

[deijmaster]

Usage is so low not sure this is really relevant at this point.

 

[cjsuk]

like any technology that has come before, the value or detriment of AI is in how you use it.

Used correctly, it is like a bicycle for the mind and an extension of our left brain.

Alas, most people use it as a replacement for logical thinking and reflection.

Close but not quite. The technology is entirely inert. It's people always, yes. But the value or detriment of LLMs specifically is defined by who trains and thus controls them. That is why the investment is so high; it simultaneously creates a dependency on the service both from and end user and provider perspective and a method of controlling thought and communications used within its scope.

If you want to see this in action, ask various LLMs about the Tiananmen Square Massacre and see who they are associated with. Then ask yourself where we'll be in a decade.

That's not a bicycle for the mind. That's a tram that goes on rails laid by someone else with a monthly fee.

On a side note, looking at JP Morgan and BoA's recent analytics, it's a financial dead end anyway, as I predicted from my original financial modelling I did.

 

[Significant1]

Who says it's an error? The M1 Macs were the last ones with 8GB RAM standard. Maybe on Mac it will need 16GB RAM, compared to iPad where they all have 8GB RAM except the higher end Pro's.

M2 and M3 also had 8GB as standard. But I agree that 8GB is too small for local LLM. But Apple kept 8GB as standard for too long, to just drop support.

 

[AusMness]

“M2 iMac”
my favourite

 

[philstubbington]

Of course, the 32-core Neural Engine of the M1 Ultra just isn’t powerful enough to summarize the weather. Totally understandable.

Well, to be fair, data centres full of supercomputers can't get the weather forecast right. The BBC weather forecaster I interviewed at school about 40+ years ago (Jack Scott) got it right:

"Look out of the window, it'll be mostly like that. Otherwise, remember what it was like yesterday, it'll be more of that."

 

[zombierunner]

Apple Intelligence: so smart it forgot M1 Macs exist. M1 owners: still outsmarting autocorrect since 2020.

 

[thelion7]

Apple's website is causing some confusion among Mac owners, and for good reason – its device compatibility listing for Apple Intelligence appears to have dropped support for M1 Macs.

The U.S. version of its Apple Intelligence webpage has been updated at the bottom to list "M2 or later" Mac models as eligible for the AI features, replacing the long-standing "M1 and later" requirement.

However, regional versions – including the UK and Canada sites – continue to reference M1 Macs as compatible with Apple Intelligence. Meanwhile, Apple's support page, titled "How to get Apple Intelligence" and dated November 10, still lists "Mac with M1 or later" under the device requirements.

Looking at the difference between the live webpage and the last archived snapshot from November 6, Apple appears to have intentionally changed Apple Vision Pro from "M2" to "M2 or later" to reflect the recent launch of the Vision Pro with M5 chip. But whoever did the edit also appears to have erroneously changed the Macs in the list to "M2 or later" as well.

On the Canada and UK pages, Apple has not yet updated the Vision Pro to "M2 or later", which is another sign that this is exactly what has happened. We expect Apple will correct the U.S. webpage later today once it learns of the mistake.

Apple Intelligence began rolling out in October 2024, bringing generative and contextual AI tools across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It touts a range of capabilities, including composing text and emails, generating images, summarizing documents and texts, and more.

We are still waiting for Apple to release a more advanced version of Siri with contextual awareness that has been promised since last year. Apple is expected to roll out the new version of ‌Siri‌ around March or April 2026.

(Thanks, Jason!)

Article Link: Apple Intelligence Apparently Too Smart for M1 Macs After Listing Error

Thank god it's a mistake, with the whole Apple Intelligence launch delays and controversies. Apple needs all the goodwill it can get with it's customers.

Intentionally choosing to drop M1 support (even if further testing found it had to be done) would destroy any goodwill they had left with their customers.

 

[tonie walker]

Apple One with Intelligence: $50/month.

 

[wanha]

Close but not quite. The technology is entirely inert. It's people always, yes. But the value or detriment of LLMs specifically is defined by who trains and thus controls them. That is why the investment is so high; it simultaneously creates a dependency on the service both from and end user and provider perspective and a method of controlling thought and communications used within its scope.

If you want to see this in action, ask various LLMs about the Tiananmen Square Massacre and see who they are associated with. Then ask yourself where we'll be in a decade.

That's not a bicycle for the mind. That's a tram that goes on rails laid by someone else with a monthly fee.

On a side note, looking at JP Morgan and BoA's recent analytics, it's a financial dead end anyway, as I predicted from my original financial modelling I did.

we're talking about pretty different things here.

Your concern is for the business case of it and how it can be used as a control and manipulation tool. I agree with what you write.

But that doesn't discount the fact that it's also an incredibly power tool when used in the correct way, as millions of people will attest to.