By Six Colors Staff

October 23, 2024 10:11 AM PT

Apple releases second wave of Intelligence features via new developer betas

Apple Intelligence just keeps on coming.

The first batch of features in Apple’s much-hyped entry into the artificial intelligence boom will be released to the general public sometime next week, but the company is already moving on to the next one.

On Wednesday, Apple rolled out developer betas of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS 15.2, which run Apple Intelligence features previously seen only in Apple’s own marketing materials and product announcements: Three different kinds of image generation, ChatGPT support, Visual Intelligence, expanded English language support, and Writing Tools prompts.

Three kinds of image generation

Apple’s suite of image-based generative AI tools including Image Playground, Genmoji, and Image Wand, will be put in the hands of the public for the first time. When it introduced these features back at WWDC in June, Apple said they were intended to enable creation of fun and playful images that are shared amongst family and friends, which is one reason the company has eschewed the generation of photorealistic images, instead opting for the use of a couple different styles that it dubs “animation” and “illustration.”

Custom-generated emoji with Genmoji will provide several options based on a user’s prompt, and allow the resulting images not only to be sent as a sticker but also inline or even as a tapback. (One could, just as an example, ask for a “rainbow-colored apple” emoji.) It can also create emoji based on the faces in the People section of your Photos library. Genmoji creation is not supported on the Mac yet.

Image Playground is a straight-up image generator, but with some interesting guardrails. The feature will offer concepts to choose from to kick off the process, or you can just type a description of what sort of image you want. Like Genmoji, Image Playground can use people from your Photo library to generate images based on them. It can also use individual images from Photos to create related imagery. The images that are created conform to certain specific, non-photographic styles such as Pixar-style animation or hand-drawn illustration.

Image Wand allows users to turn a rough sketch into a more detailed image. It works by selecting the new Image Wand tool from the Apple Pencil tools palette and circling a sketch that needs an A.I. upgrade. Image Wand can also be used to generate pictures from whole cloth, based on the text around it.

Of course, image generation tools open a potential can of worms for creating content that may be inappropriate, a risk that Apple is attempting to combat in a number of ways, including limiting what types of materials the models are trained upon, as well as guardrails on what type of prompts will be accepted—for example, it will specifically filter out attempts to generate images involving nudity, violence, or copyrighted material. In cases where an unexpected or worrying result is generated—a risk with any model of this type—Apple is providing a way for that image to be reported directly within the tool itself.

Third party developers will also get access to APIs for both Genmoji and Image Playground, allowing them to integrate support for those features into their own apps. That’s particularly important for Genmoji, as third-party messaging apps won’t otherwise be able to support the custom emoji that users have created.

Give Writing Tools commands

The update also adds some more of the text input, free-association flair frequently connected to large language models. For example, Writing Tools—which in the first-wave feature release mostly let you tap on different buttons to make changes to your text—now has a custom text input field. When you select some text and bring up Writing Tools, you can tap to enter text to describe what you want Apple Intelligence to do to modify your text. For example, I could have selected this paragraph and then typed “make this funnier.”

Along with the developer beta, Apple’s also rolling out a Writing Tools API. That’s important because while Writing Tools are available throughout apps that use Apple’s standard text controls, a bunch of apps—including some of the ones I use all the time!—use their own custom text-editing controls. Those apps will be able to adopt the Writing Tools API and gain access to all the Writing Tools features.

Here’s ChatGPT, if you want it

This new wave of features also includes connectivity with ChatGPT for the first time. That will include the ability for Siri queries to be passed to ChatGPT, which will happen dynamically based on the type of query, for example, asking Siri to plan a day of activities for you in another city. Users will not only be initially prompted upon installing the beta to enable the ChatGPT integration, but also asked again when the query is made. That integration can also be disabled within Settings, or you can opt to have the per-query prompt removed. In certain cases you might get additional prompts to share specific kinds of personal data with ChatGPT—for example, if your query would also upload a photograph.

