Apple’s iPhone 15 launch focused heavily on AI — even though the tech giant didn’t mention it

(*15*) spent a variety of time speaking at its iPhone 15 launch event about the options of its merchandise that use synthetic intelligence, even if it didn’t mention AI by title.

The Cupertino-based tech giant touted what was beneath the hood of its iPhone 15 vary in addition to its Apple Watch Series 9, particularly the chip that powers the gadgets.

Apple designs its personal semiconductors for each. For the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple unveiled the S9 chip. The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max in the meantime are powered by the A17 Pro chip.

While it spoke about these chips, Apple focused on what sort of options they powered.

For instance, the S9 permits requests to Apple’s voice assistant Siri to be processed on-device. This is an AI course of that sometimes would occur in the cloud and solely when your watch is linked to the web. But as chips turn into extra highly effective, these AI processes are capable of occur on the machine itself.

This sometimes permits processes to be quicker and safer as your information is not being transmitted over the web.

But as a substitute of Apple speaking about AI, it focused on the usefulness of Siri on the machine.

On the Apple Watch Ultra 2, there’s a function referred to as “double faucet” which helps you to management options on the machine by tapping your index finger and thumb collectively. Again, this requires AI processing.

“Apple would not like mentioning AI on convention calls or product occasions, which has led to hypothesis that the firm is falling behind when it involves capitalizing on the new paradigm,” Gene Munster, managing associate at Deepwater Asset Management, stated in a observe on Tuesday.

“The actuality is Apple is aggressively pursuing AI.”

Apple’s A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max is a 3 nanometer semiconductor. The nanometer determine refers to the measurement of every particular person transistor on a chip. The smaller the transistor, the extra of them might be packed onto a single semiconductor. Typically, a discount in nanometer measurement can yield extra highly effective and environment friendly chips.

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are the solely smartphones on the market with a 3nm chip.

Apple stated this will help to energy options similar to extra correct predictive typing and the digicam know-how, once more a course of that requires AI.

“As extra purposes that leverage AI emerge, telephones will probably be tasked with powering them, a dynamic that can make telephones with legacy chips really feel sluggish,” Munster stated. “Chips are vital when it involves AI, and Apple is main the manner in constructing the {hardware} to allow these options.”