Apple's biggest event of the year has arrived, with the announcement of the iPhone 16 lineup and a slew of AI-related updates in iOS 18. Like WWDC in June, Apple Intelligence was the main focus of this year's Apple event, and Apple's announcement lineup reflected a number of highly anticipated hardware announcements, including new iPhone 16, AirPods 4, and Apple Watch Series 10. Broadcast live from the company's headquarters in Cupertino, Apple's “Glowtime” event began at 10am PST, and you can watch the full recording of the Apple event here.
It remains to be seen whether Monday's announcement will spark or delay a “supercycle” of customers adopting the new iPhone 16 lineup, but it's clear that Apple is focusing on AI as a core part of its sales strategy going forward. We'll continue to update this article as reports emerge from the demo rooms and briefings following the event.
iPhone 16
Image credit: Apple
Naturally, the iPhone 16 is “engineered from the ground up for Apple Intelligence” in the words of CEO Tim Cook, with tweaked designs and new colors unveiled at Apple's event. The new iPhone 16 lineup also features side-mounted camera controls for physical access to camera features. It also comes with the new A18 chip, which Apple says will make the iPhone 16 up to 30% faster than the iPhone 15. Prices for the iPhone 16 start at $799 for the 128GB model, while the 16 Plus starts at $899 for the same amount of storage. Keep up to date with the latest iPhone 16 news here.
For a deeper look at what's inside the new iPhone 16 lineup, click here or check out our latest TechCrunch Minute episode where we break down the biggest announcements.
I actually tried using the iPhone 16's camera button
Image credit: Brian Heater
According to Editor-in-Chief Brian Heeter, Apple has been “pretty forward with buttons lately,” and after the Apple event aired, he had a chance to see, at least in a brief demo, how the camera control buttons do in fact improve the iPhone experience.
“Like any new feature, the camera controls take some time to master — the hardest part is figuring out how much pressure to use to toggle between functions. But that's what makes them unique compared to our previous camera button: they don't just open the camera app and take a photo — they allow in-app actions too,” he writes. You can watch his full video of him playing around with the iPhone 16's biggest physical change here.
The camera control button will have other functions, and Apple has confirmed that it can be used to access Google search or prompt responses from OpenAI's ChatGPT, which has already been added to apps like Siri. Exact details about how pressing the button will determine whether it will use a third-party app or Apple's own software are unclear.
Apple Intelligence
Image credit: Apple
Apple Intelligence, first unveiled at WWDC, has been presented primarily as a more private, large-scale language model that works behind the scenes to improve existing apps and features. Apple echoed many of its WWDC announcements, touting Intelligence's ability to mine your inbox: email summaries are displayed, notifications have also been modified to provide summaries, and high-priority notifications have been elevated to the top of the stack. Apple claimed a “new era for Siri,” boasting that the Intelligence upgrades allow Siri to understand less-than-skillfully communicated requests, guide users through specific tasks within the iPhone, and recognize actions taking place on the phone on the screen.
Apple Intelligence will be released as a beta in the US this fall, with English to follow in some markets in December, with additional languages including Chinese, French, Japanese and Spanish targeted for 2025.
Apple also detailed visual search, powered by Apple Intelligence, which combines the power of reverse image search and text recognition to add event details to your calendar from a photo, or get information about a restaurant directly from a photo of that restaurant.
Ultimately, one of the biggest questions that arises from Apple's claims about Intelligence's potential to improve user experience across multiple product lines is simple: is Siri actually useful right now?
iOS 18 is scheduled to be released on September 16th
Image credit: Apple
We've already gotten our first impressions of iOS 18 with its beta release earlier this year, but the initial rollout without Apple Intelligence features wasn't particularly impressive. As mentioned above, many of the most anticipated AI features will arrive in late 2024, but iOS 18 still has updates to Messaging and Control Center that you can take a closer look at here ahead of the newly announced September 16th launch date. All iPhones from the iPhone XR and SE (2nd generation) onwards are eligible for the update. A more detailed overview of iOS 18 compatibility for devices can be found here.
