Get ready for new iPhones, AirPods, Watches, and more
It’s official: Apple’s annual September launch event is set for Monday, September 9. The tech giant confirmed the date via email invitations bearing the tagline “It’s Glowtime” (we’ve got ours), which suggests Apple Intelligence will take center stage at the Cupertino-set showcase next month.
But what else do we expect to see unveiled at this year’s Apple event? The iPhone 16 series is a shoo-in, while updates to Apple’s AirPods and Watch lines look likely, too. We’re also anticipating a host of announcements related to iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, macOS Sequoia, and tvOS 18.
Below, we’ve detailed five things we expect to see announced at the upcoming Apple event, as well as three things we almost definitely won’t see.What to expectiPhone 16 series
Apple’s September events almost always play host to the launch of a new iPhone line, and we’re expecting as much from this year’s showcase. Four iPhone 16 models are slated for release next month – specifically the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – with minor (rather than game-changing) upgrades tipped for all.
The standard iPhone 16 models are rumored to inherit the Action button from the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, while a so-called ‘Capture’ button will reportedly come to every model in the lineup. Expect the usual cocktail of Apple chipset upgrades, too, as well as new iPhone 16 colors.Apple Intelligence
As mentioned, the headline announcement of Apple’s September event will almost certainly be Apple Intelligence. The upcoming suite of AI-powered features was revealed at WWDC 2024 back in June, but we’re expecting to see it showcased on the iPhone 16 series and other compatible devices next month.
You’ll find a full list of confirmed Apple Intelligence features in our dedicated Apple Intelligence hub, but so far we know that the toolset will include a smarter Siri, text summarization, writing assistance, and generative image creation. Incidentally, Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” tagline is likely a reference to the new ‘glow’ animation that’ll appear when using Siri on Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhones.
Annoyingly, we’ve heard that Apple Intelligence could be delayed until after the initial rollout of iOS 18, with Apple reportedly keen to fine-tune its AI features before making them available to the world.
