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The Evolution of Apple Siri: iOS 18 and Beyond towards 2025

GOOVER DAILY REPORT July 14, 2024
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. Summary
  2. Announcement of Siri Updates at WWDC 2024
  3. Beta Testing and Release Timeline
  4. Key Features and Enhancements
  5. Device Compatibility and Requirements
  6. Privacy Concerns and User Control
  7. Conclusion

1. Summary

  • The report titled 'The Evolution of Apple Siri: iOS 18 and Beyond towards 2025' provides a detailed examination of the significant updates and advancements for Apple's Siri, particularly focusing on the upcoming integration of Apple Intelligence and new capabilities anticipated by 2025. Highlighted in the report are major announcements from Apple's WWDC 2024, the introduction of Apple Intelligence, ChatGPT integration, beta testing schedules, key new features, device compatibility, and privacy considerations. Notably, Siri will gain new sophisticated tasks, contextual awareness, advanced command control, and a redesigned user interface. The staged release timeline includes beta testing in January 2025 and a full public release in spring 2025, necessitating the latest Apple hardware for full functionality.

2. Announcement of Siri Updates at WWDC 2024

  • 2-1. Major upgrades for Siri announced

  • During WWDC 2024, which took place in June, Apple announced that Siri would undergo major upgrades. These upgrades will feature the integration of Apple Intelligence, aimed at significantly enhancing Siri’s capabilities. Apple confirmed that some of these features will become available in September with the iOS 18 update, while others will undergo beta testing starting January 2025, with a full roll-out planned for spring 2025.

  • 2-2. Introduction of Apple Intelligence

  • Apple revealed that Siri will leverage Apple Intelligence to perform more sophisticated tasks. Features powered by this new AI technology include opening individual documents, moving notes to different folders, sending or deleting emails, and providing article summaries. However, these functionalities will not be available until the iOS 18.4 update in spring 2025. The advanced Siri, utilizing Apple Intelligence, will initially be limited to the latest Apple devices such as iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPads and Macs with M1 chips or newer.

  • 2-3. ChatGPT integration

  • Apple has partnered with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into Siri. This collaboration aims to enhance Siri's ability to handle complex tasks and provide more sophisticated responses. With ChatGPT integration, Siri will be capable of generating content, answering complex queries, and offering advanced tech support. This feature, along with a new design that includes a glowing light around the screen edges when Siri is active, is expected to be introduced in the fall of 2024.

3. Beta Testing and Release Timeline

  • 3-1. Beta Testing in January 2025

  • During WWDC 2024, Apple announced that major upgrades to Siri would be beta tested starting January 2025. This beta will allow developers to begin experimenting with the new capabilities of Siri, powered by Apple Intelligence. According to a report by Bloomberg, the beta testing phase will serve as a critical period for fine-tuning features before public release. This timeline is consistent with the initial reports suggesting a delayed rollout of certain Siri features that were initially expected with iOS 18.

  • 3-2. Public Release in Spring 2025

  • The full public release of the new Siri features is scheduled for spring 2025, as per the reports from Bloomberg and Mark Gurman's Power On newsletter. This release will coincide with the iOS 18.4 update. Apple's careful rollout strategy indicates a focus on ensuring stability and performance of the new capabilities before making them broadly available. This planned release will include all the advanced features of Siri, providing a comprehensive upgrade to Apple's virtual assistant.

  • 3-3. iOS 18 and iOS 18.4 Release Schedule

  • Apple's WWDC 2024 highlighted that while iOS 18 will launch in fall 2024, not all Siri features will be available immediately. The initial release will include updates such as ChatGPT integration and a new design featuring a glowing border around the screen edges, expected in conjunction with the iPhone 16. The complete set of features, however, will be introduced in phases, with the significant enhancements set to roll out with iOS 18.4 in spring 2025. This staggered approach ensures that Apple can address any issues that arise during the beta testing phase.

4. Key Features and Enhancements

  • 4-1. New design and UI improvements

  • The release of iOS 18 will introduce a new user interface design for Siri. This updated design will feature colorful visual effects surrounding the device’s screen, significantly changing the visual experience for users. The new design aims to make Siri more engaging and visually appealing.

  • 4-2. Advanced command control within apps

  • Siri in iOS 18, enhanced by Apple Intelligence, will be able to interact with internal content within apps. This means Siri will offer functionalities such as email summaries and extracting specific information from apps. This advancement enables more seamless interactions and deeper integration within the Apple ecosystem.

