Apple Intelligence "can't" run on an iPhone 15 (with an A16 chip) but can on an M1 chip with a much weaker NPU. The only explanation is money.

[PeLaNo]

Apple has always told us that RAM isn't important but undercut on it to the point that devices lost years of usable life, this isn't a new thing. I remember what happened with the iPhone 6 having the same amount of RAM as the iPhone 5 at a time when the iOS and apps were rapidly becoming more demanding, and when we finally got a RAM increase in the 6s it turned out to make a big difference right away. Apps reloading less often was a difference even a casual user could feel.

Haha this is so true. I remember reading about this a lot back when iPhone 6 was released.

 

[russell_314]

The engineering expertise on this forum is incredible. Apple engineers should come here regularly to take notes.

I know, right they don’t. They don’t even need to pay an engineering staff. We have so many qualified engineers and experts posting here. Apple could save millions on staff and R&D just by making a few posts here. I wonder when Tim Cook is going to figure this out.

 

[PeLaNo]

Not sure where this 8 GB memory requirement comes from, but they have a specific model for devices like older iPhones with less RAM where they use the flash memory instead. I believe there is a possibility the iPhone 15 Pro restriction is just the first step before more older iPhones get AI. We will see in due time.

Apple Develops Breakthrough Method for Running LLMs on iPhones

Apple GPT in your pocket? It could be a reality sooner than you think. Apple AI researchers say they have made a key breakthrough in deploying large...

www.macrumors.com

oooh this is interesting research. I agreed with you that this Apple Intellgence we saw at WWDC is maybe the first version. If I remember correctly the paper you mentioned was just published recently so maybe they don’t have time/priority to implement it yet(?)

Maybe with iOS 19 Apple might just say “we found a way to optimize the Apple intelligence so now it can run on iPhone 13 Pro Max (since it’s also the first one to have 6GB of RAM)

We shall see

 

[jfeathe]

oooh this is interesting research. I agreed with you that this Apple Intellgence we saw at WWDC is maybe the first version. If I remember correctly the paper you mentioned was just published recently so maybe they don’t have time/priority to implement it yet(?)

Maybe with iOS 19 Apple might just say “we found a way to optimize the Apple intelligence so now it can run on iPhone 13 Pro Max (since it’s also the first one to have 6GB of RAM)

We shall see

The iPhone 12 Pro was the first iPhone with 6GB and is the main reason why I upgraded from my reliable 6s to the 12 Pro. As redheeler mentioned above, the iPhone 6, especially the 6 plus, really struggled on 1GB of RAM. The 6s doubled that to 2GB and gave it an extremely long life. I bought the 12 Pro with the expectation that the extra bump in RAM would future-proof it and it has for the most part.

I will not upgrade to the 16 Pro if it doesn't have more than 8GB of RAM. I don't want a Pro iPhone that has just enough power to run current software. I want it to have more than enough to see it through many future software upgrades.

 

[bushman4]

It’s about the RAM as well as the SOC which give the iPad the capability to handle AI

 

[applepotato666]

Maybe with iOS 19 Apple might just say “we found a way to optimize the Apple intelligence so now it can run on iPhone 13 Pro Max (since it’s also the first one to have 6GB of RAM)

No way they’ll bring it then if they don’t now, they’re greedy like that.

 

[Ansath]

No way they’ll bring it then if they don’t now, they’re greedy like that.

With Stage Manager, after beta, it was made available for older devices, so there is precedent.

 

[applepotato666]

With Stage Manager, after beta, it was made available for older devices, so there is precedent.

Due to major backlash, which I’m sure is coming with Apple Intelligence once it’s out officially, but here I sincerely believe it’s due to RAM limitations. If they wanted to keep it exclusive they would’ve given it to M3 and M4 only on the Mac side. Doesn’t change the fact that they shipped iPhone 15 with 6GB of RAM, which is now just inexcusable and a very ugly look that makes me reconsider iPhones altogether. Especially since all of this a Google Pixel and Samsung from years ago can do (some of it locally), but those have 8GB or more at this price point.
We do have to make a lot of noise about it regardless.

 

[Ansath]

Due to major backlash, which I’m sure is coming with Apple Intelligence once it’s out officially, but here I sincerely believe it’s due to RAM limitations. If they wanted to keep it exclusive they would’ve given it to M3 and M4 only on the Mac side. Doesn’t change the fact that they shipped iPhone 15 with 6GB of RAM, which is now just inexcusable and a very ugly look that makes me reconsider iPhones altogether. Especially since all of this a Google Pixel and Samsung from years ago can do (some of it locally), but those have 8GB or more at this price point.
We do have to make a lot of noise about it regardless.

That’s assumed to be due to backlash. For all we know it was planned and the backlash coincided. Remember, even in beta, it was ropey in functionality.

 

[gwhizkids]

I am sure the suits guide more than the engineers. Apple Engineers would have ended the criminally low RAM amounts years ago.

Without the suits, there'd be no AI at all...because there'd be no Apple. The "suits" don't limit features or restrict certain parts for fun. They do it because it consumes resources, many of which need to be allocated to other important things. Someone has to apply the brakes.

 

[yrsbr]

EDIT: As @Ansath pointed out, the common factor between all AI-supporting devices is 8 GB (or more) of RAM. However, that doesn't change the fact that Apple said AI processing will often happen off-device in many cases…which means there's no good reason why older devices with almost as much RAM and more powerful NPUs shouldn't be able to use at least some AI features.

Actually, apple said most of the processing WILL happen on device and may go to encrypted servers for more complex requests. so ya ram does matter.

