It's almost Glowtime as the next Apple event is coming up on September 9. And as you might expect from a bunch of tech enthusiasts, the staff at Tom's Guide is excited to see what's in store and to get our hands on the new products.
The rumors suggest we'll see the iPhone 16 series debut, including the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, as well as the Apple Watch 10, Apple Watch Ultra 3 and AirPods 4. We may even see the iPad mini 7, although there are rumblings that an iPad/Mac-focused event could be coming next month instead.
Those are all products that potential customers will be looking forward to seeing, but what specifically about them are interesting? That's what TG's staffers, with their knowledge of the current rumors and expertise on what makes a good phone, smartwatch or pair of earbuds, have helped answer below.
The new Siri had better wow
The Glowtime in the Apple invite isn't just cute. It's a direct reference to the new animation for Siri in iOS 18, which is a going to be a hallmark feature for the new iPhone 16 series. Yes, the new Siri will work with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, too, but this is the first set of iPhones that will be built from the ground up to handle Apple Intelligence.
In case you haven't been following, the new Siri is designed to be more conversational and have better contextual intelligence, so you won't have to be as specific when you ask follow up questions. And you don't have to worry if you stumble over your words; you should be able to correct yourself mid-sentence and the new Siri should be able to understand you.
However, I was not that impressed with the new Siri when I went hands-on with the iOS 18 public beta. And certain features may not come until later in the year or even next year, such as ChatGPT integration and being able to voice control various apps.
With OpenAI making a big splash with its GPT-4o Voice functionality and Google doing its own thing with Gemini Live, it's time for Apple to show that Siri has truly evolved.
I want an upgraded iPhone - but a static price
For me, the most anticipated moment of any Apple event comes just at the end, right after Tim Cook or one of his appointed surrogates finishes telling you about all the new features Apple has packed into whatever device it's unveiling that day. It's the moment when Apple flashes the price up on the screen.
All the impressive upgrades and newly added capabilities won't mean much if they're included in a device you can't afford. And so will it be with the iPhone 16. We can talk about larger displays on the Pro models and improved cameras and the upcoming Apple Intelligence features. But at the end of the day, the question on your mind is going to be the same as the one on mine: What's this going to cost me?
The good news on that front is we haven't heard strong rumors of across-the-board price hikes. There's one rumor out there about the iPhone 16 Pro costing $100 more than its predecessor, but it's a thinly sourced claim. Apple could be the first phone maker in a long time to bypass price hikes on new models altogether. And that's something my wallet would love to see.
It's about time for a big Apple Watch refresh
Apple's upcoming September 9th event coincides with the tenth anniversary of the original Apple Watch's debut and I've got a feeling that the Apple Watch Series 10 (Apple Watch X?) may steal the show from the iPhone 16 et al.
We haven't gotten a design update to Apple's main smartwatch line since the Apple Watch 7. And battery life hasn't budged from 18 hours since the original Apple Watch launched, improvements to power-saving mode aside.
Back when the first Apple Watch appeared, Barack Obama was still the president of the United States, TikTok was just a twinkle in the eye and no one knew what Pickle Ball was. However, if the latest Apple Watch 10 rumors come to fruition, we may finally see notable longevity upgrades for the first time... and more.
The Apple Watch 10 is rumored to come in a larger size, sport a slimmer case and bezel and may even boast new health monitoring tech for conditions like sleep apnea and hypertension. In short, it's likely to be the most significant improvement to the core Apple Watch series, well, perhaps ever. And I can't wait for the big reveal.
I'm Siri-ously interested in Apple's AI roadmap
Hardware aside, I'm expecting Apple to do what every tech company is doing in 2024 and talk about artificial intelligence. And specifically about its Apple Intents API, which was announced at WWDC 2024, but has largely flown under the radar since.
Large language models like ChatGPT or Google Gemini can answer all sorts of queries but they can't offer user-specific context, because they don't know the contents of your calendar, messages or which smart lights you have in your house. Apple, meanwhile, has over 2.2 billion active iPhone users worldwide, which gives the company unprecedented data access through the rest of its hardware and app ecosystem.
Imagine how useful it could be to say to Siri: "My friends are coming round at 8, order us some pizzas when they get here and play some tunes". Thanks to App Intents and all the information held on your iPhone, Siri would in theory then sync your calendar and messages through to apps like DoorDash and Spotify and order everyone's favorite pizzas and prepare a playlist in time for 8pm.
I think the iPhone 16 series won't be just another smartphone. It'll become the most effective AI tool on the market and I'm extremely curious to hear more about this on September 9.
Don't keep us waiting any longer for new AirPods
As interested as I'll be in the new iPhones we'll likely see on Monday, I am also curious about what Apple might be doing with the AirPods refresh we could also get during "It's Glowtime."
Apple doesn't update its wireless earbuds nearly as often as its other products. We've only had three generations of regular AirPods and two generations of AirPods Pro since the first AirPods appeared in 2016. So a new pair arriving is a momentous occasion in a way that the yearly iPhone/Apple Watch installment just isn't.
What's more, if the rumors are true and Apple is indeed introducing active noise canceling to the AirPods 4, then I may upgrade from my aging 1st-gen AirPods Pro rather than wait for the next Pro models to launch. Plus I'd be happy to see Apple launch a cheaper version of the AirPods as other sources have outlined. We already have an iPhone SE and an Apple Watch SE, so it's time for Apple's most popular accessory to get a more budget-friendly edition too.
This could be the iPhone Pro's year
Out of all the iPhone 16 rumors out there, I’m most looking forward to seeing the iPhone 16 Pro getting the best feature in the iPhone 15 Pro Max — a tetraprism telephoto lens that effectively would let it inherit a 5x optical zoom.
I usually prefer getting the biggest iPhone simply for the fact that they get the best cameras, but this is one of those years when both Pro models could be getting the same exact setup. This would mean that the iPhone 16 Pro would inherit the same 5x optical zoom lens that gave the iPhone 15 Pro Max a leg up over the 15 Pro.
Apart from its smaller size and potentially lower battery time, a 5x optical zoom camera in the iPhone 16 Pro would greatly increase its value over the iPhone 16 Pro Max — more so if we’ll end up seeing the same $200 spread between the two models.
I’m all for savings without sacrificing on the cameras, which is why I’m excited most about this for Apple’s event.
Make this the best iPhone for gaming yet, Apple!
The main thing I want to see at the Glowtime event are the new iPhones or, more specifically, their chipsets. We’ve heard a lot about the A18 and the A18 Pro, but alleged benchmark results on a page don't compare to seeing the device in action.
The iPhone 16 Pro promises so many hardware upgrades, from more GPU cores to more RAM and Wi-Fi 7 connections, that I can only wait to see how much better of a gaming machine it is compared to its predecessors.
The advantage that Apple has is that, for the most part, gaming phones aren’t great phones. They are great at doing what they need to, but they sacrifice other aspects to play the biggest games. So, I want to see Apple go further and really push the envelope on graphics and gaming performance with the iPhone 16 Pro series.
