Apple reportedly delays one of its most fun iPhone 16 features

With the iPhone 16 launch just hours away, some disappointing news has just emerged from a reliable source: one of the most fun new features in iOS 18, Image Playground, isn't going to be there at launch. At the very last minute Apple has reportedly decided to put it back and launch it much later, most likely in December 2024.

The news comes via Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who says that in the last few days Apple has decided to postpone more of its artificial intelligence features. While AI features are going to be a big part of the launch event, "consumers will have to wait for the best features."

Apple AI is coming... eventually

According to Gurman, Apple has decided not to put its image generation features into iOS 18.1, the first post-launch update for iOS 18. That's currently in beta for an imminent release, but Gurman's sources tell him that the features have now been put back to the iOS 18.2 release. That isn't expected until December 2024. 

The affected features include Genmoji, which can create emojis based on text prompts, and they also include Image Playground. That's one of the most fun-looking apps in iOS 18, enabling you to create entire images with the power of Apple Intelligence.

This is likely to affect what analysts call a "super cycle", which is when we all rush to buy the next big thing: without the AI features the iPhone 16 isn't a massive upgrade over the already impressive iPhone 15. Without a dramatic new design or the much-touted AI features, would-be iPhone 16 buyers may decide to wait until later this year before shelling out for a new iPhone.

And there's another big issue that's like to affect iPhone sales globally: Apple Intelligence isn't launching any time soon in the EU and in China, two absolutely massive markets for Apple; many of the features you'll see shown off at this evening's event will be exclusive to US consumers for the next few months.