What to expect from Apple's 'It's Glowtime' event

Apple (AAPL) is gearing up for the "It's Glowtime" event next week, where it is expected to unveil the new iPhone 16. Yahoo Finance Tech Editor Dan Howley joins Catalysts to discuss what investors and consumers can expect from the event, from updates on Apple Intelligence — its new gen AI platform — to some of the new specs on products like an iPhone 16 and AirPods.

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This post was written by Melanie Riehl

Video Transcript

We've got our eyes on Apple ahead of the company's big events next week, customers are hoping to get a glimpse of the new iPhone 16 here with what we can expect and me because I need a new iPhone once the event kicks off, Monday is our very own Dan Halley, who has told me that I need a new iPhone.

He has reminded me of this via midly.

All right, Dan, what are we gonna be tracking?

Yeah, Brad, this might be the one to to upgrade, uh, for, uh, if not, maybe next year.

But I guess if you follow that thinking, then you'd never upgrade.

But what we're expecting for the the iPhone 16, uh, are really some minor upgrades on the hardware side of things.

This is all about getting consumers prepped for Apple intelligence.

Apple's a I platform their gen A. I platform that they're rolling out.

Uh, that's going to be something that, uh, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman won't be available, at least in its entirety, right out of the gate.

When you get your iPhone, it should be rolling out as a series of software updates in October and then more to come later in 2025.

But as for the phones themselves, uh, we're going to have the standard iPhone and iPhone 16 plus, uh, and then we will likely get the iPhone pro and iPhone pro Max.

The pro and pro Max may have slightly larger displays.

Not that the footprint of the phone is actually getting bigger.

You're not gonna have a chunk of your phone in your pocket.

Rather, the display technology is going to allow them to kind of stretch the borders out a little bit further and slim those bezels down.

So a little bit more screen real estate?

Uh, it's probably not gonna, you know, knock your socks off from afar, but you will notice it if you're upgrading, Uh, from from an earlier phone, Uh, there's supposed to be a new, uh, physical capture button on the side of the phone.

This is likely for, uh, using it as a camera, uh, more easily, uh, kind of really trying to kill off that the point and shoot.

Although I had see more people picking those up, uh, lately kind of that retro tech trend that's going on, Uh, and then outside of the the iPhones.

Well, there's also the processors.

I just want to touch on that real quick, because if you have an iPhone 15, uh, regular or plus, you're not gonna be able to use Apple intelligence.

If you have an iPhone 15 pro or pro Max, you can.

It's because of that processor.

So they'll have new processors in both phones.

Uh, both line up.

So hopefully that means all of them will be able to run Apple intelligence.

But outside of that, we're expecting new Apple watches.

This is the 10th anniversary of the Apple watches debut.

I know it's very strange to say that 10 years that, uh, Apple's been talking about that, uh, they're going to, uh, reportedly get larger displays, uh, and thinner bodies.

So, uh, instead of the 41 and 45 millimetre, it'll be 45 millimetre and 49 millimetres on the displays.

Uh, apple isn't really one to go too far.

And make them, you know, unwieldy for people with smaller wrists.

Uh, Samsung has a giant watch that just doesn't fit on folks.

Uh, who have small wrists.

It just looks bonkers.

Uh, so don't expect the 45 millimetre to be.

You know, this gigantic piece of, uh, statement jewellery or technology?

It'll probably still look just as good on on small wrists as well.

Uh, and then there's going to be, uh, new airpods.

They're gonna revamp the the kind of entry level and mid tier, uh, airpods, uh, expect them to have, uh, newer designs.

Uh uh uh, anti, uh, sound dampening.

So sound dampening technology.

Active noise cancellation.

Uh, in the midrange version, the entry level version won't have active noise cancelling.

Uh, but the pricing will still stay the same, likely at 1.

29 and 169.

And then the pros are just gonna stay the pros as they are.

So don't expect any, uh, silicon tip replacements for the midrange and the entry level.

That's gonna stick with the the pro models.

All right, Dan.

Halley, thanks so much for joining us.

And I know we will be covering that event for us on September 9th.

So we'll be talking with you more.

Appreciate it