At the WWDC 2024, Apple announced impressive new artificial intelligence (AI) features for its devices and iOS apps. However, not all iPhone models will receive these updates. Notably, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, released last year, are excluded from these AI advancements due to hardware limitations.
Key Insights from Ming-Chi Kuo Apple expert Ming-Chi Kuo explained in a detailed analysis on Medium (via HT Tech) that the exclusion is due to the hardware differences between the standard and Pro models of the iPhone 15 series. The standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have the A16 Bionic chip with 6GB of RAM. In contrast, the iPhone 15 Pro models feature the A17 Pro chipset and 8GB of RAM, enabling them to support the advanced AI functionalities.
Hardware Limitations Kuo highlighted that the 6GB RAM in the A16 Bionic chip isn't sufficient for the extensive AI operations, as the device’s other functions already use up much of this memory. The A17 Pro chip, with its additional RAM, can handle these AI tasks efficiently. This difference in memory capacity is crucial for the AI processing capabilities, making the Pro models suitable for the new features.
AI Processing Requirements The M1 chipset, which also supports 8GB of RAM, can run Apple's AI technology. Kuo noted that Apple’s AI system uses an on-device 3B large language model (LLM), which, even after compression, needs about 0.7-1.5GB of DRAM for continuous operation. This underscores the importance of memory configuration in enabling advanced AI processing.
Implications for Users This decision may disappoint iPhone 15 users, as their relatively new devices will not support the upcoming AI features, despite being part of the latest generation. By setting high hardware standards, Apple is encouraging users to upgrade to newer models to access the latest smart features.
Industry Impact As smartphone manufacturers continue to integrate sophisticated AI technologies, hardware specifications, particularly memory capacity, will become crucial in determining a device’s ability to support these features. Apple's move sets a precedent in the industry, highlighting the need for robust hardware to meet the evolving demands of AI technology.
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