iPhone 16: What to expect from Apple's 'Glowtime' event and why its AI isn't coming to Europe yet
Apple is widely expected to reveal on Monday the much anticipated iPhone 16, which is tipped to break new ground as the company unveils its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
The event - its biggest annual product launch - will feature the tagline "It’s Glowtime," which will display the Apple logo surrounded by a colourful aura, hinting at possible new colours for the iPhone and its other products.
The autumn event has become one of the most important events for Apple. It will take place in a Cupertino, California, auditorium named after Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who pulled out the first iPhone in 2007 and waved it like a magic wand while predicting it would reshape society.
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Apple has sold billions of iPhones since then.
But in the past decade, there have been mostly minor upgrades from one model to the next - a factor that has caused people to hold off on buying a new iPhone and led to a recent slump in sales of Apple's marquee product.
The iPhone 16 is generating a significant buzz because it is the first model to be tailored specifically for AI, a technology that is expected to trigger the biggest revolution in the industry since Jobs thrust Apple into the smartphone market 17 years ago.
What is Apple Intelligence?
At Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, the company announced that it would launch a partnership with OpenAI to merge ChatGPT technology with Apple’s Sisi voice assistant.
This could see an improved Siri and allow customers to create emojis on the fly.
Most of Apple's AI tasks will be performed on the iPhone itself instead of remote data centres - a distinction that requires a special processor within the forthcoming models and the current high-end iPhone 15s that came out a year ago.
The company also unveiled its plans for "Apple Intelligence," which would train software iOS, iPadOS, and macOS on small models, rather than the bigger models used by services such as Google Gemini or ChatGPT.
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How long until Apple Intelligence is deployed?
According to Bloomberg, Apple will release Apple Intelligence as part of a software update in October, giving developers more time to test out and build apps for the platform.
But Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also said other Apple Intelligence features may not land on users’ iPhones until early 2025.
Apple Intelligence also will not be available in the European Union, due to regulatory concerns. In June, Apple cited its worries over not being compliant with Europe’s Digital Market’s act.
Its Monday event comes one day ahead of an important decision by the European Commission which may see the company face its biggest fine.
In 2018, the European Commission alleged that Apple and Ireland worked together to help Apple dodge corporate taxes on more than $100 billion (€90 billion) generated in Europe between 2004 and 2014.
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The Commission hit Apple with a bill of almost $14 billion (€12 billion) on what it said were unpaid taxes. Until now, that penalty has been in escrow.
The Apple event is usually on a Tuesday or Wednesday. The possible clash with the Commission could be a reason for shifting the event to a Monday as could the US presidential debate on Tuesday. However, the reason for the change has not been officially revealed.
What else can we expect?
The event will not just be about AI.
Apple is widely expected to debut four new iPhones, a tenth-anniversary edition of the Apple Watch and new AirPods.
Further surprises are expected as always at the Apple event.
You can watch the event at 19.00 CET on the Apple website.
