Apple is expected to introduce some brand new iPads at its launch event today, May 7 – which gets underway at 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm BST (May 8 at 12am AEST). But the latest rumor is that we might also get our first look at the generative AI features Apple has been busy working on.
According to sources speaking to AppleInsider, we could get a preview of a photo editing feature known as Clean Up. As you might guess from the name, it would leverage AI smarts to remove objects from images and apply other instant edits.
The feature is apparently set to replace the Retouch tool currently available in Apple Photos for macOS – but AppleInsider understands that something similar might be coming to Photos for iPadOS too, for making AI-powered edits on the go.
It looks likely that we'll get a new Apple Pencil alongside the updated iPads today, and the report says there's a "possibility" Apple could well choose to demonstrate the capabilities of the new stylus with a little bit of AI photo editing. Alternatively, we might have to wait for WWDC 2024 in June to see the new photo editing tricks.
AI preview
As spotted by MacRumors, Apple has added an interactive eraser feature to its website to help promote the iPad launch event. You can scrub over the Apple logo with the cursor to cycle through different versions of it – which is perhaps just a bit of fun or perhaps another hint at the Clean Up tool.
There has certainly been a substantial amount of chatter from well-placed sources around the idea that today's event will feature AI demos as well as new hardware. These AI features might not all be ready to go, but they could still be mentioned.
Another rumor we've heard is that the refreshed iPad Pros for 2024 could come running Apple M4 chips – chips that haven't yet been announced. That extra on-board performance would perhaps enable generative AI features for the first time on an Apple device.
The official word is that this is going to be a "different kind of Apple event", so we're very much looking forward to what's in store: iPads, an Apple Pencil, and maybe some AI photo editing features. We'll be covering all the news and announcements as they happen, and we've got a comprehensive guide on how to watch the event.
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