After a review period of about two weeks, the App Store sales of Pre-Babel Lens (English name) began today, April 9.
You can purchase it from the App Store. It works on iPhones and iPads with iOS 26 or later installed, and Macs with the same version of macOS installed.
The version is 0.7.0. This is the result of starting to consider the Apple Intelligence app on Mac and gradually upgrading the version. The reason why the iOS version has not been 1.0.0 since I put it on the review is because the lens is not yet attached. I started researching Apple Intelligence just two weeks ago because it was a little before this article. These days, if you have Apple Intelligence, you may be able to translate locally! I thought so.
But the road was long. There is nothing that Apple Intelligence can’t do translation apps, but it’s slow for everyday use. And it is not reliable enough to use it in an environment where communication is not possible. If the content is a little harsh, you will rely on the backup machine learning model, Apple Translation Framework (used in translation.app).The most painful thing is that I forgot the fatal environmental dependence that Apple Intelligence does not work on my iPhone SE (third generation) and rushed.
What was fatal was when I submitted 0.6.0 to Apple last week and communicated with the reviewer. If the previous Babel was the first Apple Intelligence app, there is no way to wait reasonably while installing the model.And it was pointed out that if it coincides with the first start of the Translation Framework of the backup system, users will not be able to know what they are waiting for.
That’s why we withdrew from the app centred on Apple Intelligence. I decided to use the Apple Translation Framework-based translation app. The background of that area is written here.
I’m glad I switched. LLMs like Apple Intelligence are not good at certainty, but creativity. In particular, it is much better to focus on local LLM, which is limited in functional performance – an app that uses in-terminal AI. In a deterministic program, you can identify the type and enthusiasm of the document that is difficult, write a composition, proofread it, have a supplementary explanation of a tasteless translation, and write a reply.
That’s why Apple Intelligence has retreated to an experimental translation function this time, but we plan to work as a powerful support for machine translation from now on. However, if it is the fastest and best iPhone, it may run smoothly. If that’s the case, I’ll think about it again then.
So, it’s the first app, the former Babel, appears. It’s 150 yen, which is rare these days, so please feel free to try it. When you want to translate a little tough content while travelling or travelling, it’s safe to have a local translation app.When you write a novel, you may look for expressions of things in a foreign language that you can’t tell people, but aren’t you afraid to rely on Google’s servers that control your life and death? If you work for a company, you can’t refuse a business trip. In a country with censorship, you may want to entrust a politically delicate message to someone, or you may want to make friends in a hotel where you can’t communicate with a coup one morning. In such a case, it may not be a bad idea to put in the front bavel so that your iPhone can work.
All the translation above has been done by Pre-Babel Lens.
