Apple's awkward iPhone problem

• Apple unveiled its push into AI, Apple Intelligence, in June and announced new iPhones Monday.
• We still don't know when exactly the iPhone will have the much-anticipated AI features, though.
• Apple promised a beta test in October — but it's not clear what that will include.

Apple fans have been eagerly awaiting news of the new iPhone and its new AI-supporting features. But it's still not clear exactly when the handset will include the customized emojis, text summaries, and other AI-powered features that Apple has developed.

Apple touted many of said features at Monday's Glowtime event, which also featured hardware announcements ranging from an Apple Watch that can go scuba diving to a new button on the iPhone 16 that will make it easier to take good photos.

Apple users have been waiting for more details on the AI features in particular since the company unveiled Apple Intelligence in June at its WWDC event. But Monday's update actually provided little new information about when Apple would release which AI perks.

"The first set of features will be available in beta next month, with more features rolling out in the months to come," Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, said during Glowtime on Monday. Still, he didn't say exactly which features Apple is including in that first group.

And that might be a bit offputting to someone tempted to pay a punchy amount for a new phone. Apple has been betting on those AI-powered options to boost iPhone sales. The iPhone 16 starts at $799, and the iPhone 16 Plus starts at $899. Meantime, the 16 Pro starts at $999, with $1199 for the Pro Max model.

The timeline is also even longer and less certain depending on which language you speak. Federighi said next month's beta test applies to US users only. English speakers in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK will have access to the AI features in December. Users who speak Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish can expect them sometime in 2025, he added.

Still, while the timeline for when Apple's AI features will hit your devices is still fuzzy, Apple left no doubt that they are making way for them. Executives highlighted many of the Apple Intelligence features that they first teased in June, such as the AI's ability to summarize action items from emails in your inbox and generate emojis in text conversations based on users' prompts.

Apple's iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro were among Apple's other announcements during Glowtime. The two handsets include chips specifically designed for AI.

The phones are built "from the ground up" for AI and Apple Intelligence, Apple CEO Tim Cook said in opening comments at Glowtime.