Apple’s next product launch is on September 9the company revealed Monday when it sent out invites to its Apple Park keynote. We expect the iPhone 16 series to take the spotlight, but the invite to Apple’s event could also provide some possible clues.
While this is just speculation, Apple does tend to tie in a fun thematic tie-in to their iPhone events with their invites. For example, last year’s “Wonderlust” invite featured imagery that ultimately referenced the titanium colors of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. This year’s “It’s Glowtime” tagline is surrounded by pink, purple, and blue shadow patterns that closely resemble the hues used to create the Apple Intelligence at WWDCThe glow could even refer to the new glowing border that appears when you summon the Siri assistant in iOS 18.
If that design choice for the invite was intentional, it could mean that Apple Intelligence, which Apple announced earlier this year but has yet to release, could get a spotlight alongside the iPhone 16. Apple Intelligence features include generative AI features such as GenMoji and Image Playground for creating emojis and photos respectively, as well as a new version of Siri.
If there’s a big focus on Apple Intelligence at the event, we can probably expect Apple’s suite of AI features to be available across the entire iPhone 16 lineup. But it would be interesting to see more AI on other devices too. For example, Apple’s core AirPods have not been updated since 2021 and Apple is selling its current AirPods Max headphones since 2020. Google has meanwhile announced the Pixel Buds Pro 2, which support its Gemini assistant.
The new Siri on iOS 18 has its own glow-in-the-dark edge.
And just as Google spent much of its recent Pixel event talking about how Gemini will work on its devices, we can likely expect Apple to share more about Apple Intelligence during the event. So far, we know that Apple Intelligence will power the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Apple’s iPad and Mac devices will also support Apple Intelligence, as long as they have at least an M1 processor. That includes the most recent iPad Air and iPad Pro tablets, along with MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro computers.
I’m also hoping that the “Glowtime” designation gives some hints about the iPhone 16 line itself. Perhaps we’ll see a bolder color selection for the base iPhone 16, as many of last year’s iPhone 15 models had a more subtle hue. And while Apple emphasized titanium builds on last year’s iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, those phones only came in a relatively muted color palette. In the meantime Google’s Pixel 9 Series More vibrant options like pink and green hues on both the base and Pro phones. I remember how much attention the purple iPhone 12 model got as a spring arrival a few years ago, as did the yellow iPhone 14 when that also came out a few months after the iPhone 14’s original release. It would be nice to see Apple introduce some more fluorescent options, and this year Apple didn’t release a spring iPhone 15 model in a new color.
While this is all speculation based on Apple’s invite, we’ll know more soon when Apple holds its fall event on September 9th. In the meantime, there’s enough material in this invite to keep us guessing as to what’s to come.
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