Apple Intelligence for iPads: Enhancing Multitasking and Efficiency
With a new technological advancement on the horizon, the iPad’s multitasking features are about to evolve. Apple Intelligence is the company’s first major integration of AI software in its products, revolutionizing how users interact with their iPhones, MacBooks, and, of course, iPads.
Here’s what Apple Intelligence will bring to the table (or tablet), how it works, and where it will improve the best iPad features for productivity.
What Is Apple Intelligence?
Apple Intelligence is a new AI feature using generative models based on personal context. It will be added as an upgradable feature in October 2024 across the US. The upgrade will be for phones, tablets, and desktops, labeled differently depending on your device:
- OS 18.1,
- iPadOS 18.1
- macOS Sequoia 15.1.
You have likely heard of or experienced AI tools like Chat GPT. Similarly, Apple Intelligence will be able to perform new actions across your iPad. Far from the frightening Terminator scenarios, this Artificial Intelligence is being introduced with state-of-the-art privacy settings to help you with your day-to-day.
We will go further into scenarios and examples, but imagine for now a device that performs personally unique actions smoothly and efficiently in real-time. Whether this is dictating voice calls, giving more complex commands to Siri, or personalized email notifications based on your behavior, your iPad will be far more intuitive and helpful.
Which Devices Will Support Apple Intelligence?
As mentioned, this software update will be available across all three main types of devices: iPads, iPhones, and MacBooks. However, the Apple Intelligence upgrade can only be supported on devices with M1 chips and higher. These include:
- iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPad Pro M1 and later (starting with the 2022 model)
- iPad Air M1 and later (starting with the 2022 model)
- MacBook Air M1 and later
- MacBook Pro M1 and later
- iMac M1 and later
- Mac Mini M1 and later
- Mac Studio M1 Max and later
- Mac Pro M2 Ultra.
If you can’t wait to try out these amazing new features, go to Settings, tap Apple Intelligence & Siri, and finally select “Join the Apple Intelligence Waitlist.” This will ensure you get a notification as soon as it is ready, prompting you to update.
Enhancing Multitasking and Productivity
With a clearer view of this personal intelligence system, let's explore what unique Apple Intelligence features are coming and how this can make you more productive. The iPad is already the optimal device with its portability and seamless user experience; now, with contextual commands, your everyday tasks will be that much easier.
Writing
With a bevy of enhanced writing capabilities and incredible real-life applications, your iPad can be used in entirely new ways. With intelligence-based suggestions and capabilities, you can take control of your conversations, emails, notes, and meetings.
Writing Tools
Wherever you are working on your iPad you will now have the enhanced Writing Tools at your fingertips. This will allow you to instantly summarize large amounts of texts with a simple tap. You can also change the tone of your written text, proofread and reformat to your liking, and enjoy bold new levels of editing — even on third-party apps.
Scenario: Perhaps you are working on a big proposal and a colleague asks for the specific key points of a section sent over immediately. This can be performed and sent in mere seconds with Writing Tools. Apple Intelligence will even anticipate and suggest the contact when sending the message based on your recent back and forth conversation.
Notes and Phone
While using the Notes or Phone apps, you have the option to hit the record button. Apple Intelligence will not only transcribe the conversation it hears but will summarize and even give it a title. Now, you can get the important information from a phone call, lecture, or meeting at a glance.
Scenario: You’re attending a study group meeting, but your classmate can’t be there. You open the Notes app to record the session. Using Apple Intelligence, you now have a labeled transcript summarizing the conversation into specific topics. As you need to rush, you ask Siri to email the transcript to your classmate, close your case, and head home.
Organizing
Multitasking and organizing will hit a new level on your iPad. Apple Intelligence will not only provide options like smart email replies and summaries but also contextual app integration. This allows you to multitask with your iPad, suggesting what apps should be brought into split view or breaking lengthy emails down into their essential points.
Emails can now be summarized with a simple tap on your iPad, so you have the important information instantly. This can save a lot of time if you’re reading them on the go. Even better, you can send the perfect reply just as quickly! With Smart Reply, Apple Intelligence will break down your response into key questions and answers for you to review and hit the send button.
