Since the presentation of Apple Intelligence last June we have analyzed almost endlessly its possibilities of reaching countries like USA and even if an iPhone 16 without Apple Intelligence is worth it or is it better to wait for the iPhone 17 and see what happens with him. The main reason is that Apple refused to launch these functions in the European Union for legal reasons.
There’s really nothing new there, although there is There have been positive signs that it will land in 2025. All within the framework of a pact between the European Union and the competent authorities of the United Kingdom and the United States so that AI models like that of Apple can reach the old continent. Ultimately, it looks like it won’t be like that.
It’s not a definitive goodbye to Apple Intelligence in Europe, but it smells bad
First of all, it should be clarified that in no case are we experiencing a final episode in Apple’s battle against Europe. In addition, several chapters are pending on other issues, such as the ultimatum that the European Commission issued this week to make the iPhone and iPad “more interoperable”. And no, it is also not definitive that Apple Intelligence will not reach Europe.
However, the affair takes a dramatic turn over the months and events. As reported by Politico, a media specializing in news from the highest European institutions, this week we discussed this agreement announced so that foreign models of artificial intelligence can reach the old continent in accordance with the European standard already approved in this area. of artificial intelligence.
However, sources from the aforementioned media confirm that Apple refused to join these negotiations and it is not the only one. Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta or Elon Musk’s X (ex-Twitter) also stood up to the European Union commissioners.
Other large companies like OpenAI or Google sign the agreement with the European Commission
The idea of Europe is to be able to prevent problems before they arise. Therefore, they attempt to regulate issues such as privacy so that user data does not serve as a resource for big tech companies to train their advanced language models. However, for some businesses there is an undue restriction.
In this sense, Meta is the company that is most involved in this issue, leading a completely frontal position to Europe’s intentions, affirming that the decision-making of the supreme establishment is becoming “fragmented and unpredictable”, while as are accused of wanting to put an end to a technology that is already changing society by “boosting productivity”.
It should be noted that in contrast, companies such as Amazon, Google, OpenAI or Microsoft who sign the pact. At the moment, it is not clear what mechanisms the European Union will need and whether companies like Apple will be able to benefit from them later. In any case, as we indicated at the beginning, things look ugly.
Yes, we can test Apple Intelligence in USA, but with warnings
This may seem contradictory to you, but the truth is that there is a mechanism to test Apple Intelligence in USA and any other EU country. However, while it’s not complicated, it ends up being tedious. As this AI is currently only in US English (and in beta with iOS 18.1), it is necessary to have a US Apple ID, as well as to change the language of the iPhone.
This means that, for example, your Spanish Apple account is not operational on the iPhone and therefore you lose possible subscriptions linked to it such as iCloud, Apple Music and other services. Plus, of course, having to use the iPhone in English. The latter is no longer so much of a problem for those who master the language of Shakespeare, it is that the most normal thing is that our most common communications are in Spanish and we miss out on major functions of Apple Intelligence like summarizing data. texts or notifications.
Regardless, this last question will be resolved relatively soon. Although Apple Intelligence does not arrive in USA, it is confirmed that in 2025 it will be available in Spanish. Probably a Spanish oriented towards American countries that speak Spanish like Mexico, Colombia or Chile. The use of these functions will then make more sense, but again with the imposition of an Apple ID depending on the country.
There is therefore no other choice than to remain attentive to possible developments by Apple and the European Commission to resolve this conflict which, regardless of who is right, makes users the main victims. The best example is how the new iPhone 16 is dressed with Apple Intelligence as the main purchase claim and in Apple stores and Spanish-language websites there is not even the slightest reference to AI.
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