Apple Intelligence, the tech giant's AI feature, was introduced in September 2024 with great promise. However, its gradual increase in presence on devices has not been without criticism.
The initial announcement required 4GB of storage, but by January 2025, that number had doubled to nearly 7GB, sparking concerns about the impact on device storage.
The Rise in Storage Needs
The increase in storage requirements began with the release of iOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2 in December 2024. These updates introduced two new AI features:
- Image Playground: A tool that generates images based on user prompts.
- Genmoji: A feature to create custom emojis.
Both features rely on on-device processing, which means the AI models that drive them are stored locally. While this improves privacy, it significantly increases storage use. To ensure smooth performance, it also limits these functions to devices running Apple's most recent chipsets, such as the M1 or A17.
Why On-Device Processing Matters
Apple's decision to execute AI tasks on the device instead of the cloud offers certain privacy benefits. However, it comes with some trade-offs. Each new feature consumes more storage, reducing users' free space over time. For those with smaller storage capacities, this may soon become a problem.
Additionally, users cannot selectively install features; they must download the entire suite of Apple Intelligence tools, even if they only plan to use a few.
User Frustrations Mount
Despite Apple's investment in AI, many users are still unimpressed. A recent survey found that 73% of iPhone owners believe Apple Intelligence adds "little to no value" to their devices.
Complaints about excessive battery consumption and poor feature functionality, like incorrect text summaries, have further fuelled dissatisfaction.
What Lies Ahead
Despite all this, Apple is showing no indication of slowing down its AI push. Upcoming updates, including a rumored AI overhaul for Siri, are expected to require even more storage.
If this demand grows, users may wonder if the benefits outweigh the costs, especially if new features are introduced without widespread enthusiasm.
Apple Intelligence offers a mixed value proposition: increased privacy via on-device processing but sacrificing significant storage space and battery life. Whether the future features will be able to change this perception remains to be seen.