Most Of Apple’s New Features Run On AI & ML. See Which One’s You Are Using

AI has become a significant part of every tech giant's pitch to consumers, even Apple.

Apple's recent announcements about iOS, iPadOS, and macOS had a number of features and updates that work on machine learning principles and AI. Here's what they are:

Facial Recognition For HomeKit: This HomeKit has smart cameras that will use photos you've tagged on your phone to identify who is knocking at your door and even announce them by name to let you know.

Native Sleep Tracking For The Apple Watch: Apple watch uses machine learning to detect your movements and identify when you're sleeping. The same technology lets the watch know when you're dancing, walking, jogging, etc.

Handwashing: The Apple Watch also comes with a new feature where it can track your handwashing activities. The sound of handwashing will start a countdown in the watch which will help you track the duration.

App Library Suggestions: A new feature has been added to the app library layout where on-device intelligence is used to show the user's apps they are likely to add next.

Translate App: Thanks to on-device machine learning, this app can work offline. It detects the language being spoken to translate the conversations in real-time.

Sound Alerts: iOS 14 announced comes with a new feature where the phone will be able to listen to sounds like doorbells, sirens, dogs barking, and babies crying.

Another AI-heavy feature on iOs is Siri, Apple's digital assistant. What these features do is show Apple's inclination towards machine learning for small conveniences that will improve the user's life. The best out of this lot is Apple's handwashing feature on the Apple watch. It uses AI to detect whether a user is scrubbing and start the timer. It's not something that people asked for, but it is a pretty useful feature. This is what Apple wants people to know the company for, delivering small conveniences that just work. It also avoids iterative updates that can fail, like Samsung Bixby.

However, there's a risk to this approach. By focussing more on small inconveniences that no one asked for, overlooking customer's needs can be a big miss, like Amazon's recent incident where it began to deliver packages inside the house. Adding facial recognition to HomeKit cameras is a convenient idea. The software will also connect itself to the HomePod to announce the guest's arrival like a butler. But will the users be okay with data from their phones being used to identify guests through third-party cameras? Although videos will be encrypted via Apple's secure video framework, it's still questionable.

Apple will have to manage this closely, to steer clear of chaos. If it can do that, the AI features have a greater chance of being the sweet thing people like. Apple needs to make sure to not take too much control out of the user's hands to provide convenience without meddling.