The future of Apple technology will be revealed at WWDC24, and according to reports, the future requires some hefty hardware. Apple is expected to introduce Apple Intelligence, its feature set in its operating systems that implement AI technology. Apple Intelligence is designed to do as much as it can on your device and will rely on cloud computing only when it needs to. And because AI tech is processor intensive, it means that the latest features will run only on certain devices.
Here are the hardware requirements for Apple Intelligence, as reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. This information will be updated once Apple’s announcement becomes official.
Apple AI iPhone requirements
- iPhone 15 Pro or later
Apple AI iPad requirements
- iPad Air, iPad Pro (M1, M2)
- iPad Pro (M4)
Apple AI Mac requirements
- MacBook Air/Pro (M1, M2, M3)
- iMac (M1, M3)
- Mac mini (M1, M2)
- Mac Studio (M1, M2)
- Mac Pro (M2)
What happens if your hardware does not meet the requirements?
Since these are the minimum requirements for using Apple’s AI features, we don’t know what happens if the hardware requirements have not been met. It’s also possible that some features won’t work with certain chips. Gurman reports that users will have to opt into Apple Intelligence, which makes it sound as if these features will not be on by default and won’t affect the overall experience. With that in mind, users with lesser hardware may still get new features in iOS 18 and macOS 15, just not the advanced AI ones.
What about Apple Watch?
Gurman didn’t mention the Apple Watch in his report, so it’s unclear whether the AI features will extend to watchOS 11.
Do users have to use the Apple Intelligence features?
According to Gurman, users need to opt into Apple Intelligence, which leads us to believe that users don’t have to use these features if they don’t want to.
Author: Roman Loyola, Senior Editor
Roman has covered technology since the early 1990s. His career started at MacUser, and he's worked for MacAddict, Mac|Life, and TechTV.