Apple's 'Glowtime' Event: Hints at AI-Focused iPhone 16 and iOS 18

iPhone 16 'It's Glowtime' event hints at major Apple Intelligence focus - 9to5Mac

Apple has officially confirmed its iPhone 16 event for Monday, September 9. The 'It's Glowtime' event also came with a revealing press invite and animation. While some invites carry minimal secret meaning, this latest release is giving strong Apple Intelligence vibes. Here's why. Apple's iPhone 16 lineup is expected to include four different models: Although this kind of lineup has become the norm in recent years, one big change coming with the iPhone 16 involves its chip. With recent iPhone launches, Apple has included a brand new chip in its Pro-level phones, but not the two cheaper models. Instead, the base model and Plus have received the prior year's Pro-level chip. Essentially, Apple gives the year-old Pro chip to its more affordable siblings. This year that's changing though, with the entire iPhone 16 lineup expected to receive A18-class chips. Apple's A18 chip is expected to include a significantly better Neural Engine than its predecessors. The perfect upgrade for Apple Intelligence. And the 'It's Glowtime' event animation and invite seems to confirm that Apple will be pushing AI heavily in its September 9 presentation. The reference to 'Glowtime' is clearly a play on 'Showtime.' And the animation represents the beautiful glowing colors of the new Siri with Apple Intelligence. Siri's new UI with Apple Intelligence is that of a soft, colorful glow around the borders of the iPhone. And unless you have an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max (the only current iPhones compatible with Apple Intelligence), you won't get that new, glowing Siri. But every new iPhone debuting at the 'It's Glowtime' event will. The iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max will all be getting the new Siri. Or at least, they will when iOS 18.1 launches with Apple Intelligence in October. Due to Apple Intelligence getting delayed out of the initial iOS 18.0 release, new iPhone buyers won't quite get to enjoy 'glowtime' until a later software update. Do you expect to see an Apple Intelligence focus at the iPhone event? Are we reading into things too much? Let us know in the comments.

Apple September Event: Could the Invite Hint at More Apple Intelligence?

Expertise Phones |Texting apps | iOS | Android | Smartwatches | Fitness trackers | Mobile accessories | Gaming phones | Budget phones | Toys | Star Wars | Marvel | Power Rangers | DC | Mobile accessibility | iMessage | WhatsApp | Signal | RCS Apple's next product launch is coming up on Sept. 9, the company revealed on Monday when it sent out invites to its Apple Park keynote. We're expecting the iPhone 16 lineup to take the spotlight, but Apple's event invite might also reveal some potential clues. While this is just speculation, Apple does tend to provide a fun thematic tie-in to their iPhone events with their invites. For instance, last year's "Wonderlust" invite included imagery that eventually 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 shady patterns that look very similar to the color tones used to introduce Apple Intelligence at WWDC. The 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 Apple Intelligence, which Apple announced earlier this year but has yet to release, may be featured in the spotlight alongside the iPhone 16. Apple Intelligence features include generative AI features like GenMoji and Image Playground for creating emoji and photos respectively, as well as a new version of Siri. If there's a big focus on Apple Intelligence during the event, we can likely expect Apple's suite of AI features to be available across the iPhone 16 lineup. But it would be interesting to see more AI on other devices too. For instance, Apple's base AirPods haven't been updated since 2021, and Apple has been selling its current AirPods Max headphones since 2020. Google, meanwhile, just announced the Pixel Buds Pro 2 which supports its Gemini assistant. And just like how Google spent much of its recent Pixel event talking about how Gemini works on its devices, we can probably expect Apple to share more about Apple Intelligence during the event. So far, we know Apple Intelligence will run on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Apple's iPad and Mac devices will also support Apple Intelligence as long as they include at least an M1 processor. These include most recent iPad Air and iPad Pro tablets along with MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac Studio and Mac Pro computers. I also hope that the "Glowtime" signifier might provide some hints about the iPhone 16 line itself. Perhaps we'll see a bolder choice of colors for the base iPhone 16, since many of last year's iPhone 15 models had a more subtle color tone. And while Apple emphasized the titanium builds on last year's iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, those phones are only available in a relatively muted range of colors. Meanwhile Google's Pixel 9 series include more vibrant options like pink and green shades across both its base and Pro phones. I remember how much attention the purple model of the iPhone 12 got a few years ago as a spring arrival, as did the yellow iPhone 14 when it also arrived several months after the iPhone 14's original release. It'd be nice to see Apple bring in some more fluorescent options, and this year Apple did not release a spring iPhone 15 model in a new color. While this is all speculation off of Apple's invite, we'll know more soon once Apple holds its fall event on Sept. 9. In the meantime, there's plenty of material inside this invite to keep us guessing what's to come.

I gave Google Gemini a picture of Apple's Glowtime invite -- here's what it thinks we'll get at the Apple event