Scenario: You’re organizing a birthday party for your child with your to-do list, and you’re working on a fun design for the invitation on your iPad. Suddenly, you get a lengthy email from a parent with concerns about the food, entertainment, and pick-up times. Split View is immediately suggested, the email comes up, and it’s broken down into the key questions. With Smart Reply, you can answer all the relevant questions with a simple click and go back to picking the perfect color of balloons.
Focus
With the Focus feature powered by Apple Intelligence, distractions are minimized so you can stay productive on your iPad. Whether you're writing, designing, or handling complex tasks, Focus automatically filters notifications and prioritizes the apps you need. It learns from your habits and suggests custom Focus modes based on your activity, allowing you to fully concentrate on what matters most.
Scenario: You’re working on an important presentation, and Focus Mode activates, silencing non-essential notifications and highlighting only work-related apps. A quick message from a colleague appears in Split View, allowing you to address it without losing your flow so you can stay on task and finish your work uninterrupted.
Personal Assistance
Perhaps the key figure in the advent of Apple Intelligence is our favorite digital assistant, Siri. It’s difficult to say what exactly Siri will be able to do with this update as the possibilities are massive. Essentially, communicating with the AI assistant will be far more natural. It will pick up on personal context based on your recent actions, apps that you’re using, all with a far richer language model for better understanding.
As Siri will cover all apps and aspects of your iPad, it’s far clearer to provide a few more scenarios in this section to understand how multitasking and prioritization are achieved with simple commands.
Siri Scenario 1
You're finalizing your presentation and realize you need to schedule a follow-up meeting. Without pausing your work, you ask Siri to check your calendar and suggest a meeting time based on your availability. Siri processes the request instantly, knowing which time slots to prioritize based on your recent activity, and you schedule the meeting without leaving the app you're working in.
Siri Scenario 2
You’re creating a family photo album on your iPad, and you want to find pictures from last summer. Instead of manually scrolling through your library, you ask Siri, “Show me photos from last July.” Siri instantly pulls up all relevant images. Not only that, but it suggests creating a new album and even offers quick edits like cropping or enhancing specific photos, allowing you to complete the task faster without leaving your project.
Siri Scenario 3
You’re reading an article about a new vacation spot and want to bookmark flights and hotels for later. Without switching apps, you ask Siri, “Find flights to this destination.” Siri recognizes the destination mentioned on your screen and instantly pulls up flight options. It even suggests related searches, like nearby hotels or car rentals, letting you plan your trip effortlessly, all while keeping your focus on the article.
Apple Intelligence and the Apple Pencil
We’ve already seen aspects of Apple Intelligence through the Apple Pencil. With the last system update, iPadOS18, a host of new features for the Apple Pencil are already out using elements of Apple’s AI.
Related: 6 iPad Tips and Apple Pencil Tricks for the iPad Pro 12.9 5th Generation
Smart Script
The Smart Script feature elevates the handwriting experience with the Apple Pencil. Now, handwritten notes, whether in apps like Notes or directly in text fields, are recognized and converted into digital text with greater accuracy and speed. This means you can write naturally with the Pencil and seamlessly watch your scribbles transform into typed text. Apple Intelligence also analyzes your writing to suggest corrections and formatting, and you can even turn handwritten notes into actionable reminders or calendar entries.
Calculator
The iPad can now convert handwritten mathematical equations into digital form instantly. Using the Apple Pencil, users can solve complex equations by simply writing them out, and the iPad will calculate results in real time. This is particularly useful for students or professionals working on equations, as they can now solve problems faster without manually inputting numbers into a traditional calculator.
Customized Home Screens
Use your Apple Pencil to drag, resize, and arrange widgets and apps with precision, making your iPad home screen exactly how you want it. Additionally, Apple Intelligence learns from your usage patterns, suggesting widget placements or groupings based on your productivity habits. This makes navigation and multitasking even more intuitive, helping you access your most-used apps and tools with ease.
It’s Already Time to Get Excited
Looking ahead, we can anticipate even greater personalization as Apple Intelligence learns from user behavior, streamlining workflows further. Imagine a future where Siri not only assists but also anticipates your needs. With smarter tools for creativity using the Apple Pencil, the iPad will empower users to achieve more effortlessly. The future is bright, and Apple Intelligence is leading the way.