My 'dated' iPhone 13 won't get Apple Intelligence, but Windows 11 can, thanks to Microsoft's only authorized third-party solution for MacBooks

AI laptop
(Image credit: Getty Images | Vanchaichana)

What you need to know

  • Parallels Desktop 20 recently shipped fully optimized for macOS Sequoia.
  • It supports signing in with your Apple ID within the macOS Sequoia virtual machine.
  • Parallels is also expected to bring Apple Intelligence to Windows when macOS Sequoia 15.1 is released. 

Apple can be considered a late bloomer in the AI landscape, but the iPhone maker has quickly picked up the slack following the announcement of its AI strategy across its tech stack in June — Apple Intelligence. Its debut in the AI landscape rapidly propelled its market valuation well beyond $3 trillion, briefly allowing it to reclaim the world's most valuable company crown from Microsoft and NVIDIA.

Admittedly, Apple has had a rough year, especially with the decline in iPhone sales in the Chinese market and its seemingly failed venture in the virtual reality space with its exorbitantly priced Vision Pro headset

With the recent launch of the iPhone 16 series and the broad availability of its AI-powered iOS 18 and macOS 15 Sequoia software updates, the company may be well on its way to gaining some ground against its competitors. 

Incidentally, Parallels Desktop 20 just shipped and is fully optimized for macOS Sequoia. It ships with several improvements and enhancements, including signing in with your Apple ID within the macOS Sequoia virtual machine. For context, Parallels Desktop is a platform designed to allow Mac users to run Linux or Windows on their devices.

Parallels Desktop 19 | $99.99 / year at Alludo

Parallels Desktop 19 | $99.99 / year at Alludo

Parallels Desktop allows you to run virtualized versions of Windows and Linux on Macs. With it, you can run over 200,000 Windows applications on your Mac side-by-side with your favorite macOS apps. Now, you can use Parallels Desktop on Macs with M3 processors.

Parallels is expected to get another update soon, allowing users to leverage Apple's AI-powered Writing Tools on Windows. Perhaps more interesting, Parallels will bring Apple Intelligence to Windows via a future update when macOS Sequoia 15.1 ships.

Read more: OpenAI ships ChatGPT to Mac, snubbing Windows

As you may know, Apple has set the system requirements bar for Apple Intelligence high. As our sister site iMore notes, Apple recently discontinued the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The company previously set the threshold for accessing Apple Intelligence from the iPhone 15 Pro or later. This decision means you'll have to dig deeper into your pockets to buy its new range of phones (the iPhone 16 series) to access Apple Intelligence.

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Kevin Okemwa
Contributor

Kevin Okemwa is a seasoned tech journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya with lots of experience covering the latest trends and developments in the industry at Windows Central. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for detail, he has written for leading publications such as OnMSFT, MakeUseOf, and Windows Report, providing insightful analysis and breaking news on everything revolving around the Microsoft ecosystem. You'll also catch him occasionally contributing at iMore about Apple and AI. While AFK and not busy following the ever-emerging trends in tech, you can find him exploring the world or listening to music.