 

[PeLaNo]

The iPhone 12 Pro was the first iPhone with 6GB and is the main reason why I upgraded from my reliable 6s to the 12 Pro. As redheeler mentioned above, the iPhone 6, especially the 6 plus, really struggled on 1GB of RAM. The 6s doubled that to 2GB and gave it an extremely long life. I bought the 12 Pro with the expectation that the extra bump in RAM would future-proof it and it has for the most part.

I will not upgrade to the 16 Pro if it doesn't have more than 8GB of RAM. I don't want a Pro iPhone that has just enough power to run current software. I want it to have more than enough to see it through many future software upgrades.

Same here with me. I wouldn't buy iPhone with 8GB RAM anymore. Hope iPhone 17 Pro rumors are true so we get both redesign and more RAM

 

[LogicalApex]

Without the suits, there'd be no AI at all...because there'd be no Apple. The "suits" don't limit features or restrict certain parts for fun. They do it because it consumes resources, many of which need to be allocated to other important things. Someone has to apply the brakes.

The suits don't create, the suits monetize.

The RAM amounts Apple includes in their devices is pathetic by pretty much any measure. Especially as RAM prices have fallen and capacities have increased. When I built my previous Windows desktop over 5 years ago 64GB was on the higher side of RAM amounts. Now that same 64GB is nothing. The higher side is now well over 90GB of RAM as 96GB of RAM is just over $200 now... very cheap.

Apple is still doing base RAM on phones under 8GB and still selling MacBook Pro models with 8GB RAM.

It is even worse than the Intel days since the RAM on Apple Silicon Macs is "unified" meaning the RAM is shared between the GPU AND the CPU. Unlike the Intel days where the dedicated GPU had its own RAM allotment.

The Apple apologists though still say it doesn't matter because "Apple can compress things" and the "RAM is so fast it is equal to 16GB+ of non-Apple RAM"...

While at the same time now telling everyone... "Well 6GB RAM of RAM too small, but 8GB isn't too small for your MacBook Pro"... Maybe you'll get half a Safari tab open while Apple Intelligence is indexing 🤣

Apple really needs to seriously bump up RAM amounts across the board. Otherwise, this will get really sluggish or continue to impede feature growth.

 

[Ansath]

Actually, apple said most of the processing WILL happen on device and may go to encrypted servers for more complex requests. so ya ram does matter.

Correct, it’s funny how people are missing/ignoring that Apple have said main times that most will happen on device. I’ve pointed that out many times too. Anyone saying Apple have said the opposite are patently incorrect.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

Apple has made the artificial decision to limit (at least for now) their AI features to devices with certain hardware—not because it's needed to run things (since they admitted in the keynote that many AI features will do cloud processing), but because they can.

I'm sure the on-device AI features will run more smoothly on chips with larger Neural Engines, which we know the AI features primarily use. But just compare the Trillions of Operations Per Second (TOPS) figure of the M1 Pro chip (11 TOPS) vs the more powerful A16 chip in the iPhone 15 (17 TOPS) and you'll realize exactly how artificial this limitation is.

To be clear, the iPhone 15 (base) has a processor with a Neural Engine/NPU (chip designed to run AI capabilities) that is 150% more powerful than a Mac with the M1 Pro chip, and yet the Mac will be able to run Apple Intelligence features while the newer, more powerful iPhone 15 will not.

EDIT: As @Ansath pointed out, the common factor between all AI-supporting devices is 8 GB (or more) of RAM. However, that doesn't change the fact that Apple said AI processing will often happen off-device in many cases…which means there's no good reason why older devices with almost as much RAM and more powerful NPUs shouldn't be able to use at least some AI features.

RAM. It's the RAM. It isn't that hard. Apple already has money.

 

[Torty]

oooh this is interesting research. I agreed with you that this Apple Intellgence we saw at WWDC is maybe the first version. If I remember correctly the paper you mentioned was just published recently so maybe they don’t have time/priority to implement it yet(?)

Maybe with iOS 19 Apple might just say “we found a way to optimize the Apple intelligence so now it can run on iPhone 13 Pro Max (since it’s also the first one to have 6GB of RAM)

We shall see

Iphone 13P is from 2021 so when iOS19 comes out next year it's already 4 years old. Don't think this will happen. But the 13P was a better buy than the 14P or the 15. At least it did one more year.

 

[fakestrawberryflavor]

Yea, exactly. I was surprised the non-pros only had 6GB RAM last year, was poor planning/design by Apple.

Poor planning, or all by design as a strategy to have people upgrade sooner? Could be either or, or both.

 

[UliBaer]

Never assume malice if it can be explained by stupidity...

 

[twintin]

Poor planning, or all by design as a strategy to have people upgrade sooner? Could be either or, or both.

Or neither. 😊

 

[hans1972]

It is even worse than the Intel days since the RAM on Apple Silicon Macs is "unified" meaning the RAM is shared between the GPU AND the CPU. Unlike the Intel days where the dedicated GPU had its own RAM allotment.

That's good since NPU, GPU and CPU will have immediate access to the memory part of Apple Intelligence without copying back and fort between CPU memory and GPU/NPU memory.

 

[Dovahkiing]

If this is true then it's going to be a nightmare for people with the 8 GB RAM Macs who want to use these features. 8 GB is bad enough right now without a quarter of it used up by the new features. Apple's stinginess with RAM has shortened the life of a lot of devices very needlessly.

I agree - and I think this is the most convincing reason why to expect Apple to move up the base configuration to 12GB RAM for the M4 MacBook Air

 

[eltoslightfoot]

I agree - and I think this is the most convincing reason why to expect Apple to move up the base configuration to 12GB RAM for the M4 MacBook Air

That’s why I am holding off upgrading my M1 MBP 13” with 16 GB RAM. I want to get a 15” MBA, but I don’t want to pay the RAM premium if I don’t have to.