The release, first previewed by the company in June, marks Apple's foray into an AI race that has seen the US tech giants rush into ChatGPT-style technology.
Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple are convinced that generative AI's powers are the next chapter of computing and have ramped up spending so as not to be left behind.
"Apple Intelligence is generative AI in a way that only Apple can deliver, and we're incredibly excited about its ability to enrich our users' lives," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a blog post.
Apple's new features include enhanced writing tools, improved photo searching capabilities, and a more conversational Siri virtual assistant.
The company also plans to integrate ChatGPT's capabilities into its services by December.
Additional features planned for December include the ability to generate custom emoji and create images from text descriptions.
The features are largely being limited to the latest iPhones and iPads as well as Mac computers.
The powers of Apple Intelligence are for now only available in US English.
Versions in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Korean and other languages will be released in the coming year.
At the launch event in June, Apple had postponed the launch of Apple Intelligence in the European Union indefinitely, due to "regulatory uncertainties" linked to new laws.
It now said that most offerings will be available in the EU on Mac computers in US English and will begin to be deployed on iPhones and iPads from April.
Apple Intelligence features also include system-wide writing tools that can rewrite and proofread text, and the ability to remove unwanted objects from images.
Overall, the features are similar to tools recently released by Meta, Microsoft and Google.
Amid concerns about the safety of AI models, the company said that its technology prioritizes user privacy by keeping processing on-device or by using a new "Private Cloud" system.
This, the company says, will keep personal data within the Apple ecosystem, which privileges data privacy.
Apple also unveiled a new desktop computer, the iMac, on Monday, that features Apple Intelligence.
Indonesia blocks Apple iPhone 16 sales over lack of investment
Jakarta (AFP) Oct 28, 2024 -
Indonesia has prohibited the marketing and sale of the iPhone 16 model over Apple's failure to meet local investment regulations, according to its industry ministry.
Southeast Asia's biggest economy has a young, tech-savvy population with more than 100 million people under the age of 30, but Apple still does not have an official store in the country, forcing those who want its products to buy from resale platforms.
Indonesia's industry ministry spokesman said imported phones of the iPhone 16 model -- which launched in September -- could not be marketed domestically because Apple's local unit had not met a requirement that 40 percent of phones be made from local parts.
"The iPhone 16 devices imported by registered importers cannot yet be marketed domestically," ministry spokesman Febri Hendri Antoni Arif said in a statement Friday.
"Apple Indonesia has not fulfilled its investment commitment to obtain... certification."
To reach that percentage, Apple must invest in Indonesia and source Indonesian materials to be used for iPhone components, according to local media reports.
Apple did not respond to an AFP request for comment.
The ministry said the new Apple phones could be carried into Indonesia as long as they were not being traded commercially.
It estimates just 9,000 units of the new model have entered the country, which has a population of around 280 million.
Indonesia's smartphone market shipment share in the second quarter of the year was dominated by China's Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, as well as South Korea's Samsung, according to Counterpoint Research.
In April, Apple chief executive Tim Cook visited Indonesia as the tech giant explores ways to invest in Southeast Asia's biggest economy and diversify supply chains away from China.
He met then-president Joko Widodo and his successor Prabowo Subianto for talks after the iPhone maker announced it would expand its developer academies in the country.
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