Apple’s most important event of the year takes place on Monday, when the company will roll out its latest iPhones and set the stage for a new artificial intelligence platform.
The event kicks off at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, on 9 September at 10am local time (7pm SAST). Apple doesn’t typically hold this event on a Monday, but the earlier timing lets the company get out ahead of an eventful Tuesday: there’s a US presidential debate that day, and the European Commission is slated to announce a decision on whether Apple has to pay US$14-billion in taxes stemming from a longstanding agreement with Ireland.
The most significant product announcement will be the iPhone 16 line, but the company is also preparing major updates to both the Apple Watch and AirPods. Apple Intelligence — a new suite of AI tools that includes an updated Siri digital assistant — also will feature prominently. The theme of the event, “It’s Glowtime”, is a reference to Siri’s new interface.
The stakes are high for Apple, which looks to prove to both consumers and Wall Street that it’s now a major player in generative AI. But the company’s AI technology is still a work in progress. Apple Intelligence has faced numerous delays, and many key features won’t arrive until next year. For now, the technology is focused on summarising messages and notifications, rather than matching the dazzling interactivity of rival systems.
Even so, Monday’s updates will breathe new life into products that sit at the heart of the Apple device line-up and generate roughly 60% of the company’s annual revenue. They also drive consumer spending on services, an increasingly vital source of sales. Apple’s finances could use the boost. The company has only just begun to emerge from its longest sales slump in decades.
Here’s everything that’s expected to be announced at Monday’s presentation…
iPhone
- In line with the past several years, Apple will introduce four new iPhone models: the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max.
- Like in 2023, the changes to the non-Pro iPhones will be minor. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will look like last year’s versions, including 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screen sizes and aluminium cases. They’ll gain faster processors and include a total of 8GB of memory (up from 6GB). That memory will help support Apple Intelligence and other features.
- Those lower-end phones will get the same Action button currently featured on the Pro models, as well as vertically stacked rear cameras that support spatial video recording — the 3D clips that can be viewed with Apple’s Vision Pro headsets.
- The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, meanwhile, will retain the iPhone 15 Pro line design save for one noticeable change: the displays. The screen sizes are increasing to 6.3 inches on the smaller model (up from 6.1 inches) and going to 6.9 inches from 6.7 inches on the Max version. While the changes represent an increase of less than 5% on both models, the shift will come with bezels that are now about a third slimmer. That should make for a sleeker overall look.
- Like the iPhone 15 Pro line, the 16 Pro models will support Apple Intelligence with the inclusion of 8GB of memory. They’ll also get speedier chips with an enhanced neural engine that Apple will say is optimised for AI.
- Both of the iPhone 16 Pro models will get camera upgrades as well, including a move to a 48-megapixel lens from a 12-megapixel one for the ultrawide-angle camera. That will match the megapixels of the standard, wide-angle camera on last year’s model. The smaller iPhone 16 Pro will also gain 5x optical zoom on the telephoto lens, up from 3x, to match the Max version.
- The most significant camera enhancement coming to both models: a dedicated, touch-sensitive button on the right side of the phone for taking photos and video. This button will be the biggest selling point for the new iPhones, other than AI. It will work similarly to a shutter button on a DSLR camera, allowing a user to lightly press it to focus on a subject and then press harder to take a picture. It will also be capacitive, allowing a user to swipe across it to move between still and video modes and zoom in and out.
- While the phones will all look mostly the same as last year, Apple is shaking up its colour palette. The Pro models will now come in a gold titanium to replace blue titanium, while the black, white and natural options will still be available. The non-Pro versions will trade in yellow for white and get new shades of green, pink and blue.
AirPods
- Apple is preparing two new AirPods models to replace the entry-level, second-generation earbuds and mid-tier, third-generation model. Both new versions will look similar to the AirPods Pro and include a new case, USB-C charging and improved audio quality.
- Apple will distinguish the two models by giving the new mid-tier version a higher-end case with a speaker — making it easier to locate with Apple’s Find My feature — as well as noise cancellation to match the AirPods Pro.
- A few weeks ago, Apple discovered a bug in the upcoming AirPods that made the earbuds quickly drain battery life. This issue was determined to be software related and resolved prior to factories shipping out the products.
- One major new feature is a bigger push into hearing health. Apple has been working to turn the AirPods into a replacement for hearing aids as well as a device for conducting hearing tests. The company is preparing to announce the enhancements — codenamed Yodel — but they’ve suffered some delays and may not be available until later.
- A new version of the AirPods Pro remains in the works, including an upgraded design and improved noise cancellation. It’s due as early as next year.
- And Apple has been working on updated AirPods Max headphones that will come in new colours and switch the Lightning connector to USB-C to comply with the latest laws from the EU. But there’s still plenty of current AirPods Max inventory on hand, suggesting that the update could be coming later.
Apple Watch
- For the first time in two years, the company is preparing to update all of its Apple Watch models at once. There will be a new low-end Apple Watch SE, a mid-level Series 10 model and an Ultra 3.
- The Apple Watch Ultra will only get minor tweaks, focusing on internal upgrades rather than outside changes.
- The biggest upgrade to the Apple Watch line will be with the Series 10 model, which marks the decade anniversary of the product’s introduction in 2014. For the first time since the Series 7, the flagship Apple Watch model will get an updated look.
- The overall design will be similar to the Apple Watch Series 9, but the company will now offer slightly larger screen-size options and the watch case itself will be noticeably thinner.
- Though new AI features are coming to the iPhone, iPad and Mac, don’t expect the watches to get major Apple Intelligence capabilities. Any AI technology will probably be tied specifically to a future health coach service.
- At the start of the year, Apple was forced to remove blood-oxygen sensing from new watches due to a lawsuit with Masimo over patents. There’s been no evidence that the feature is returning in time for the latest models, and that may affect whether users want to upgrade their existing watches to versions that won’t have the function.
- A major new health feature is coming, though: sleep apnea detection, which will build on the existing sleep tracking. This feature will attempt to determine if a wearer has sleep apnea and then suggest further testing with a medical professional. While Apple has been preparing to announce it, the enhancement may not be available on day one of the new model going on sale.
- On the other hand, while Apple aimed to bring hypertension — or high blood pressure — detection to the Apple Watch this year, signs point to that feature being delayed and no longer in the cards for an immediate release.
Other products
- Apple is working on transitioning its entire Mac line to M4 chips, starting with the MacBook Pro, Mac mini and iMac. But any Mac upgrades are likely to come at a follow-up launch — no earlier than October — rather than at the September event.
- While the company has been working on an update to the Apple TV set-top box for as early as this year, no new model has come to fruition and stable inventory of the device suggests a new version isn’t on the immediate horizon.
- A new iPhone SE with an OLED display, edge-to-edge screen and no home button is in advanced testing, but a release isn’t planned until next year. A fresh AirTag is also in development, though Apple isn’t planning a release until next year either.
- There are also new iPads in the works, including an upgraded mini version. They’re on deck for Apple’s October event alongside the M4 Macs. — (c) 2024 Bloomberg LP