After months of speculation and a torturous 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 numerous 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 feature a radical redesign, according to a leaker.
Akin to the iPhone X in 2017 that celebrated a decade of the iPhone, Apple Watch X could mark 10 years since the world glimpsed the first Apple Watch.
Apple is hosting an event on 9 September at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, where it is expected to unveil a series of new iPhones – and potentially a special new watch
Apple Watch X could mark 10 years since the world glimpsed the first Apple Watch (pictured) which was unveiled in September 2014 and released in April the following year
The claim comes from respected Apple tipster Mark Gurman based in California, who says Apple is ‘preparing a big update’ in his weekly newsletter.
‘Apple Watch is nearing 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 explored changing the way bands are attached to the device.’
Gurman also says the watch could have a larger display and ‘other enhancements under the hood’ in terms of hardware.
For example, new AI-capable chips ‘could lay the groundwork for some AI enhancements down the road’.
However, if fans hope the new watch will run Apple Intelligence, the upcoming suite of AI features, they should ‘reset expectations’.
Gurman says Apple Intelligence is ‘only headed to the iPhone, iPad and Mac’ for now, followed by Vision Pro, Apple’s £3,500 headset.
Pictured, the Apple Watch Series 9 which was only released last September along with 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.
Cook called it ‘the most personal device we’ve ever created’, adding: ‘We’ve set up to make the best watch in the world – one that is precise.’
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’ September unveiling event, which is taking place on a Monday this year instead of a Tuesday like Septembers past.
On its website, Apple’s eye-catching invite includes the classic Apple logo with a redesigned twist – with swirling hues of blue, purple, orange and pink.
Apple’s invite includes the classic Apple logo with a redesigned twist. An animation on its website sees the logo swirl between hues of blue, purple, orange, and pink, seemingly in reference to the ‘It’s Glowtime’ tagline
It’s expected that the biggest focus of the event will be four new iPhone 16 models – the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, in a range of different colours.
iPhone 16 is expected to have a new button located on the right hand 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 get bigger 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 – one month after the iPhone 16 hits the market.
What is Apple Intelligence?
At its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), Apple heralded a new era of technology, dubbed ‘Apple Intelligence’.
Apple Intelligence is essentially a snazzy brand name for Apple’s new-found focus on AI, triggered by the huge success of the ChatGPT chatbot 18 months ago.
The tech giant announced Apple Intelligence with great reverence 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 the device.
Surely the biggest part of Apple Intelligence is the integration of OpenAI’s hugely popular chatbot ChatGPT with Siri, Apple’s in-built virtual assistant.
iOS 18 users will be asked before any questions are sent to ChatGPT, along with any documents or photos, and Siri then presents the answer
Before WWDC, it was rumoured that Apple would be creating its own AI chatbot to rival ChatGPT, but instead it’s partnered with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT to Apple devices.
It also includes tools like AI-generated emoji, an image generator and a ‘Clean Up tool’ that makes subtle edits to photos.
According to Apple’s website, Apple Intelligence needs an up-to-date AI chip in a device to run – the A17 Pro (in iPhones) or the M1 or later (in iPads and Macs).
Therefore, as it stands, the only two iPhones that will get Apple Intelligence are the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max – but not 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 – one month after the iPhone 16 hits the market.