In his latest Power On newsletter today, Gurman discussed the eagerly anticipated AI unveiling by Apple set for June 10, revealing that the initial features are likely to operate entirely on device. This implies that there won't be a cloud processing component for Apple's significant language model, which powers these new capabilities.
However, Gurman suggests that Apple might still offer some cloud-based AI features, potentially powered by Google's Gemini or another provider. Reports indicate that Apple has engaged in discussions with various companies, including Google, OpenAI, and Baidu from China, regarding potential partnerships in generative AI.
While iOS 18 is not anticipated to feature Apple's own ChatGPT-like chatbot, there's speculation about the integration of Gemini or another chatbot directly into the system. Additionally, there's speculation that Apple could develop its own cloud-based generative AI features in the future, supported by reports from supply chain analysts like Ming-Chi Kuo and Jeff Pu, who suggest that Apple is actively procuring AI servers.
Rumors surrounding iOS 18 suggest that it will introduce new generative AI features across various Apple applications, including Spotlight search, Siri, Safari, Shortcuts, Apple Music, Messages, Health, Numbers, Pages, and Keynote. Gurman has previously indicated that this generative AI could enhance Siri's capabilities in handling complex questions and facilitate sentence autocompletion in the Messages app.
Apple is expected to officially unveil iOS 18 and other software updates during its annual developers conference WWDC, scheduled from June 10 to June 14.