Apple's new Intelligence features will largely work on existing devices, but Apple confirmed that some capabilities require their latest hardware. Craig Federighi specified the most powerful on-device AI models will only come to their most capable systems, creating a tiered approach to AI functionality across Apple's lineup.

The WWDC announcement delivered the long-awaited natural language Siri with contextual understanding plus enhanced Visual Intelligence for cameras. Hardware requirements for premium AI include iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro, iPads with M4 chips, and Macs with M3 processors—all needing at least 12GB of memory.

Some AI capabilities, particularly image generation, will face daily usage limits due to server model dependencies. Apple indicates that increased access is available through iCloud+ subscription plans, though the company has not detailed which plans will offer additional usage.