Apple Intelligence - what Macs, iPads, and iPhones are required

By Andrew Orr

After a year of speculation, Apple has unveiled Apple Intelligence. You'd better have a pretty new Mac, iPhone, or iPad to use it, though.

Apple Intelligence requires specific hardware

Announced at WWDC 2024 on Monday, Apple Intelligence is integrated into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, using Apple Silicon to process and generate language and images, automate tasks, and personal context for efficiency.

Key features include Private Cloud Compute for enhanced privacy and scaling between on-device processing and server-based models. Due to the processing power needed for such powerful artificial intelligence tasks, Apple Intelligence will require Apple Silicon, the company's custom chips.

Apple Silicon Macs provide the computational power to run sophisticated AI models that underpin Apple Intelligence features. Similarly, Apple Silicon iPads and iPhones are essential for accessing the full suite of Apple Intelligence features.

Apple Intelligence hardware requirements

These devices are equipped with powerful neural engines and advanced processing capabilities necessary for the AI-driven features of Apple Intelligence.

The Apple Silicon architecture, including the M1, M2, M3, and M4 series of chips, ensures optimal performance and efficiency for tasks such as language processing, image recognition, and real-time data analysis.