The countdown has begun now that Apple has officially sent out invites for its September 9 event, where we'll presumably get our first introduction to the entire iPhone 16 lineup among other devices. Apple invites are often scrutinized more than others, so while I have my own thoughts and ideas of what the company could announce, I ended up asking my little friend in my pocket -- the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. Lately I've been using Google Gemini for all sorts of things, which I'm increasingly finding to be a huge asset in many different ways. Gemini on board the Pixel is one of the many AI features that accompanies the new phones, which I explain in my Piel 9 Pro XL review, is one of the best phones around that showcases the depth and helpfulness of AI. When the Apple event invite finally hit my inbox, however, I decided to ask my new AI friend to help me uncover what Apple could be expected to show off at its Glowtime event in two weeks' time. While Gemini doesn't explicitly detail what devices we could be getting, I'm really surprised by what the AI assistant conjures up based on all the clues in the invite. Here's everything it came up with. There's something polarizing about the teaser image Apple uses for its invite, which shows the Apple logo in various neon hues on top of one another. Google Gemini interprets this as "brighter, more vibrant screens" that could perhaps be related to new materials and display technologies. One of the biggest iPhone 16 rumors so far hint at larger screens for the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, with each potentially moving up to 6.3 and 6.9-inch displays. While this upgrade is great, I think Google Gemini could be going in the right direction about brighter screens. That's because the Pixel 9 Pro XL recently set the record in Tom's Guide's testing for having the brightest screen ever in a phone, with a whopping peak brightness of 2,469 nits. Given how the iPhone 15 Pro Max previously topped out at 1,550 nits, it adds a lot more pressure for the iPhone 16 Pro Max to not fall short in this area. This one's interesting because this could apply to a broad range of devices. Google Gemini suggests that we could get "new devices with always-on displays or ambient light features." My best guess would be that the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus could finally be upgraded with always-on displays, much like what we've been getting with the Pro models. This could make the standard models more effective with StandBy Mode if they're paired with one of the best MagSafe chargers. Meanwhile, this could also pertain to the Apple Watch -- specifically the rumored next-generation SE model. Rumors have been light so far for this budget friendly smartwatch, which will reportedly ditch the metal frame in favor of a plastic one. Naturally, this would be seen as a downgrade, but if the Apple Watch SE were to gain an always-on display, it could be a worthwhile trade-off. The last thing Google Gemini suggests by analyzing the image in the invite is that we could see improvements in low-light photography or videography. This one's a no-brainer considering how each iterative iPhone keeps on getting better cameras, and as a result, they frequently make it into our best camera phone list. Rumors have previously hinted that the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max would have a 1/1.14-inch main sensor, which would be bigger than the 1/1.28-inch sensor in the iPhone 15 Pro. With a larger sensor in place, this would allow for more light to hit the sensor -- resulting in sharper images under low light conditions. However, I'd be more excited about this working effectively with videography as Google Gemini suggests, seeing that it takes more than a larger sensor to improve the quality of video recordings. Apple could follow Google's lead in somehow offering its own version of Night Sight Video with the Pixel 9 Pro XL's Video Boost mode, which relies on cloud processing to draw out details with low-light video. I'm eager to see if Google Gemini's predictions turn out accurate. But there's still more to infer from the invite details that the AI-powered assistant doesn't cough up. For example, last year's Wonderlust event invite showed off the Apple logo appearing to be dusted like at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. The color of the Apple logo matches up to the new Titanium Blue colorway introduced by the new iPhone 16 Pro models, so this Glowtime teaser could also be showcasing new color options for the devices it introduces. Additionally, the subtle outline glow of the teaser image reminds me of the new Siri animation with Apple Intelligence. Instead of a simple icon at the bottom of the screen to indicate Siri, there's now this neat light up animation that goes around the entire display. Perhaps this new Siri with Apple Intelligence will be the halo feature that binds everything together? Luckily it won't be long before we know with certainty knowing that two weeks will be here in no time.

Apple's Glowtime event creates big expectations - will it deliver?

The iPhone 16 line-up will be unveiled on Monday, and Apple's Glowtime event name and graphics seem to be pretty clear pointers to a focus on Apple Intelligence. Anyone who is running the current iOS 18.1 beta will have instantly recognised the event graphics as replicating the colorful glow seen when using Siri. The problem for Apple, however, is that the cool animation is almost the only thing that's new about Siri, and that isn't going to change for quite some time ... If you're not currently using the beta, you've probably still seen video footage of the new Siri animation. But as both Fernando and myself noted, while invoking Siri looks completely different, the actual performance isn't very different at all. I suggested at the time that this could create unrealistic expectations. First, I absolutely love the new UI. It's honestly one of the most beautiful pieces of software design I've seen in a long time. However ... It's also confusing. We're seeing a brand new animation for what is, currently, mostly the old Siri. Effectively the UI change appears to signal a big change, but only delivers a small one. It would be far better, in my view, for the new UI to wait for the full capabilities of the new Siri. To be fair to Apple, the Apple Intelligence features we've been able to test so far do represent a solid start. Siri doesn't yet have many new capabilities, but it is way better at handling verbal stumbles, and it's now great at answering support questions about Apple products. The new writing tools seriously impressed me; the call transcription tools far less so, but I'm sure these will improve rapidly. If Apple weren't going all-in on Apple Intelligence in the keynote, the limited features iPhone owners will get at the launch of the iPhone 16 line-up wouldn't be such an issue. It would be fine to point to cool new hardware features, and note that the phones will get smarter over time. But there don't seem to be many other ways to interpret the event name and graphics. If Apple were going to do something wild, like introducing a glowing Apple logo on the back of the iPhone like MacBooks of old, it's hard to imagine that wouldn't have leaked by now. (Though full marks to Apple if it has managed to keep that secret!) So assuming we're not all missing something, and the event does rely heavily on previewing Apple Intelligence, the company is going to have to manage expectations very carefully. Else a lot of people are going to unbox their shiny new iPhone 16, find that it doesn't look notably different to the iPhone 15, and doesn't behave significantly differently - then wonder what it is they're getting for their money. We haven't yet seen any clues to significant new camera functionality in the iPhone 16 line-up, nor anything dramatic in the way of AI features. While the new Photos app claims to be smarter, in my experiences the differences aren't huge, and the new AI memories feature isn't yet generating worthwhile results. But computational photography is one area where Apple has been using machine learning for literally a decade or more, and has consistently delivered really impressive results from near-invisible technology. So perhaps this is one surprise Apple has managed to keep. Some significant new camera capabilities based on Apple Intelligence features which are good enough to wow users at launch, and leave them happy to wait for the new Siri? What are your thoughts and expectations for next month's keynote? Please share them in the comments.