It is iPhone season again!
If you don’t know, Apple is known for releasing their new iPhone series in September, and this year, it is scheduled for Monday, September 9th at 10 AM PDT at the event called It’s Glowtime.
One thing before I move on, Apple usually holds their events on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. The last time Apple actually held an iPhone event on a Monday was in 2018 revealing the iPhone XS, XS Max, and the XR. Quite a bit ago. Maybe this Monday event has any specific reason behind it? It could be because Apple wants to have preorders start sooner for customers and get the iPhones in the hands of them sooner? Maybe a more important for this specific date is on September 9, 2014, the Apple Watch was first revealed. So, this date is the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch. Happy Birthday, Apple Watch!
What are we expecting to see at this next Apple Event? First, the promo image for the event shows a glowing Apple logo with a swirling of colors. This is a similar graphic to what Apple announced it WWDC24 this summer: Apple Intelligence. Apple Intelligence is Apple’s own AI model and features with writing tools, image generation, and a more powerful Siri interface. A focus of the event could be Apple Intelligence, as all new iPhone models are expected support it.
The new iPhones are going to be the iPhone 16 line that are expected to retain the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max namings. But, there are some differences to distinguish the models from the iPhone 15 lineup. To start with the normal iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, they are expected to adapt a similar form factor to last year’s iPhones, but now change the rear cameras to a vertical camera arrangement with a pill-shaped camera bump. This is reminiscent of the iPhone 11 and 12. The vertical alignment is because Apple wants to bring Spatial Video capture to every iPhone this year. Spatial Video is a 3D video capturing specifically made to be viewed on the Apple Vision Pro for an immersive experience. In order to make Spatial Video happen, the iPhone needs to have the wide and ultra wide side-by-side in landscape mode for the 3D video capture, which is why Apple is planning on changing the iPhone 16 models for a vertical camera alignment, reflecting of the iPhone 15 Pro’s that already have this feature.
Another feature the iPhone 16 is expected to gain is the addition of the action button in place of the mute switch. This is already present on the iPhone 15 Pro models, but it will now make its way down to the regular iPhone models. Additionally, all iPhone models are to add a new button on the right side of the phone called the Capture Button. It is located in a spot that will make it easy to press when the iPhone is in a landscape orientation. Its function is to have an easy please to take photos, videos, zoom in, and access other camera functions. There are also expected to be swiping controls for zooming in and out and for other functions. The iPhone 16’s are expected to have brighter colors, as opposed to the muted, pale colors of last years models.
The new iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to gain numerous new features over the new iPhone 16 models starting with an overall gain in size. They are presumably going to bump up to 6.3″ and 6.9″ screen sizes, as opposed to 6.1″ and 6.7″ screen sizes as last years were. They are going to have specific camera improvements like a new 48-megapixel ultra wide lens and the 5x telephoto lense coming to the iPhone 16 Pro, not just the Pro Max. Compared to the regular iPhone models, the new Pro and Pro Max are going to have a larger battery with an up to 5% battery capacity increase. The Pro colors are supposed to be similar to last year but with the addition of a new gold or bronze color in replacement for the blue color.
Other devices that may be launched at this event are a new Apple Watch lineup with Apple Watch 10 (or X), Apple Watch Ultra 3 (with a new black color), and possibly a new Apple Watch SE. AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3 might make an appearance. Something to anticipate is Apple always announces the release date for the next software releases after the event. iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, watchOS 11, and all the other operating systems are all expected to be released within the next month and are currently in beta testing.
Here’s my thoughts on the event: I am very excited for the new iPhone lineup but it seems like most of the rumors are features that we would be more-or-less expecting. I have a feeling that Apple will pull some surprises with the iPhone releases with features no one was expecting. I do question one thing with the new Capture Button. How will it work with a case on? I mean, how will the swiping for zoom-in/out work with a case function? I think Apple might have to get creative with that, or, there might have to be a hole in the side of the case for this specific button. I think also to promote Apple Intelligence, there will be some newly announced AI features only for the iPhone 16 models to entice buyers to get the latest iPhone. When I was sifting through the rumors around the Pro models, there was nothing outstandingly new only for the Pro models, but I am sure Apple will having something up its sleeve to get buyers to venture toward the higher end models. A product I would like to see updated is the iPad mini. It is currently one of the oldest Apple products around, being revealed in September 2021. Maybe a new chip with Apple Intelligence along with new color options? That’s all I really need. A product that I use everyday is the HomePod mini and I would really enjoy an update. I really like its compact design and bright colors but I would like to see some of the new AI features to make a more intuitive Siri to interact with on a daily basis, especially for a device that mainly relies on the commands from Siri. We will have to wait and see if my wishes come true next Monday!
As we look forward to Apple’s upcoming event, there are many devices and announcements to fire the enthusiasm of. With the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch adding a special touch, the event promises exciting developments across their product range. It will be intriguing to see how Apple revolutionized their products familiar enhancements with unexpected surprises, aiming to captivate both loyal and new customers. I cannot wait for the announcements coming next week!
Here’s an article where I got some information about the new iPhone 16 lineup: iPhone 16: Everything We Know | MacRumors
Here’s a quick video also from MacRumors covering what to expect at the event:
Check out this great video for some rumors of the next iPhones including iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 (something I did not cover):
And be sure to watch the event with me from Apple here:
The Apple Enthusiast 