Apple’s push into on-device artificial intelligence comes with a growing appetite for storage space. The tech giant has now announced that Apple Intelligence now requires 7GB of free storage on each device, nearly doubling the previous 4GB requirement.
This significant increase in storage demands might influence consumers’ buying decisions, particularly when considering base model devices. Users may need to think twice before opting for entry-level storage variants of Apple devices if they want to take advantage of the latest AI features.
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The storage bump aligns with Apple’s commitment to privacy-focused AI processing. By running AI models directly on users’ devices rather than in the cloud, Apple maintains its stance on data privacy – but at the cost of requiring more local storage space.
Recent iOS 18.2 updates have introduced several new AI-powered features, including:
- Image Playground
- Genmoji
- ChatGPT support
- Image Wand
- Additional AI capabilities
These features, while innovative, contribute to the increased storage requirements as they rely on on-device AI models.
This might not be the end, storage requirements could climb even higher with iOS 18.3 which is scheduled for release this week (following a similar timeline to the previous iOS 17.3 update).
This news comes as competitors like Samsung are reportedly developing their own advanced AI capabilities, with rumors suggesting that the upcoming Galaxy S25 will feature AI capabilities surpassing those of Apple Intelligence.
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