Is Apple losing its touch as Android innovation continues to grow?


Beyond the Alphabet

Android Central's LLoyd with a projection with a Google logo

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

Beyond the Alphabet is a weekly column that focuses on the tech world both inside and out of the confines of Mountain View.

Much to the chagrin of some of those in the Android space, Apple has largely been considered the “measuring stick” for both hardware and software. Arguments have been made that the likes of Xiaomi, Huawei, and Samsung, among others surpassed Apple in the hardware department long ago.

The same can’t be said about the software, despite Apple locking down iOS and iPadOS in the most frustrating ways. However, after seeing what’s happened in 2024, I can’t help but wonder if Apple lost its touch.

Over the past year, Apple has entered a new product category with the Vision Pro headset while releasing refreshes of practically every other device in its lineup. Plus, we’re expecting at least one more announcement as rumors suggest Apple has an event planned this month to unveil new Macs and hopefully a refreshed iPad Mini.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL with iPhone 15 Pro Max

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

Apple has proven that companies don’t need to reinvent the hardware wheel when releasing a refreshed device. For instance, the only major differences between the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro are a new “Camera Control” button and bezels that are ever-so-slightly slimmer than before.

The majority of the focus from Apple’s iPhone 16 event was showcasing the various AI-powered features slated to come to iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. There’s just one problem though — none of the exciting features are actually available yet. So basically, Apple just took the same approach that we used to lambast other companies in that it announced features that won’t actually be available at launch.

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iPhone 16 Pro in hand glowing

(Image credit: Apple)

Hardly any of these features were available with the final release of iOS 18, which arrived alongside the iPhone 16 series. Instead, it seems that Apple will be rolling out features in waves, starting with iOS 18.1. MacRumors laid out the rumors of when to expect features to arrive pretty well, and here’s how things are looking:

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VersionFeaturesExpected Release
iOS 18.1Writing Tools, Notification Summaries, Suggested Replies, Photos Clean Up, Memories movie creation, Phone call recording, Reduce Interruptions Focus ModeOctober 2024
iOS 18.2Image Playground, Genmoji, ChatGPT w/ Siri, Coming to More CountriesDecember 2024
iOS 18.3Bug fixes

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