‘Apple Intelligence’: Three things marketers need to know about the latest iPhone launch

Apple unveiled its latest hardware and software at a new ‘Glow Time’ event in Cupertino yesterday, announcing some potentially game-changing features for the way iPhone and iPad users interact with ads. 

The tech giant delivered major changes on its new phones, tablets, smartwatches and earpods – including an adaptable ‘action’ button–but for marketers it was the updates to the iOS18 operating system and Safari web browser that held the biggest significance. 

Welcome to the new era of iPhone!

Built for Apple Intelligence, the iPhone 16 lineup delivers a powerful, personal, and private experience right at your fingertips. And with the new Camera Control, you’ll never miss a moment. pic.twitter.com/zBsx9xOBl1

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 9, 2024

PMW has delved into the raft of announcements to find three things from the event that were most significant for marketers.

Distraction control

A new feature on the web browser Safari is the option to remove “distracting” items from a page. The new ‘Distraction Control’ lets users cut out pieces of a page they are not necessarily interested in, such as images or menus.

This was touted earlier in the year as an ‘ad eraser’, and more worryingly for advertisers, users can dismiss items such as pop-ups that ask users to sign up for newsletters, or auto-playing videos that load on top of other elements, which can often take the form of advertising.

Although not framed as an ‘ad blocker’, if a user harnesses Distraction Control to dismiss a pop-up asking to set preferences, or agree to cookies, the website will act as if the user never interacted with the dialogue box, which could have a huge effect on advertisers’ data.

Siri enhancements and AR updates 

Customers will benefit from AI through a smarter Siri and these enhanced features will allow Apple to seamlessly support augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences, preparing the company for future innovations in this space.

Via the iOS update, Siri can now pull from users’ text messages, meaning it can remind users of TV and music recommendations sent by friends. For example, a user can say, “Send Erica the photos from Saturday’s barbecue”, and Siri will understand which photos to send and automatically text them to the right person.

More personal AI features built in

With the new AI features, users can employ an iPhone’s camera to search the internet for things they see out in the world, similar to the flagship titles from Google Pixel 9 or the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.

For example, after clicking the camera control, a user can point the camera at a restaurant and the iPhone 16 will pull up information like reviews, the menu and how to make a reservation. It can also be used to identify things like dog breeds or landmarks and to add things to their calendar.

The phone can quickly surface old photos based on a user’s description and assist with scheduling meetings by factoring in driving time.

Additionally, the latest version of Siri can pull information collected from OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGP—with the iPhone user’s permission.

'This contrasts with some competitors'

Commenting on the launch, P.K. Kannan, Marketing Science Professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, said: “One of the most important aspects of the update is the iPhone’s privacy-protecting AI capabilities. Apple has long prided itself on safeguarding consumers’ privacy, and the on-device data processing, as Apple claims, ensures that AI functionality is delivered with customers’ data remaining entirely on their devices.

“This contrasts with some competitors, whose AI solutions may require data to be processed outside their ecosystem. Apple’s AI tools are deeply integrated into its core products through seamless hardware and software integration, enhancing the everyday user experience in a focused, efficient way.

“Unlike competitors like Google, Amazon and Microsoft, which focus on large-scale AI implementations, Apple’s AI initiative is centred on personal, everyday-use products that can resonate with consumers. Here, Apple’s AI capabilities directly touch customers in a personal way, offering significant opportunities for success and market expansion.

“Currently, AI applications are not centred on everyday consumers, but if Apple can deliver a meaningful AI experience for customers, it will go a long way establishing it firmly in the AI space.”

The update, which will add new ways to customise the iPhone’s home screen and lockscreen, arrives on 16 September.

The story first appeared on Campaign's sister publication Performance Marketing World.