We’ve all been expecting an Apple event in September, and the technology giant just made it official. On Monday, Apple sent out invitations to guests for a special event on September 9, titled "It's Glowtime."
It’ll all kick off at 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm BST on September 9, 2024 (3am September 10 AEST), at Apple Park, but fear not if you didn’t score an invite. The event will be broadcast live, and TechRadar will be on the ground, bringing you the latest. And if you've been following rumors, that's a day earlier than the supposed leak date.
As with previous September Apple events, we’re expecting the next-generation iPhone 16 lineup, Apple Watches, and AirPods to appear during what should be a pretty jam-packed keynote. Of course, we’ll learn more about Apple Intelligence – aka the Cupertino-based giant’s flavor of AI – and its next generation of platforms like iOS and iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, macOS Sequoia, and tvOS 18.
Along with rumors about what Apple will unveil, we did our due diligence and have been dissecting the invite, complete with the hints we’ve found.
What does the invite tell us?
For "Glowtime," Apple's invite showcases the classic Apple logo with a redesigned Siri twist, as well as all the new hues of blue, purple, orange, and pink. It looks quite delightful and definitely teases the rollout and anticipated full release of Apple Intelligence.
The tagline, "It's Glowtime," hints at that as the new Siri interface basically takes over the iPhone's screen, squeezing it on the left, right, bottom, and top. You can read TechRadar's Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff's take and hands-on with the new Siri here.
Glow could also be teasing a new iPhone color, brighter screens, or even better low-light performance with the cameras. We'll unpack some of the rumors and leaks for the forthcoming iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods below, but just like September 2023’s “Wonderlust” event or May 2024’s “Let Loose” event, Apple's teasing the event pretty well.
Of course, we also learned that the event will be on September 9th, 2024, with a kick-off at the standard 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm BST, aka the classic Apple Event start time. The event will be at Apple Park, specifically the Steve Jobs Theater, but it will be live-streamed on Apple.com and the official YouTube channel. TechRadar will also be on the ground reporting live, so you'll want to stay tuned for that.
What can we expect at "It's Glowtime."
Considering we’ve been hearing rumors about the next generation of iPhones since before the iPhone 15 lineup was unveiled, we have a pretty good idea of what Apple will unveil at its September 2024 event. For starters, Apple will likely stick with four iPhone 16 models – the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. All four are expected to run Apple Intelligence, which should be a star feature.
As Apple has done in the past, the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max’s A17 Pro chip will likely trickle down to the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. This will be plenty to run Apple Intelligence, as the iOS 18.1 beta already works on the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, powering early looks at these features, including “Writing Tools” and the ability to create custom memory videos in Photos.
On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will likely get Apple’s latest iPhone silicon and be extra-speedy, potentially enabling some custom tricks. If the rumors come true, we can expect slightly larger, still buttery smooth, vibrant screens on the Pros and an extra button that is tailor-made for the camera. The cameras should be further improved with the better zoom that premiered on the 15 Pro Max, arriving on both iPhone 16 Pros, and additional improvements like a higher-megapixel ultra-wide and better low-light performance.
Beyond the iPhone, three new Apple Watches might be in store at this event. The Apple Watch will officially hit 10 with the Apple Watch Series 10, and the Ultra will now be in its third generation. Both should sport new processors, but the Series 10 might offer a more significant reason to upgrade with a larger display. There is also talk of a plastic Apple Watch SE, which could really bring the price down and make it an even more affordable option.
While we likely won’t see a successor to AirPods Pro second-gen, rumors point to new entry-level and mid-range AirPods models. These may even trickle down some of the Pro features, such as a more comfortable design and smarter listening modes, with recent reporting from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman noting that noise cancellation will be on the mid-range model.
Of course, as with Apple rumors, nothing is 100% certain until the company announces it, but luckily, we don’t have to wait much longer. Apple will officially announce all its new hardware, features, software, and services during its special event on September 9, 2024.
You’ll be able to follow along and see all the new gadgets first via the TechRadar live blog, as we’ll have boots on the ground and be able to stream the event live via Apple.
