Apple’s iPhone 16 is available in stores but without AI [Video]

Apple’s iPhone 16 lineup hit stores in some 60 countries Friday, but the new phones have not exactly been flying off the shelves. 

Some analysts attribute tepid demand for the new phones to the fact that they were missing a key attribute out of the box: the tech giant’s much-hyped artificial intelligence features.  

“One of the key factors for the lower-than-expected demand for the iPhone 16 Pro series is that the major selling point, Apple Intelligence, is not available at launch alongside the iPhone 16 release,” TF International Securities Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote in a blogpost. 

Despite the company’s best efforts, the launch of Apple Intelligence is more complicated and drawn out than much of the marketing surrounding it suggests. 

The new iPhones come preloaded with iOS 18, Apple’s latest software upgrade. Contrary to earlier reports, however, iOS 18 does not include artificial intelligence enhancements. Instead, Apple Intelligence will begin with iOS 18.1, …