Apple says that by default, requests sent to ChatGPT are not stored by the service or used for model training, and that your IP address is hidden so that different queries can’t be linked together. While a ChatGPT account isn’t required for using the feature, you can opt to log into a ChatGPT account, which provides more consistent access to specific models and features. Otherwise, ChatGPT will itself determine which model it uses to best respond to the query.

If you’ve ever tried out ChatGPT for free, you’ll know that the service has some limitations in terms of models used and the number of queries that you’re allowed in a given time. It’s interesting to note that the use of ChatGPT by Apple Intelligence users isn’t infinite—if you use it enough, you will probably run into usage limitations. It’s unclear if Apple’s deal with ChatGPT means that those limits are better for iOS users than for randos on the ChatGPT website, though. (If you do pay for ChatGPT, you’ll be held to the limits on your ChatGPT account.)

Visual Intelligence on iPhone 16 models

For owners of iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models, this beta will also include the Visual Intelligence feature first showed off at the debut of those devices last month. (To activate it, you press and hold the Camera Control button to launch Visual Intelligence, then aim the camera and press the button again.) Visual Intelligence then looks up information about what the camera is currently seeing, such as the hours of a restaurant you’re standing in front of or event details from a poster, as well as translate text, scan QR codes, read text out loud, and more. It can also optionally use ChatGPT and Google search to find more information about what it’s looking at.

Support for more English dialects

Apple Intelligence debuted with support only for U.S. English, but in the new developer betas that support has become very slightly more worldly. It’s still English-only for now, but English speakers in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa will be able to use Apple Intelligence in their versions of English. (Support for English locales for India and Singapore are forthcoming, and Apple says that support for several other languages—Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese among them—are also forthcoming in 2025.)

What’s next?

As part of these developer betas, Apple is collecting feedback on the performance of its Apple Intelligence features. The company plans to use that feedback not only to improve its tools but also to gauge when they might be ready to roll out to a larger audience. We definitely get the sense that Apple is treading as carefully as it can here while also rushing headlong into its artificial-intelligence future. It knows there are going to be quirks when it comes to AI-based tools, and that makes these beta cycles even more important in terms of shaping the direction of the final product.

Obviously there will be many more developer betas, and ultimately public betas, before these .2 releases go out to the general public later this year. And there are still a bunch of announced Apple Intelligence features that are yet to come, most notably a bunch of vital new Siri features, including support for Personal Context and in-app actions using App Intents. Today marks the next step in Apple Intelligence, but there’s still a lot of road left for Apple to walk.—Jason Snell and Dan Moren

By Jason Snell

October 22, 2024 6:00 AM PT

iPad mini 2024 review: A familiar friend gets an A.I. refresh

Getting my hands on a new iPad mini always feels a little bit like a happy reunion. I use an iPad Pro all the time, so I haven’t handled an iPad mini since I gave back the 2021 model three years ago.

The new 2024 iPad mini, powered by the A17 Pro chip curiously taken from last year’s iPhone 15 Pro, is mostly the same iPad I reviewed way back then. The new processor is really the point, as it makes the iPad mini the latest Apple device to be ready for Apple Intelligence.

Beyond that, though, it’s pretty much the same iPad mini as three years ago. Apple appears to be content to let the iPad mini operate at relative feature parity with the iPad Air, a notch above the generic iPad but also a notch below the iPad Pro. Those who pine for an iPad mini Pro (and the terrifying capitalization regime that would follow) are going to go away disappointed—probably forever.

The iPad mini is already a niche product within a niche product line; it’s likely that Apple will never want to slice things even thinner than it already has. That said, the iPad mini’s got a comfortable niche: it’s great for kids, for people who prioritize reading over productivity, and generally for anyone who can fit an iPad into their lives—but there’s not a whole lot of space to fit into.

As I reported three years ago, iPad hardware is so fast that you can basically do anything you set your mind to do. I edited podcasts and wrote articles on the old iPad mini, and this one’s even more powerful, thanks to that new processor. The additional ray-tracing features of the M3/A17 processor generation mean that it’s even more capable when it comes to graphics-intensive games—though you’ll be playing them at 60 frames per second because ProMotion is a feature reserved for Pro-level Apple products.

