Apple’s new AI tools stand out from the competition by being partially executed locally. But this choice comes at a price for storage, and the latter is now known: 4 GB minimum.
Source : Apple
We finally know how much space Apple Intelligence will eat up on compatible iPhones. In a press release published alongside the latest iOS beta (and spotted par 9to5Mac), Apple has given a little more information on the subject. According to the brand, you will need at least 4 GB of free space to start using the AI features.
Oddly enough, Apple specifies that this limit mainly concerns iPhones. Macs and iPads compatible with Apple Intelligence are not entitled to any numerical estimate of the space that these tools will take up. No doubt the space required on tablets and computers will not be radically different, but the manufacturer does not specify this.
4GB minimum, more soon
Be careful, the 4 GB is only a starting point. As it is written in the small print at the bottom of Apple’s page, “Storage requirements for local Apple Intelligence features will increase as features are rolled out.» In short, the next iOS system images are likely to weigh much more than before. If your iPhone is already full to bursting, you will have to think about making some space to carry out the next updates.
Making AI cats takes up space // Source: Apple
While most iPhones sold today have at least 128GB of storage, which should make that constraint easier to meet, looking back, it’s amazing how far Apple’s phones have come in 17 short years.
3% of the storage installed on current iPhones
Apple Intelligence models take up as much space as the entire memory present on the iPhone 2G. The base model of the very first Apple phone was in fact equipped with only 4 GB of storage. At the time, the mobile was also not made for downloading applications, which partly explains this choice. The iPhone 3GS will redress the bar with 8 GB of minimum storage.
To go further
How to easily free up space on your iPhone or iPad
On the “classic” iPhones sold today, these 4 GB represent only 3 small percent of the installed storage (not counting the system partition which also eats up space). Let’s hope, however, that on the next iPhone SE Apple increases the storage capacity, because if the device is really designed to run Apple Intelligence, the 64 GB of storage currently available on this range risks being quickly filled.
