iOS 18 with Apple Intelligence to be exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max and newer devices

AI is now projected to become responsible for every new or improved iOS 18 bell and whistle on its WWDC 2024 debut. They are currently thought to range from the Apple equivalent of Magic Editor to an actually functional improved form of Siri; however, they might also be available to a relative handful of the current iPhone user population.

According to Bloomberg correspondent Mark Gurman, users of "the current iPhone 15 line" will find themselves locked out of the majority of the new "AI capabilities" found in iOS 18 - unless they have the Pro or Pro Max variants, of course. 

That leaves owners of the iPhone 15 (and also, presumably, its Plus counterpart) out of luck in terms of all the latest software features in the near future - not to mention those still on anything from the 14 series or its still perfectly serviceable predecessors.

The upcoming 16 series, on the other hand, is expected to have the full "suite" of "Apple Intelligence" features across the board - thereby leading to a whole new wave of artificially-generated pressure to upgrade later in 2024, as Gurman fears.