In terms of sheer single-core performance, the A17 Pro processor will beat the M2 iPad Air, thanks to the superior processor core inside the one-better A17 Pro generation. But since the M2 has more processor cores than the A17 Pro, the iPad Air beats it out on other tests. Still, it’s not really important—the iPad mini is fast enough for anything. And, most importantly, it’s got enough system memory to run Apple Intelligence features when they arrive later this month. (The iPad mini I tested shipped with iPadOS 18.0, which, of course, doesn’t offer any of those A.I. features.)

When I hold the iPad mini in my hands, I’m reminded that it works incredibly well as a vertical/portrait-oriented device. That, and the fact that it’s just too small in any orientation to support a proper add-on keyboard, is probably why Apple has chosen to leave the FaceTime camera on the short side of the device rather than move it to the long side as on other iPads. I agree with the decision. Keeping the volume buttons to the top of the iPad, opposite the sleep/wake/Touch ID button, still seems odd to me, but it’s necessary to add proper magnetic charging support for the Apple Pencil.

With support for that Pencil—along with the standalone-charging USB-C model introduced in 2023—Apple’s Pencil story keeps getting simpler. Eventually, there will only be a couple of Pencil models supported across the line, but we’re not quite there yet. Still, since no iPhone supports the Apple Pencil, this iPad mini is the smallest device available for those who wish to write, draw, or drive the interface of other apps using Apple’s stylus.

A sign that I’m getting used to Apple’s modern iPhones and iPads is that I was a bit taken aback by the size of the bezels around the iPad mini’s display. Every other Apple device seems to have sucked in its gut a bit and either expanded its display, contracted its physical dimensions, or some combination of both. While the iPad mini’s bezels aren’t huge, relatively speaking, they feel enormous compared to those on my iPad Pro, let alone my iPhone.

I’m also disappointed with what Apple’s done with the colors of these models. After a set of vibrant colors on the previous generation, apparently the Fun Police have arrived and decreed that all colors should be watered-down versions indistinguishable from silver. I don’t understand modern Apple’s relationship with color, nor can I understand how a company that got it so right with the last iPad mini, the iPhone 16, and the M1/M3 iMacs can get it so wrong with a boring, washed-out color palette like this. I’ve been using a purple one, but if I hadn’t looked it up in my email, I wouldn’t have been able to tell that it wasn’t just silver.

One bit of good news, I think: Many users of the previous-model iPad mini complained about a “jelly scrolling” effect, where scrolling content in portrait orientation could lead to a visual artifact where one side of the screen updated before the other side. It’s my understanding that the new model’s display circuitry is different from the old model, and I couldn’t detect any “jelly scrolling” in my use. It doesn’t mean it’s for sure gone, and I’m looking forward to eagle-eyed “jelly scrolling” experts reporting back with their results, but I sure couldn’t see it, even when I recorded myself scrolling at a high frame rate and played it back frame by frame.

So beyond the goose for Apple Intelligence, I’m not sure what there is to say about the iPad mini that I didn’t say in 2021. It’s a great little iPad, capable of pretty much anything you can throw at it. It’s fun to hold in one hand. It makes an excellent device for reading, though it doesn’t replace my e-reader due to the e-reader’s lack of display glare, waterproofing, and distraction-free reading environment. It’s too small for typing, really. That’s okay.

What’s great about the iPad mini, ultimately, is also what limits it. It’s a small iPad with plenty of power. It fits in places other iPads just don’t. Depending on what you want to use an iPad for, it might very well be the perfect iPad. The jury is still out on Apple Intelligence—and may be for some time—but I’m glad that Apple cares enough about the iPad mini and the people who love it that it’s made sure that the iPad mini is ready to use those features on day one.

