New iPhone 18 Pro Reveal Gives Apple Intelligence Top Billing, Not Hardware

Apple announced the launch of its new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max smartphones during its special event on September 9. The showcase opened with several cinematic sequences before diving into the tech announcements. But the way that the company chose to transition to the phones was a little different from how it normally does things. Apple typically begins a new product announcement with a heavy emphasis on hardware, detailing the physical aspects of the screen, cameras, shell, and processor before getting into the nitty-gritty software details. This time, the company dove directly into Apple Intelligence and the upcoming phone's AI-based capabilities. This signaled to many that the company's priorities have largely shifted, and that it is bringing a much larger portion of its design intention to the AI software that the phones are running rather than the physical hardware of the phones themselves.

Apple's new CEO, John Ternus, opened the presentation by describing the company's intention to design these new phones to serve as personal hubs that can tie together control of apps, services, and products that iPhone users interact with in their day-to-day lives.

Apple Intelligence launched in 2024 and immediately provided a wealth of features for users to try, such as Siri 1.5, new writing tools, mail summaries, and smart replies. This new integration appears more targeted at interconnectivity of multiple services rather than simple AI assistance in a handful of apps. During this more recent Apple event, Ternus specifically called out that calendars and routines would be something that this new system would be able to control. He also took the time to remind viewers that the Apple Intelligence system runs entirely on the iPhone itself, providing an extra measure of security. He stated that while the iPhone would be the center of this new AI-powered ecosystem, other Apple devices like AirPods and Apple Watches would also be included under the system's umbrella as well.

It was only after this that the showcase moved on to discussing hardware. The video stated that there would be upgrades in the form of the A20 Pro processor that will power Apple Intelligence. Apple's Vice President of Product Marketing for AI, Lilian Rincon, stated that the phone would have access to Apple's latest on-device processing models to power Siri AI, and showcasing that certain apps such as WhatsApp and Outlook would be able to integrate with the technology. This comes after the new Siri Beta was launched back in June, which finally started to show users some of the promised capabilities that Apple first showcased with Apple Intelligence back in 2024.