Apple Intelligence had a lot of hype surrounding its launch, but after diving into its features, I found myself feeling let down. The image editing tools are underwhelming, and device compatibility is frustratingly limited. Apple has some serious catching up to do in this arena.
I was eager to discover how Apple Intelligence would enhance image manipulation, especially after the impressive tools offered by Google. Regrettably, I was left quite disappointed. The standout feature, Clean Up, aims to mimic Google’s Magic Eraser, enabling users to eliminate unwanted objects or people from images.
While it’s commendable that this feature runs on-device and handles basic edits effectively, it simply doesn’t stack up against Google’s more advanced tools. The real kicker, however, is the scarcity of additional photo editing functionalities.
On the flip side, the Google Pixel 9 boasts a plethora of AI features, including Add Me, designed to ensure everyone’s included in group photos, and Reimagine, which lets you replace specific areas of an image based solely on text descriptions. Apple has a lot to learn from Google’s innovation in these aspects, which clearly positions Google as a leader in this space while Apple seems to be playing catch-up.
2
Notification Summaries Can Be Hit-or-Miss
Among the features I was most hopeful for was notification summaries. This function utilizes a built-in language model to condense notifications from various apps, which would be perfect for managing overwhelming group chats or a surge of alerts. Unfortunately, the execution has failed to meet expectations.
My experience reflects that of others who’ve shared similar frustrations. Summaries, especially from messaging apps, often make little sense. There are instances where the summary includes shocking content, only for me to discover it misinterpreted the messages entirely.
This unreliability has led me to stop depending on these summaries, as they simply do not deliver consistent results.
3
Device Compatibility Is Highly Limited
Another frustrating aspect of Apple Intelligence is the narrow range of device compatibility. While I understand that certain features like Clean Up or Writing Tools require more RAM and processing power, it doesn’t make sense that cloud-based functions aren’t accessible on older devices.
A clear example is the integration with ChatGPT, allowing Siri to utilize ChatGPT for requests it can’t handle, yet the same limitation exists for Visual Intelligence, which shouldn’t require on-device processing. This is particularly frustrating, considering third-party apps can offer similar functionalities on unsupported devices with almost identical results.
Additionally, it feels like a significant missed chance that Apple’s home devices, including HomePods and Apple TVs, lack any support for Apple Intelligence features. These products are arguably ideal candidates for such functionalities.
4
Image Playground Feels Like a Gimmick
In my perspective, one of the biggest letdowns in Apple Intelligence is the Image Playground feature. This app acts as an AI image generator based on provided text prompts or existing photos, yet I struggle to envision a scenario where it would be genuinely useful.
The style of artwork tends to be overly cartoonish, and I can’t see myself using Image Playground to produce images that I’d want to share with others. To me, it feels like a gimmicky app. If Apple were to introduce a more realistic image generation model, it would easily top my wish list of potential features.
On a positive note, Genmojis, which allow users to create custom emojis from a text prompt, is an area where Apple has genuinely excelled.
5
All the Features Aren’t Even Available Yet
Apple Intelligence is experiencing a notably sluggish roll-out, with some features, such as the much-anticipated context-aware Siri, potentially delayed until April 2025, even though it was promoted as a key feature back in June 2024.
Additionally, priority notifications haven’t made an appearance yet, with no timeline for their release, which complicates any recommendation I could make for Apple Intelligence, given its current limitations and incomplete nature.
While Apple has made some strides, particularly focusing on privacy with powerful on-device processing, it’s evident that they still have a long road ahead to catch up with Google’s advanced AI offerings.