By Jason Snell

October 17, 2024 12:17 PM PT

Apple Pay turns 10, adds new wrinkles

It’s hard to believe Apple Pay launched a decade ago, and only slightly less hard to believe that we’ve reached the point that I can link to my decade-old story about using Apple Pay for the first time at my local Whole Foods:

“Oh, you’re going to try that?” Tyler said.

“Yep, I’m one of those people,” I said, and habitually placed my thumb on the phone, as if I was going to unlock it. Which was what I was going to do, but instead of doing that, I paid for groceries.

“Whoa, I don’t know what just happened,” Tyler said as the paper receipt popped out of the cash register’s printer.

Today Apple posted a Newsroom PR item celebrating the milestone while also announcing a few new wrinkles: additional installment loan support and the expansion of rewards support in participating cards. Unfortunately, the number of cards participating in the program are quite small—in the U.S. I believe it’s only Discover—but it does mean you can apply your Discover cashback or miles directly to an Apple Pay purchase if you want.

In the United States, Apple Pay has had the effect that I thought it would have: Tap-to-pay is now commonplace, in a way that it simply wasn’t before. The U.S. is now slightly less out of step with the rest of the world in that way. Express transit support has also been a gamechanger in about 20 cities.

However, I’m surprised that Apple’s other financial products—Apple Card and Apple Cash—have basically not gone anywhere. They’re still only available in the United States. Apple’s financial reach only goes so far, apparently.

By Jason Snell

October 16, 2024 9:39 AM PT

Review: AirPods 4 with ANC no replacement for AirPods Pro

It’s hard to believe it’s been eight years since AirPods first arrived on the scene. After years of avoiding Apple-branded earbuds for better-sounding headphones, I was really skeptical that Apple could build something that sounded good, but it sure did, and it was rewarded with a hit. I went from being skeptical to using them everywhere except mowing the lawn or riding on an airplane.

But in 2019, the AirPods Pro barreled in, with their in-ear design and active noise cancellation, and they became my go-to earbuds for everywhere. That noise cancellation made a huge difference and was enough for me to turn my back on the original AirPods design forever.

But in a bit of a surprise, this year, Apple has introduced the $179 AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, a slightly pricier version of the $129 AirPods 4 that throws noise cancellation into the more affordable AirPods for the very first time. I’ve been able to use the AirPods 4 with ANC over the last few weeks, including on an airplane, and my feelings are… well, they’re mixed.

On the one hand, the fact that you can get noise cancellation on base AirPods is amazing. Their hard plastic body means that they can’t make a soft seal like the silicone tips on the AirPods Pro can, so there’s more outside audio leakage to compensate for. However, there’s a huge advantage there: If you can’t stand silicone ear tips sticking into your ears, maybe the AirPods 4 will let you finally use ANC AirPods for the first time.

I found the shape of the AirPods 4 to be perfectly acceptable, but every ear is different. Apple says it’s upgraded its database of global ear shapes in order to craft a shape that’s the best for most people, but there’s literally no way to generalize something like this: The only way you’re going to be able to tell if the shape of AirPods 4 is better or worse than previous AirPods is to try them for yourself.

Apple’s made a few other changes from the previous-generation AirPods, too. The H2 chip powers noise cancellation as well as conversational awareness, transparency mode, voice isolation, and adaptive audio. There are also a few downgrades: battery life is rated an hour lower, and the skin-detect sensor to reduce the number of times your music or podcasts keep playing when you shove the earbuds in your pocket has been replaced with a more primitive optical sensor.

But here’s the thing: While AirPods 4 with noise cancellation are a step up from the base model and from previous models, that $70 difference (only $20 if you can find AirPods Pro 2 on Amazon for $199, as I can right now) between the models comes with a huge leap in quality.

When I put the AirPods 4 with ANC in my ears while the house next door was being loudly power washed, I could hear my music and the faint sound of power washing. On an airplane, the hum of the engines was tamped down. Great! But in contrast, when I used my AirPods Pro 2 in those situations, the power washing sound was gone, and so was the hum of the engines. Apple’s claim that the AirPods Pro are twice as good at noise cancellation might be a bit of a head-scratcher in terms of how it’s calculated, but it’s not wrong.

