Photo by Aditya Patil on Unsplash

Apple laid down the technical requirements for running the first wave of Apple Intelligence features coming later in a few days with iOS 18.1. The Apple Foundation Model (AFM), optimized to run on portable devices with 3 billion parameters, may require a significant 4 GB of storage and may grow more as new features come iteratively to the operating system.

“Apple Intelligence is available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, all iPhone 16 models, and iPad and Mac models with M1 and later. iPhone devices need 4 GB of storage,” Apple wrote in a published note ahead of iOS 18.1 release next month. Apple Intelligence will see a broader rollout later this year.

The storage requirement applies to all iPhones, though Apple has not disclosed specific storage needs for iPads and Macs at this time. This uncertainty raises concerns for users, particularly those with the base 128 GB model, as available space can quickly diminish with software updates and app installations.

Considering this, users are encouraged to look into their storage needs carefully, especially if they are using the base 128 GB models. Opting for a 256 GB model should prudently accommodate Apple Intelligence and other applications without the constant worry of fiddling with space limitations. Users can then utilize iCloud storage for larger files such as photos and videos. This way, the local storage can be free for essential apps and updates.

Early Feedback and Future Prospects

The current beta release only includes the writing assistant and photo editing tools. It also has included a sneak peek into the revamped Siri, with a more natural-sounding voice and improved language comprehension.

Initial feedback from beta testers on Apple Intelligence has been mixed. Some simple aspects such as writing tools noted for their ability to generate summaries and assist in composing emails. Audio transcription in the Notes app and the ability to create memories from photos were seen to be practical as well.

On the other hand, the prospect of AI-powered features may have stirred more excitement than it deserves during its announcement.

Siri still struggles with complex queries, often deflecting to search results instead of providing direct answers, as seen in some Reddit feedback posts. The novelty of the writing tools raises questions about their everyday utility, suggesting they may not be widely adopted. Furthermore, some features were not fully operational during the testing phase.

However, much of what the company has promised is still under development and may have limitations or bugs. As a result, early user feedback may not accurately reflect the final product.

Users must register on a waitlist within the Apple settings app to access the service fully. While the initial release includes several features, others—such as image creation and advanced Siri capabilities—are expected to be rolled out over the coming months.