Siri gets an overhaul as Apple goes all in on AI connected to ChatGPT

Apple held its annual developer’s conference on Monday, announcing new software upgrades for all of its devices. iOS, which is the operating system that runs on your iPhone, has received what can be considered the biggest upgrade to date. Apple has infused it with artificial intelligence, meaning it is now more capable and feature-rich. iOS 18 is also more customizable than ever, giving you the ability to tweak your home screen and more. Apple has also announced the macOS 15, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, and more.

GET SECURITY ALERTS, EXPERT TIPS – SIGN UP FOR KURT’S NEWSLETTER – THE CYBERGUY REPORT HERE

 

iOS 18: What’s new in the latest software

Apple has officially announced iOS 18. While the software will not be released to the public until September, it does bring some features that every iPhone user should be aware of.

The update includes new home screen customization, giving you a theming option for app icons. You can now place app icons anywhere and automatically tint icons with dark mode. You can also swap the new controls onto the lock screen, replacing the flashlight and camera icons.

The list of new iOS 18 features is long, but Apple’s new features for iMessage and texting, in general, are worth noting. The app now lets you respond to messages with any emoji or sticker, not just the old Tapbacks. You can also schedule texts, add effects, and format them with underlining, strikethrough, and more. Plus, iPhone 14 and 15 users can send messages via satellite even without Wi-Fi or cell service. iOS 18 will also add RCS, reminders integration in Calendar, an option to make your home screen icons bigger, and more.

Leave this field empty if you're human:

 

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR IPHONE & IPAD FROM MALWARE

 

‘Apple Intelligence’: All about Apple’s AI efforts

Apple has been struggling to maintain its dominance in the smartphone market, losing market share to companies like Samsung and facing significant challenges in important markets like China. However, the company’s latest AI capabilities, collectively called Apple Intelligence, might help it overcome these issues.

Apple Intelligence is a “personal intelligence” system that puts generative AI at the heart of the Apple device ecosystem. However, it only works with the latest and greatest Apple devices. To use Apple Intelligence on an iPhone, you need an iPhone 15 Pro or later. On iPads and Macs, you need at least the M1 chip.

Apple Intelligence introduces solid improvements to Siri— the virtual assistant on iPhones and iPads. The new Siri has been supercharged with AI, and it understands context, so you don’t have to repeat information. Apple says, “Siri will be able to find and understand things that it never could before.”

Siri will have on-screen awareness about what you are currently looking at, and have the ability to take in-app actions. For instance, if you are filling in a form asking for your driving license number, Siri will automatically be able to find a picture of your driving license and extract the relevant number to fill in the field on your behalf. The Cupertino company has also teamed up with OpenAI to let you use ChatGPT within Siri.

Apple Intelligence also brings new features like Writing Tools, which help you rewrite, proofread, and summarize text, and Image Playground, which lets you create images in apps such as Messages and Notes with unique styles like Sketch, Illustration, and Animation.

However, these features also encourage you to alter reality and create fake images, made-up rewrites of your own words, and encourage you to read its chosen summaries instead of the whole message sent to you.

 

TOP IPHONE CASES OF 2024  

 

macOS 15: The Mac software gets upgraded

Alongside iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, Apple has also made macOS 15 official. The new software is named after a California landmark—Sequoia. This continues Apple’s tradition, as previous versions were also named after places in California.

The new OS makes it even easier to connect your Mac and iPhone. Now, you can not only mirror your iPhone screen on your Mac but also control your iPhone directly from your Mac. You can even drag and drop between macOS apps and the iPhone screen.

Apple has also added a standalone Passwords app in macOS 15 Sequoia, so you can manage your passwords without needing third-party apps. Safari is now smarter, using AI to automatically highlight useful info like map directions or videos on a webpage. macOS 15 also gets Apple Intelligence AI features. It can generate text in apps and help you create images.

 

BEST ACCESSORIES FOR YOUR PHONE 

 

Everything else Apple announced at WWDC 2024

Apple’s WWDC 2024 was filled with new announcements. While I detailed the major stuff above, here’s everything else the company announced.

1) iPadOS 18: It shares many home screen and Control Center configurations with iOS 18. The iPad operating system has also received various enhancements to how iPad apps function, including the addition of a new calculator app, which was previously missing. In the Notes app, the Apple Pencil now offers more powerful handwriting capabilities with the Smart Script feature. If you’re not a fan of your handwriting, you can use this feature to improve its appearance.

 

2) WatchOS 11:

 

3) tvOS 18: Apple TVs have been upgraded with tvOS 18, which adds a new Insights section that includes additional information such as actor names and music titles. Apple also added support for 21:9 formatting for viewing widescreen films.

 

4) VisionOS 2:

 

Kurt’s key takeaway

Do you think smartphones and other gadgets really need AI integration? And would you splurge on the newest Apple gear just for those AI features? Let us know in the comments below.

FOR MORE OF MY SECURITY ALERTS, SUBSCRIBE TO MY FREE CYBERGUY REPORT NEWSLETTER HERE