And a few years of using AirPods Pro have also spoiled me when it comes to audio quality. The sound on the AirPods 4 is… fine? In a vacuum, I’d say that they sounded good. But the AirPods Pro sound better, and it’s not really close. I also missed the ability to adjust the volume on the fly by moving my fingers on the AirPods Pro—you have to use Siri, your iPhone, or your Apple Watch to adjust the volume on the AirPods 4.

There’s no denying it: AirPods Pro are superior to the AirPods 4 in every way, and if you’re buying a new pair of AirPods, you should really consider if it’s worth spending a little bit more to get the very best. (See Quinn Nelson’s YouTube review for a lot more detail on these issues.)

Everyone’s priorities are going to vary. At $129, AirPods 4 are a pretty good buy. At $249, AirPods Pro 2 are pricey but great. I’m not sure if these $179 AirPods 4 with ANC really make sense. If they’re the best fit for your ears and the AirPods Pro aren’t an option, great. But don’t make the mistake of buying AirPods 4 with ANC, thinking that they’re an easy way to save on AirPods Pro 2. They aren’t.

By Jason Snell

October 15, 2024 10:00 AM PT

The new iPad mini’s surprising not-new processor

I suppose it’s telling that the most interesting and surprising thing about the just-announced 7th-generation iPad mini is the processor Apple put inside.

For fans of the iPad mini who were hoping that after three years there would be some substantial upgrades, this announcement is undoubtedly disappointing. This is absolutely a minor upgrade, with some (disappointing) color changes, slight improvements to Wi-Fi and HDR, added support for Apple Pencil Pro, and not a lot more—except for the big one.

The big one is that it’s using an A17 Pro processor, the same one found in last year’s iPhone 15 Pro, and that means it’s the first iPad mini to be compatible with Apple Intelligence.

The surprise is that they’re using that A17 Pro processor, rather than the A18 found in the new iPhone 16.¹ The A17 Pro was the first chip built on TSMC’s first-generation 3nm chip process, which was a milestone in chip design—but also, as it turns out, a dead end. TSMC shifted to a newer, more efficient second-generation process, and that’s what Apple is using in its 2024-vintage processors: the M4, A18, A18 Pro. The forthcoming M4 Pro and M4 Ultra processors will be on that process, too.

Based on various reports, it seems like Apple’s goal is to turn over its entire Mac product line to the M4, so they can leave the old process (used on the M3 as well as the A17 Pro) behind. And yet… here’s a new product that uses a chip on the old process that everyone is trying to drop like a hot rock? What?

That’s why my guess is that the new iPad mini is using this chip for non-technical reasons. Here are the possible explanations:

• Apple ended up with excess A17 Pro chips after discontinuing the 15 Pro
• These are all just binned versions (with five GPU cores instead of six) that didn’t make the cut for the iPhone and were sitting around to be repurposed in another product
• Apple has a contract with TSMC that includes enough capacity for them to continue building this chip until that deal runs out
• The design of the iPad mini predated the arrival of the A18 chip generation
• Apple didn’t want to divert any of a presumably limited quantity of fresh A18 chips to the iPad mini when it had iPhone 16s to build

Regardless, I feel like there are a few nuggets of good news for iPad mini fans here. First, the new iPad mini does support Apple Intelligence, and the A17 Pro is quite a bit faster (25 percent in single core, 40 percent in multicore) than the A15 Bionic overall.

Second, while it’s certainly possible that Apple has stockpiled enough five-GPU A17 Pro chips to make three years’ worth of iPad minis, this model feels more like a holding action that gets the iPad mini onto Apple Intelligence… while also using up some amount of chip excess. If I had to predict when we’ll see a next-next-generation iPad mini, I think I’d guess that it will probably be sooner than three years from now.

But for people like my pal Sparky who really want an iPad mini pro, this release is understandably deflating. Apple continues to view the iPad mini as an iPad air-class device in a smaller case, and the high-end features seem likely to remain out of reach for quite some time.