Apple’s head of AI strategy and machine learning, John Giannandrea, explains why Apple Intelligence won’t be able to roll out to older iPhone models. Although older models can run the GenAI features, they’ll be “so slow, it won’t be useful.”
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Here’s Why Older iPhones Can’t Run Apple Intelligence
According to the executive, the new A17 Pro is the ideal chip to run the GenAI features, primarily because of its advanced Neural Engine. For those catching up, the latest processor can handle a processing power of 35 TOPS, while the A16 Bionic can only handle 17 TOPS.
“The inference of large language models is incredibly computationally expensive,” Giannandrea mentions. In other words, the A17 Pro’s raw performance, combined with the new Neural Engine and 8GB of RAM, makes the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max compatible with running Apple Intelligence.
Apple also explained how the cutoff for its AI features, which are currently limited to the A17 Pro and MacBooks based on the M Silicon, isn’t a way to increase the iPhone’s sales. However, the fact of the matter is that the availibility of GenAI would surely drive some sales.
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For the uninitiated, Apple Intelligence is not simply a feature but a suite of AI-based features that will roll out on compatible models later this year. While some of the capabilities are cloud-based, Apple has also included some on-device AI processing, which requires newer hardware to function properly.
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