It’s Glowtime on September 9 — Apple’s biggest event of the year, meant to reveal the next series of iPhones. The annual event usually turns out to be more than just a platform for the iPhone. We will probably see a new design on the Apple Watch and this is also when tech folks think we’re going to see new AirPods. And will CEO Tim Cook give us one more thing? Here are all the rumours.

Hey Siri and more

The multi-coloured Apple aura on the invitation hints at the new Apple intelligence version of Siri that’s coming to the next generation of iPhones where the assistant will glow around the screen’s border. In other words, when AI is invoked, things will get colourful. It essentially informs that this is going to be the year for Apple’s first true AI phones.

Similar to last year, the starting point for the new series will be two iPhone 16 models and two iPhone 16 Pro models… it’s more or less safe to assume that the naming strategy won’t change. The four models would probably share the same set of core new AI features that Apple previewed a few months ago with Apple Intelligence, like the brand new version of Siri, which is smarter and understands users better. It has ChatGPT integrated into it.

There’s an entirely new suite of writing tools to change the way that you compose letters and documents to make them sound more professional or friendly… all baked into the iPhone by default.
The most exciting feature for me will be the emoji generation feature. You will be able to tell your iPhone what emoji you want and it will be created on the device, there and then.

Even in the Photos app, there will be important changes, like the ability to remove unwanted objects from scenes to give pictures the cleanest look.

What’s going to make the new series special will come down to the brand new dual chips that Apple’s been reportedly working on — likely to be called A18 for the iPhone 16 and the A18 Pro for the iPhone 16 Pro. Though last year’s iPhone 15 Pro can run AI features, the new phones are going to be significantly more efficient and quick and probably way less harsh on the phone’s battery because of the new chipset.

New design, new button?

There will be plenty of changes coming with the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, besides the redesigning of the camera stack on the back to a vertical orientation. There could be an upgraded ultra-wide lens and also support for 3D spatial video capture, so if you have the Apple Vision Pro, you can watch 3D immersive videos back on that.

The mute switch may go away on the regular iPhone 16, to be replaced by the Action Button from last year’s Pro model. So you will be able to remap that to anything instead of only being a ringer or not.

That could be the first of the two new buttons on the iPhone 16. Rumour has it that Apple is adding a new dedicated button for photo and video capture, called Capture Button. It will probably be a solid-state button and will support new gestures — you will be able to long press to focus, press down to capture a photo, and you’ll be able to slide left or right to zoom in or out and you may even be able to switch between photo and video modes. The idea is to bring the best parts of a traditional digital camera down to a more tactile shooting experience on the iPhone.

The Pro gets more pro

If you want more than that, turn to the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. These could be slightly bigger than ever, increasing by maximum 0.2-inch or making the two displays 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch. The actual size of the phone may change slightly.

A slightly bigger phone may mean slightly bigger batteries. Apple may use a new stacked battery technology, which allows engineers to essentially fold more battery material up into the same spot so they can increase the physical capacity quite a bit. Rumour has it that there could be a 10 per cent year-over-year increase for the smaller iPhone 16 Pro. The batteries will have technology for better heat dissipation, giving way to longer battery life over time. We need to see if the rumour about 40W wired charging and 20W wireless (with MagSafe) is true.

The invitation for this year's Apple's September event

With the Pro models you will, of course, have better cameras. The ultra-wide camera may get the 48MP sensor, the 5X telephoto zoom lens may come down from the Pro Max to the regular Pro this year.

on your wrist

It should be a good year for the Apple Watch Series 10. The displays are going to be the largest ever, increasing in size to 45mm and 49mm. The Watch case is said to be getting thinner this year. And we have already seen that Apple has been keen on making things slimmer since the latest iPads launched earlier this year. On the inside, there will be a faster chip to ensure AI features get handled.

What about the Apple Watch Ultra? Rumours have been sparse on this front but we should get to see a new chip and new colour.

Will we get the AirPods 4?

AirPods third generation appeared in 2021. If we get AirPods 4, there will be an updated design, one that’s a cross between the current AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro that supports noise cancellation. So, AirPods 4 — again, we are just hazarding a guess about the naming — may support active noise cancellation.

One more thing?

The famous “one more thing” moment may come in the form of an updated iPad mini, which is one of the most popular Apple devices in certain user groups, especially pilots. Expect a new chip that supports all the new Apple Intelligence features.

When, when, when?

Apple’s big event is on September 9 at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, and live-streaming begins at 10.30pm IST. You will be able to watch it on the company’s official YouTube channel or on Apple TV+.