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'Last iPhone I own': Metro Vancouverites react to Apple's new iOS 18 features

Billionaire Elon Musk said he would ban Apple devices at his companies if Apple integrated OpenAI at the OS level.  
Elana Shepert
Elana Shepert
woman-shocked-looking-at-her-phone
Metro Vancouver, B.C. locals have chimed in regarding the new Apple iPhone update including Chapt GPT of Open AI to improve Siri. The iOS 18 release is slated to arrive in the fall.Photo: Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Metro Vancouverites have mixed feelings about Apple's new iOS 18 features coming this fall.

Apple's free software update will feature AI technology called "Apple Intelligence," designed to improve user experience. 

The company is leaning on ChatGPT, made by the San Francisco startup OpenAI, to make its often-bumbling virtual assistant Siri smarter and more helpful.

Siri's optional gateway to ChatGPT will be free to all iPhone users and made available on other Apple products once the option is baked into the next generation of Apple's operating systems. ChatGPT subscribers are supposed to be able to easily sync their existing accounts when using the iPhone, and should get more advanced features than free users would.

Other iOS 18 features include text scheduling, more options to reorganize apps, a new dedicated passwords app, a new dark mode tint, and a series of animated tap backs to allow users to instantly reply with any emoji or sticker.

Billionaire Elon Musk wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he would ban Apple devices at his companies if Apple integrated OpenAI at the OS level.  

A Vancouver-based X-user commented on Musk's remarks, noting that people might be intrigued by the new features and overlook privacy concerns.

Vancouverite Rob Monte also doesn't feel as optimistic about the significant merger with Apple and Microsoft's ChatGPT, noting that he won't buy another Apple product. 

"My iPhone 14 Pro Max last iPhone I own," he said. 

But some people feel excited about the merger.

Some Metro Vancouver iPhone users are excited about new iOS 18 features

Local Jay Brody says the AI-packed updates will "give Open AI the mass adoption it needs to grow," adding that "eventually our Moms will be comfortable using A.I." 

Stewart Lynch is excited about Apple's new "mirroring" feature, allowing users to sit at their Mac computer and have their iPhone on the screen to work with it.

"The phone doesn’t have to be in the same room and your interactions on the Mac are not displayed on the phone screen," he mentions.

Other locals are excited about new features like the adjustable torch light, allowing users to adjust the width and intensity of the built-in flashlight. 

With files from the Canadian Press