  • 4-3. Contextual awareness and on-screen content recognition

  • Thanks to Apple Intelligence, Siri will have improved contextual awareness and on-screen content recognition capabilities. This advancement will make Siri’s responses more natural and conversational, enhancing its ability to understand and respond to user queries more effectively.

  • 4-4. Multimedia playback and email summaries

  • With the new features brought by Apple Intelligence, Siri will be able to control the playback of multimedia content on other devices. Additionally, Siri will offer functionalities like providing email summaries, making it a more versatile virtual assistant.

  • 4-5. Addition of new emojis

  • iOS 18.4 is expected to introduce new emojis as part of the system updates. Among the new emojis to be added are a harp, a radish, a fingerprint, and a sleepy face with dark circles under its eyes. These additions will enhance user expressiveness in communications.

5. Device Compatibility and Requirements

  • 5-1. Devices with A17 Pro chip or later

  • According to Apple, the new features introduced by Apple Intelligence in iOS 18 will require devices equipped with an A17 Pro chip or later. This specific requirement ensures that the new artificial intelligence functionalities operate efficiently and enhance the productivity of the device.

  • 5-2. Compatibility limited to iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and newer

  • The updates and enhancements to Siri powered by Apple Intelligence will be compatible only with the latest hardware. Specifically, users will need at least an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or newer models to access and utilize these advanced features. This also extends to iPads and Macs equipped with Apple Silicon processors.

  • 5-3. Exclusivity to Apple's latest hardware

  • The integration of Apple Intelligence into Siri signifies a significant leap in terms of AI capabilities. However, such progress comes with the stipulation that only Apple's latest hardware can support these advancements. The features, which include image generation, emoji generation (referred to as Genmoji), text summaries, writing tools, support for ChatGPT, and other AI-driven functionalities, require the processing power of A17 Pro chips or newer, thus limiting compatibility to the newest Apple devices.

6. Privacy Concerns and User Control

  • 6-1. Privacy issues with ChatGPT integration

  • The integration of ChatGPT with Siri has raised significant privacy concerns. The primary issue is the requirement for the iPhone to remain connected online to perform certain functionalities. This means tasks are executed using OpenAI servers, which raises potential privacy risks for users. Apple has acknowledged these concerns and has promised to inform users when such connections take place, emphasizing that users have control over this decision.

  • 6-2. Apple's commitment to user control and transparency

  • In light of the privacy issues, Apple has reinforced its commitment to user control and transparency. The company aims to ensure that users are always aware of when and how their data is used, particularly when connected to external servers like those of OpenAI. This approach is intended to give users the ability to make informed decisions about their privacy and usage of Siri's advanced features.

7. Conclusion

  • The advancements in Siri, leveraging Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT, promise to significantly enhance user experiences on Apple devices, offering sophisticated functionalities such as advanced command control, contextual awareness, and a visually appealing interface. However, these updates are contingent on using the latest hardware, specifically devices with at least an A17 Pro chip. Privacy concerns related to the ChatGPT integration, which requires online connections to OpenAI servers, pose potential risks that Apple has acknowledged and plans to address through transparency and user control measures. The staged rollout, starting with beta testing in January 2025 and full deployment by spring 2025, underscores Apple's commitment to delivering stable and high-performing features. Moving forward, ensuring user privacy and seamless integration of these advanced technologies will be critical for maintaining user trust and maximizing the practical applicability of these new features in everyday use.

8. Glossary

  • 8-1. Siri [Technology]

  • Siri is Apple's virtual assistant, which will see major updates through Apple Intelligence integration. Enhancements include advanced in-app commands, contextual awareness, and a redesigned interface, leveraging new hardware capabilities for an improved user experience.

  • 8-2. Apple Intelligence [Technology]

  • Apple Intelligence is a new feature set introduced by Apple to enhance Siri's capabilities. It includes functionalities such as image generation, contextual understanding, and improved in-app command processing.

  • 8-3. ChatGPT [Technology]

  • ChatGPT is an advanced AI language model developed by OpenAI. Its integration into Siri aims to provide more sophisticated responses and better user interaction, although it comes with privacy concerns that Apple needs to address.

  • 8-4. iOS 18 [Software]

  • iOS 18 is the upcoming version of Apple's mobile operating system, which will include several Siri enhancements and new features. Full deployment of these features is expected by iOS 18.4 in spring 2025.

  • 8-5. WWDC 2024 [Event]

  • WWDC 2024 is Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, where major updates for Siri, including Apple Intelligence, were announced. This event set the stage for the new features and the timeline for their rollout.

9. Source Documents