iPhone 16 Camera Controls
Image credit: Apple
One of the biggest physical updates to the iPhone 16 lineup is the camera control button. The camera control responds to clicks and a variety of physical gestures – a light press gives you a clear preview, a firm click takes the photo. Run your finger along the button to dial and change settings. Learn more about what the camera control can be used for.
iPhone 16 Pro, Pro Max
Image credit: Apple
Apple's more premium iPhone models come with expected screen changes, with a 6.3-inch screen on the Pro and a 6.9-inch screen on the Pro Max, the largest ever on an iPhone. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max also come with a new A18 Pro chip, upgraded cameras with faster shutter speeds and the ability to shoot 4K video at 120fps, among other changes you can see here. Pricing for the iPhone 16 Pro starts at $999 and the 16 Pro Max starts at $1,119, and both will open for pre-orders on Friday and be in stores on September 20.
Apple Watch Series 10
Image credit: Apple
Apple kicked off the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch with an announcement, rolling out a series of updates within the Apple Watch Series 10 series, including a tweaked design with more rounded corners and an updated aspect ratio, Apple's first wide-angle OLED screen. The Series 10 display is up to 40% brighter when viewed at an angle, and at 9.7mm thick, it's the thinnest Apple Watch ever and up to 10% lighter than previous models. Naturally, AI was featured in the Apple Watch Series 10 announcement, with a new photo watch face that uses AI to curate photos that appear on the display, and a translation tool that uses machine learning to improve output.
The Apple Watch also has an update pending FDA clearance that will enable sleep apnea detection on both the Series 10 and Series 9 watches. The Apple Watch Series 10 will start at $399 and will be available on September 20th.
For more information about Apple Watch Series 10, please click here.
Apple Watch Ultra
Image credit: Apple
Apple has previously promoted the Ultra as a device for fitness enthusiasts, boasting custom workouts, running track detection, biking as a live activity, etc. And ahead of the launch, Apple clarified that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is not yet available, instead unveiling a new satin black color for the Ultra 2.
Airpods 4
Image credit: Apple
Apple claims the new AirPods 4 feature a new A2 chip underneath the improved design and are the “most comfortable AirPods ever.” The AirPods 4 also feature personalized spatial audio and add machine learning to help Siri pick up on your head shaking or nodding in response to a prompt. The new AirPods 4 will be available on September 20th, starting at $129, with the $179 tier adding active noise cancellation. You can find a full rundown of the AirPods updates here.
Airpods Pro 2
Image credit: Apple
The AirPods Pro 2 update emphasizes three points: prevention, awareness, and assistance. For prevention, hearing protection is added for passive noise reduction managed by machine learning and will be turned on by default. For awareness, Apple is adding “clinically validated” hearing tests that owners can take at any time.
And assistive listening features will be available for people whose hearing tests indicate they may benefit from them. Apple claims it expects FDA clearance for these features “soon,” and that iOS updates will be available in the fall.
Airpods Max
Image credit: Apple
During the Apple event, the AirPods Max got a series of incremental updates, including the addition of USB-C, and the updated headphones will also be available in a series of new colors on September 20 for the same $549 price point. Check out more details here.
Cheaper iPhone (India)
Apple preparing its first retail store in India Image credit: Apple
While the prices of the iPhone 16 series will be familiar to those who follow Apple products in the US, in India, Apple fans can get a discount of around 15,000 rupees (roughly $178) off the iPhone 15 series. The prices come after India reduced import duties on electronic devices and Apple's expansion of local production, which has helped lower prices of the 15 models in the country.
Voice memos with background music
Image credit: Apple
Apple has shown off a new feature in its Voice Memos app that lets you layer vocal tracks over pre-recorded music or instrumentals. Read more here.
New macOS Sequoia will be released on September 16th
Image credit: Apple
In an unusually fast release of macOS updates, Apple has announced that the updates first shown off at WWDC 2024 will be released within a week, including a set of updates based on Apple Intelligence, which you can find here.