Why I Haven't Used Apple Intelligence Features on My iPhone 16 Yet
I am constantly on the lookout for tools that can enhance my productivity, even if it means spending extra to attain those benefits. It is for this reason that I invested in the iPhone 16 Pro Max when Apple Intelligence was released. I had high hopes for its AI capabilities.
Yet, the irony lies here: I haven't found a necessity to use these AI features despite them being one of the key reasons behind my upgrade from an iPhone 12 Pro Max. Even my colleague predicted rightly the impracticality of these features for me.
Privacy Concerns
Apple places a strong emphasis on privacy, touting its use of a private cloud to safeguard AI tasks. However, since I'm not substantially concerned about privacy, Apple's tighter security implementations don't add much value for me personally, especially as AI tasks still involve anonymized interactions with ChatGPT.
Writing Tools
iOS 18.1 and 18.2 brought text processing capabilities like proofreading and composing text. Although writing tools are essential, I don't find the need to write extensively on my iPhone. In professional settings, restrictions on AI-generated work mean I continue to rely on older methods.
Siri-That Seldom Assists
Despite a visual upgrade, Siri's integration with ChatGPT doesn't offer real improvement over manually using the ChatGPT app—which is far more versatile. Siri remains largely unchanged, offering little value in terms of productivity enhancements.
Notifications and Priority Email
The enhancements like Focus Mode aim to streamline notifications but risk overlooking essential alerts. I prefer manual notification management and continue using Gmail's established features for email prioritization, which remain unmatched by Apple's recent offerings.
Photo and Image Tools
Apple's offerings like Photos Clean Up and custom memory makers don't appeal to me. Tools like Photoshop meet my needs better. Similarly, AI-powered photo search is hit-or-miss, often failing to identify specifics despite notable improvements.
Novel Image Generators
Features like Image Playground and Genmoji are more whimsical than practically useful. Competing tools, though more complex, offer comprehensive capabilities beyond Apple's introductory features.
Visual Intelligence in Question
Visual Intelligence, linked with Camera Control, is merely a repackaging of existing functionality found in apps widely available even on older iPhone models. The novelty doesn't justify the exclusive tie to iPhone 16.
Concluding Thoughts
Among potential users, some may exploit a few features—perhaps for privacy or leisure. However, many functionalities seem ungenuine. Apple appears marketing-centric here, more than solution-focused, failing to truly progress beyond flashy presentation.