Apple Celebrates Diwali Early: Apple Intelligence, New iMac Released

Apple's Diwali celebrations have begun early! 

As a surprise for the Apple fanbase, the brand has rolled out the much-awaited iOS 18.1 update with the first of many Apple Intelligence features. For the uninitiated, Apple Intelligence was expected to be a part of the iPhone 16 series at its launch but Apple couldn't ready it in time!

Now, a month later, Apple starts releasing Apple Intelligence to consumers worldwide. 

However, the Apple Intelligence update is only rolling out for the US region. Everyone else has to wait! Or, you can bypass the wait by switching the region on your device to US. However, what you can't bypass is the hardware requirement! Remember that Apple Intelligence works only on select iPhones, which include the iPhone 15 Pro and the entire iPhone 16 range.

The second major announcement from Apple is the new All-in-One iMac. The all-new iMac for 2024 and beyond has been updated with the M4 chip and new colour schemes. The new iMacs with M4 are claimed to be 1.7x faster than the previous generation M1 iMacs and 1.3x faster than the outgoing M3 iMacs.

Let’s deep dive into the details of the iOS 18.1 feature and what rumours are suggesting for the rest of the iMac line-up:

iOS 18.1, Apple Intelligence and everything related

Apple showcased its latest AI features at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2024, and five months later, the company rolled out the AI update to the masses. Other than the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 series, Apple Intelligence is also available on iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1, provided that your Mac/iPad has an M1 chip or newer in it. The latest iPad Mini with the A17 Pro is the only exception here. 

With iOS 18.1, Apple has seamlessly integrated ChatGPT into Siri. The update has opened up a wealth of new writing features, including tools for proofreading, text summarisation and rewriting suggestions. Siri also has a fresh look and improved functionality—now appearing as a glowing light around the screen edges. Plus, Siri is now smarter and can be activated by simply typing “Siri,” in case you prefer not to use voice commands.

ALSO READ: All iPads With Support For Apple Intelligence, Including iPad Mini 7

Photography enthusiasts are in for a treat too! New Camera Control settings allow you to switch to the front camera on all iPhone 16 series models. Additionally, iOS 18.1 has upgraded the Photos app with smart search features—now, you can search for any photo simply by describing it.

In an exciting health-oriented update, iOS 18.1 and Apple Intelligence have introduced a new AirPods hearing test feature that can assess your hearing level, support hearing aids and offer hearing protection. However, this feature is currently limited to AirPods Pro 2.

What’s inside the new iMac M4?

Apple has also announced the updated version of iMac.

While the design remains largely unchanged, the new iMac will be equipped with Apple’s M4 chip. The M4 chip, which initially debuted on the iPad Pro, now offers up to ten cores, including four performance and six efficient cores. The graphical department has also seen a notable upgrade on the M4 with up to 10 GPU cores. The M4’s GPU is now twice as fast as the M1 GPU and offers a modest 1.1x speed improvement over the M3 for gaming performance.

ALSO READ: How to Use Apple Intelligence Features On Non-Supported Old iPhones?

Apple says that the Neural Engine, designed to accelerate machine learning tasks such as image processing, video analysis, and voice recognition, is now three times faster than the M1 iMac.

The display resolution is similar to the previous models, which is still 4.5K pixel resolution. However, users can now add nanotextured glass to reduce screen glare by paying INR 20,000 extra. The base version comes with two thunderbolts without an Ethernet port whereas the top variant comes with four thunderbolts with Ethernet port support. 

The base model includes two Thunderbolt ports but no Ethernet port, while the top-tier model comes with four Thunderbolt ports and Ethernet support. The 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera now supports Apple’s Stage feature, which crops and adjusts the frame to keep people centred—similar to the technology seen in the LG Wing’s ultra-wide camera.

The new iMacs are available in shades of green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue and silver. All iMacs come with a colour-matched Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and an optional Magic Trackpad. Apple has now updated the Magic Mouse with a universally acceptable USB-C port.

iMac M4 price in India 

The base variant of the iMac with an 8-core CPU, an 8-core GPU, 2 USB ports, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage will set you back by INR 134,900. Those opting for the second variant with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU and 4 USB ports costs INR 154,900 without accessories. The fully loaded variant with a 10-core CPU and GPU, 24GB unified memory and 512GB storage costs INR 194,900.

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