Is Apple's 'Glowtime' Event All About New iPhones and AI?
Apple announced that it will host a press event at Apple Park, Cupertino, California on September 9. The company didn't detail what the event will be about, but it is expected the iPhone 16 will be unveiled then. This was also hinted in the invitation and teaser, which depicted a glowing logo with the tagline "It's Glowtime" that could reference the generative AI-powered Siri.
The event will kick off at 10:00 AM PT (1:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM CET). Apple confirmed it will stream the event across its major channels, including YouTube, where you can be notified based on your equivalent local time and the company's events page.
Similar to last year's iPhone 15 (review) event, there will also be a select number of media and personalities invited to attend the event in person and have the opportunity to get their hands on the new iPhones before the official release.
This year's iPhone debut could be all about AI
Each year, the anticipation for upcoming iPhones builds up months in advance due to leaks and rumors. It is no different this year with the iPhone 16.
It has been widely leaked the iPhone 16 will deliver some fair to modest changes and improvements compared to the iPhone 15 series. The standard iPhone 16 models are tipped to feature a redesigned camera module behind which should enable spatial video recording. As for the iPhone 16 Pro (Max), both models are touted to feature slightly larger displays and even thinner bezels than the iPhone 15 Pro (review) duo.
Generative AI tucked under Apple Intelligence will be at the forefront of these new iPhones, with some additions already previewed to developers and beta testers via iOS 18 beta. However, these AI features could most likely arrive in October via the iOS 18.1 update rather than being available at launch to users.
The new AI capabilities will be enabled by a faster and more capable Apple A18 SoC. Even so, it is rumored all iPhones will receive a larger base memory to support the resource-intensive generative AI on these iPhones.
More Apple devices coming: Apple Watch and AirPods
The new Apple Watch Series 10 and Watch Ultra 3 are also anticipated to be announced alongside the new iPhones. Similar to the handsets, the wearables may also get in on the AI action. However, it's still unclear how they will be any better compared to the Watch Series 9 (review) and Watch Ultra 2 (review).
In addition, Apple's dated AirPods 3 in-ear earbuds could also receive a refresh with the new AirPods 4. Based on rumors, there will be two variants of the AirPods 4, with one set believed to feature noise-canceling capability while the other set will not be as advanced to maintain the same affordable pricing as its predecessor.
Will there be new iPads in 2024?
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman speculated there's a chance Apple will announce a new iPad Mini tablet at the event. This is after current stocks of the iPad Mini 6 are discovered to be dwindling from stores without any new incoming supplies. Based on this, it is most likely Apple is preparing an updated iPad Mini model that could also go official at the same venue.
At the same time, it wouldn't be a surprise if Apple schedules a separate event for the new iPad launch, perhaps alongside the new M4 Macs and MacBooks.
Do you look forward to this year's iPhone 16? Perhaps you're more excited to see the new Apple smartwatches? We want to hear your thoughts in the comments.
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