Farewell, regularity

A prominent analyst detailed in a recent report that the company could move into the following phase: Unpredictable software and hardware initialization cycle with a step-by-step failurewhere this or that program will be released in parts, in the form of several updates, without a fixed release window. This means we’ll no longer be doing the usual big fall launch showcasing a bunch of different products with their launch in two weeks. Apple Intelligence looks like a great early example of the company’s approach to these unstable releases.

Apple Intelligence is the company’s latest suite of AI services coming to this year’s iPhone 16 lineup, last year’s two priciest 15 Pro models, and some of its most powerful tablets and MacBook Pros.

Initially, the new operating system for smartphones was released without Apple Intelligence. The new features are still in beta and are only available to developers for testing purposes. The company will release the first wave of features in iOS 18.1, which is expected to be released on October 28. But Some of the additional and more complex features included in Apple Intelligence will be available in later updates – iOS 18.2 and above. Some of the functionality announced at the spring WWDC event could be released as early as 2025.

Apple may follow the same approach in the future. Announce products and services in advance and then take the time to launch themgradually bringing them to an ideal state. This will allow it to release fully finished and tested products and avoid errors and errors that can occur when a company is in a hurry to do everything in the time frame that the audience expects. For example, the company had previously recalled three updates (iPadOS 18, watchOS 11.1 and HomePod 18) due to various software issues.

While this approach isn’t wrong in itself, it does eliminate the hype around the product or service. This may affect product sales as some software features depend on the hardware version. Take the iPhone 16 for example. The devices were announced to support Apple Intelligence, but the service was not available even a month after the smartphones were released. This means: at least Some users haven’t bought a new phone yet because it doesn’t have AI features.

It is worth noting here that the annual iPhone release cycle will continue, as it is the company’s most popular product, but it may no longer be tied to September. Instead, the company will release new software features once at least some of them are ready. As for Mac and iPad, here the manufacturer has more room for maneuvers and it may take more time to release the finished product.

Apple Watch SE is another example of the unstable version. The device has not been updated this year, and three years have passed since the updated version was announced. Instead, the company announced a new Apple Watch Ultra, which was not previously planned.

But don’t rush to conclusions

It is not known yet what the company’s plans are, but the final say belongs to Apple. All this is just speculationand the company may take a very different approach than the one Mark Gurman describes.

With the same success, everything could remain as it is, and Apple Intelligence’s example would be extraordinary. The company did not have time to complete the AI ​​and therefore made an exception for it and is releasing it in batches.