Tim Cook and his team may be preparing to introduce the iPhone 16 Pro with the first generation of Apple Intelligence, nearly a year after Android took the lead with Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. Yet, the real breakthrough for iOS that will make an immediate difference to Apple’s community will come from a more practical source… your MacBook Pro.
Remember that the first release of iOS 18 will not feature the backronymed Apple Intelligence features—that will hopefully come in October— but it will launch alongside this year’s macOS release. 2024’s edition is named Sonoma, and among the usual bug fixes and security updates, you will find a new feature in iPhone Mirroring. Once connected and authenticated, you will see your iPhone’s display in its window on your Mac. From here, you can use your keyboard, mouse and trackpad to work with your iPhone.
That includes all of the first- and third-party applications you have on your iPhone, as well as your notifications.
The iPhone Mirroring feature requires both iOS 18 and macOS Sonoma. This means you should be able to run this on any iPhone going back to the iPhone XR or second-generation iPhone SE and any Mac or MacBook running any Apple Silicon chipset. Curiously, any Intel-based Mac that supports the t2 security chipset will also offer the feature—a rare new feature for non-ARM laptops.
While this may be a new feature to macOS and iOS, it’s something familiar to many Android users, with several manufacturers heavily promoting the capability to share their phone and laptop; both Samsung and Honor have featured linking to Windows desktops and laptops as part of a connected lifestyle.
It looks like Tim Cook and his team are ready to catch up with the competition in more ways than one with the iPhone 16, 16 Pro, and iOS 18.
Now read why the iPhone 16 Pro may not be your best choice for an AI-powered iPhone…
