After months of speculation and an agonizing wait for fans, Apple has confirmed its next unveiling event on September 9.
Dubbed ‘It’s Glowtime’, Apple will launch its next smartphone, the iPhone 16, and its several variants during the event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California.
But as the 10th anniversary of the tech giant’s first ever smartwatch approaches, it may just mark the occasion with a very special new product.
Apple is preparing to release the ‘Apple Watch X’, which could have a radical redesign, according to a leaker.
Similar to the iPhone X in 2017, which celebrated a decade of the iPhone, the Apple Watch X could mark 10 years since the world saw the first Apple Watch.
Apple is hosting an event on September 9 at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, where it is expected to unveil a range of new iPhones – and potentially a special new watch
Apple Watch
The claim comes from respected California-based Apple tipster Mark Gurman, who says Apple is ‘preparing a major update’ in his weekly newsletter.
“The Apple Watch is approaching its 10th birthday, and the company has a chance to mark the occasion,” he says.
‘With the X model, Apple designers are working on a thinner watch case and have looked into changing the way bands are attached to the device.’
Gurman also says the watch could have a bigger display and ‘other improvements under the hood’ in terms of hardware.
For example, new AI-capable chips “could lay the groundwork for some AI improvements down the road”.
But if fans are hoping the new watch will run Apple Intelligence, the upcoming suite of AI features, they should ‘reset expectations’.
Gurman says Apple Intelligence is ‘only coming to iPhone, iPad and Mac’ for now, followed by Vision Pro, Apple’s £3,500 headset.
Pictured, the Apple Watch Series 9, which was first released last September alongside the iPhone 15
The very first Apple Watch was unveiled by Apple CEO Tim Cook in September 2014 at the same press event where the iPhone 6 was presented.
Calling it ‘the most personal device we’ve ever created’, Cook added: ‘We set out to make the best watch in the world – one that’s accurate.’
But it didn’t go on sale until the following April, so there’s a chance this special ‘Watch X’ model could follow a similar timeline.
All should be revealed at the ‘It’s Glowtime’ reveal event in September, which will take place on a Monday this year instead of a Tuesday as in September.
On its website, Apple’s eye-catching invitation features the classic Apple logo with a redesigned twist – with swirling shades of blue, purple, orange and pink.
Apple’s invitation includes the classic Apple logo with a redesigned twist. An animation on its website sees the logo swirl between shades of blue, purple, orange and pink, apparently in reference to the ‘It’s Glowtime’ tagline
It is expected that the main focus of the event will be four new iPhone 16 models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, in a variety of colors.
The iPhone 16 is expected to have a new button located on the right side, which could be a game-changer for selfie fans.
And according to MacRumours, the screen size of the two Pro models – the two most expensive options – will be larger compared to the iPhone 15 equivalents.
An expert has claimed that the tech giant’s new AI platform, known as Apple Intelligence, could be delayed until at least October – a month after the iPhone 16 hits the market.
What is Apple Intelligence?
At its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), Apple ushered in a new era of technology called ‘Apple Intelligence’.
Apple Intelligence is essentially a clever brand name for Apple’s newfound focus on artificial intelligence, sparked by the massive success of the ChatGPT chatbot 18 months ago.
The tech giant reverently announced Apple Intelligence as ‘the personal intelligence system that combines the power of generative models with personal context to deliver intelligence’.
To put it more simply, it’s an umbrella term for all the jobs AI will be able to do on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac computer — as long as it has the upcoming iOS 18 software and an all-important AI chip inside in the unit.
The biggest part of Apple Intelligence is definitely the integration of OpenAI’s very popular chatbot ChatGPT with Siri, Apple’s built-in virtual assistant.
iOS 18 users will be prompted before sending questions to ChatGPT, along with any documents or images, and Siri will then present the answer
Before WWDC, Apple was rumored to be creating its own AI chatbot to compete with ChatGPT, but instead it has teamed up with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT to Apple devices.
It also includes tools like AI-generated emoji, an image generator, and a ‘cleanup’ tool that makes subtle edits to photos.
According to Apple’s website, Apple Intelligence requires an updated AI chip in a device to run — A17 Pro (in iPhones) or M1 or later (in iPads and Macs).
Therefore, the only two iPhones that get Apple Intelligence are the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max – but not the iPhone 15 standard version.
Although it will be available on the upcoming iPhone 16, an expert has claimed that Apple Intelligence could be delayed until at least October – a month after the iPhone 16 hits the market.