Apple Intelligence or Apple UI
When I first learned that Apple was releasing Apple Intelligence in beta as part of iOS 18, I was a bit shocked.
Apple has always struck me as a product-first company—at least, that’s how I’ve perceived it. So when the decision to release AI (Apple Intelligence) in beta was announced, I was both surprised and concerned. And that concern quickly materialized into something of a debacle. Every feature associated with Apple Intelligence became fodder for meme creators. It was just that bad.
One of the reasons I switched camps from Android to Apple was because Apple, in my eyes, prioritizes product quality. It knows how to take features and turn them into cohesive, polished experiences. With Apple Intelligence, though, I started to question whether I had made the right decision in switching.
If I wanted half-baked or cutting-edge features still in development, I would’ve just stayed with Android. Nearly every cool idea in the mobile space gets incubated in some form within the Android ecosystem. The problem is, Google’s lack of strong product management and marketing often means those features either rot or go completely unnoticed by the general user.
Take the long-press spacebar trick to move the text cursor, for instance. That was in Android long before Apple adopted it, but it wasn’t until Apple introduced it—wrapped in their typical polish—that people actually started using it widely. There are countless tiny features like that in Android that improve quality of life, but they remain hidden or underdeveloped until Apple turns them into something usable. That’s not to say Apple doesn’t innovate—they do—but their strength lies in blending innovation with product sense. And with Apple Intelligence, that blend felt like it was missing.
Naturally, when I heard that Apple was revamping its UI, I was overjoyed. Right now, using iOS falls short of the product experience I was hoping for 1.
Remember when Apple used to tell users how to use their products? Whether that was a good or bad thing, the experience felt complete and intentional.
While investors and AI enthusiasts want Apple to keep up in the AI race, I wouldn’t mind waiting a bit longer if it meant getting a better user experience. Lately, with each new release, that user experience seems to have taken a noticeable hit.
Through the lens
