Gurman: Apple Intelligence Coming to Vision Pro, but Not HomePod

[aussie-reader]

You think cloud would be used more because of 5G cellular connectivity?

Unfortunately there are a lot of Apple device users that do not have and may not have good cellular connectivity for a long time if ever. Some countries can afford good 5G but not many, Apple needs to try and a solution for as many countries as possible.

5G is typically short range so requires a lot of ground based infrastructure making it less cost effective to deploy in low population areas as you need more masts. The Australians have some test locations with long range 5G which may alleviate some challenges in the longer term but it is probably too early to assume an iPhone can rapidly connect to a cloud server for large datasets.

 

[aussie-reader]

Adding an A18 to an inexpensive Apple TV makes sense, especially if Apple were to extend that idea to users of older iPhones who won’t be jumping at the chance to upgrade just for Apple Intelligence. That chance might come with iPhone SE4 next year though as SE phones have typically arrived mid cycle with the current A series cpu.

The idea that Apple might allow on device Apple intelligence at home to users of older non A18/A17 pro devices if you purchase a new Apple TV with A18 should do the trick if not for the slight doubt introduced earlier in the thread about a new Apple TV variant that uses the same A15 cpu (although there is a variant that comes with the additional GPU core and 6gb of Ram that came in the iPhone 13 Pro and subsequently the iPhone 14).

You’d really have to ask why Apple might use an A series cpu incapable of accessing Apple intelligence in a new product now unless it’s a refreshed iPad for the low end lines.

There were some rumours about a low yield rate of chips made using the 3nm N3B process for the A17/M3, this would potentially provide a source of low cost "reject" chips that would still have enough functionality for an Apple TV as long as there were sufficient working Neural Processors and RAM.

 

[sublunar]

There were some rumours about a low yield rate of chips made using the 3nm N3B process for the A17/M3, this would potentially provide a source of low cost "reject" chips that would still have enough functionality for an Apple TV as long as there were sufficient working Neural Processors and RAM.

And the Apple solution appears to be to stop using that node altogether, A18 on N3E appears to be the way ahead for the next gneration of devices and Apple may bin chips from that range to achieve the volume and marketing requirements needed. Intel appear to be taking over the capacity on N3B for forthcoming cpus, good luck to them. Sounds like Apple have booked out TSMC capacity on N3E.

they could easily down clock (already done with iPad mini 6 A15 cpu), spec fewer graphics cores (done with non pro iPhones), they might even have ideas with disabling a broken performance core for an AppleTV since that lost the cooling fan with the third generation. Or maybe an efficiency core if a passively cooled Apple TV could cool itself better than a smaller iPhone.

if they ever didn’t have plans to seriously game they’d add the fan back in to a 4th gen AppleTV if they were going with an A18. Being able to sustain gaming performance long after an iPhone would throttle would potentially offset a down clocked cpu being slower or having fewer cores.

the strange choice would be to do a light refresh using a variant that can’t do Apple Intelligence, like an A16 or the 6gb A15 with the extra GPU that went into the iPhone 14 Since the 14 would likely become Apple entry level model this year and could even disappear early next year if iPhone SE4 appears with an A18.

it would still leave a mid range iphone 15 that’s incapable of accessing Apple Intelligence though.

 

[ric22]

Apple probably didn't know how much RAM Apple Intelligence needed until late 2023 since it didn't exist at all on January 1st, 2023.

👀 Can't tell if you're being sarcastic or serious. AI tasks, especially LLM tasks, have always been RAM hogs. This would not have been a shock to Apple. Next year's top end Android phones will probably have 16GB RAM as standard. Even 8GB is very limiting.

 

[ric22]

it would still leave a mid range iphone 15 that’s incapable of accessing Apple Intelligence though.

It's not inconceivable that they'll ditch the 15 range entirely, and launch a new lower tier product to sit in third place behind the 16 and 16 Pro...

 

[sublunar]

It's not inconceivable that they'll ditch the 15 range entirely, and launch a new lower tier product to sit in third place behind the 16 and 16 Pro...

I think they’ll already be looking to eliminate the lightning equipped iPhone 14. An iPhone SE 4 should replace the current low end SE. This would probably come with Touch ID on the power button - making it the big selling point to upgrade to a higher tier phone if FaceID was wanted.

Storage probably maxes out at 256gb as per existing SE models.

The 14 plus would probably get eliminated - third party retailers have notably been running down stocks in recent weeks with some attractively priced offers.

iPhone 15 (and plus) would in theory drop in price by $100 and become the mid tier phone. It’s the lack of Apple Intelligence that then theoretically draws people to the 16.

If it weren’t for the leak that suggested there would only be a 5th model iPhone coming up alongside the 4 we expect in the 16 range I might have said that Apple could make an SE4 plus as a 6th iPhone release using the A18.

 

[Realityck]

Related some followup to the this topic

What’s Next for the Apple Watch: Bigger Screens But a Similar Look

As the Apple Watch approaches its 10th birthday, the company is preparing a big update. Also: AirPods with cameras make their way back into the news, and Apple gets a board observer seat at OpenAI.

www.bloomberg.com

But if you’re hoping for the device to run Apple Intelligence — the upcoming suite of AI features — you should reset your expectations. For now, that service is only headed to the iPhone, iPad and Mac. Later, it will come to the Vision Pro, but there are no plans to bring the full initiative to the watch.

As I wrote last week, Apple Intelligence also will be coming to the Vision Pro, but not until next year. Anyone looking to use the features on Apple’s home devices, meanwhile, is out of luck. They’ll have to wait until the company introduces its AI-powered table-top robot, something I’ve been reporting on for several months.

 

[gentlefury]

So it’s not worth doing because it’s not a popular enough product to add it. It’s not popular because Siri sucks. Seems like a circular problem.