It was just announced that Apple will be hosting a special event on 9 September 2024 or one day ahead than what everyone was thinking, as the tech giant is widely expected to unveil the iPhone 16.

The event will be broadcast from Apple Park in Cupertino, California, the technology company announced in an email. The theme of the event — "It's Glowtime" — is a reference to the interface used by the new Siri digital assistant on the company's latest devices.

Apple had previously been preparing to hold the launch on 10 September, people familiar with the matter have said, though it will now be one day sooner. The date scheduled for the first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump is on 10 September.

That lineup will reportedly include the iPhone 16, with larger screens on the Pro models and a new button just for taking pictures. The phones should also support Apple Intelligence, the company’s suite of AI features announced earlier this year.

The event could also include announcements of the Apple Watch Series 10, which will be thinner than past models, with a larger screen, as well as new AirPods, with noise cancellation coming to more models.

While invites for the September 10 event have not yet gone out, the timing would be consistent with Apple’s press events in recent years.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also reported that Apple is planning to update its Macs with the M4 processors, but the new Macs probably won’t be announced until later in the fall.

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On 14 Septeber, Apple will hold a special media event where the company will unveil the iPhone 13 and a slew of other hardware products.

Like last year, the event this year will be virtual on account of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. And as in years past, the event will not be an iPhone-only affair. There will be a range of new products, including a next-gen Apple Watch and a new iteration of AirPods.

iPhone 13 Apple’s next-gen iPhone lineup will consist of four devices and will largely mirror its iPhone 12 lineup. A recent report claims that iPhone 13 pricing will remain consistent with last year’s iPhone 12.

The iPhone 13 design, however, will be noticeably different from its predecessor. According to several credible reports, the notch on the iPhone 13 will be markedly smaller. The current notch is 34.83mm wide while the iPhone 13 notch will reportedly be 26.8mm wide.

Also, one of the more intriguing iPhone 13 features will be the inclusion of a 120Hz ProMotion display. This feature will only be available on the iPhone 13 Pro models. The advanced displays will enable users to enjoy more fluid scrolling, improved responsiveness, and "smoother motion content."

The iPhone 13 Mini will reportedly have an extra hour of battery life compared to the iPhone 12 Mini. Further, the other iPhone 13 models will boast larger battery capacities.

Camera-wise, every iPhone 13 model is poised to see improvements. Every iPhone 13 model will boast improved sensors capable of receiving more light. As to specifics, rumor has it that Apple’s iPhone 13 lineup will feature improved image stabilization, better low-light camera performance, and an upgraded ultra-wide lens

AirPods 3 Apple’s AirPods were widely mocked upon their release. Years later, AirPods changed the entire headphone industry. These days, most high-end earbuds have essentially copied the AirPod design. During the event, Apple will unveil the third iteration of its popular AirPods.

AirPods 3 is shaping up to be a significant upgrade. Design-wise, AirPods 3 will more closely resemble Apple’s AirPods Pro. This means users can expect a more compact design and a shorter stem. Additionally, AirPods 3 will likely come with silicone ear tips, similar to the AirPods Pro.

Apple Watch Series 7 Much like the AirPods 3, Apple's next-gen Apple Watch will be getting a slight makeover. Rather than rounded corners, the upcoming Apple Watch will reportedly boast flatter edges.

Aside from a redesigned case, the upcoming Apple Watch will feature smaller bezels. Further, the overall size of the device will be slightly bigger. The Apple Watch Series 7 will reportedly ship in 41mm and 45mm configurations. There are rumors that the bigger watch size will render existing watch bands incompatible.

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Spotify announced the global launch of video podcasts last 21 July. The new feature at launch will allow users, including both free users and paid subscribers, to watch the video content from a select group of creator podcasts.

However, unlike on YouTube, where only paid subscribers can listen to the video content in the background while they do other things on their device, Spotify says its users will be able to seamlessly move between the video version and the audio. When multitasking, audio content will continue to play in the background, even if other apps are being used or even if the user locks their phone.

The video podcasts are supported on both the desktop and mobile app - and video will serve as an additional component, not a replacement for the audio. That means users will still be able to stream the audio or download the podcast for offline listening, if need be.

For creators, the launch of video podcasts represents an opportunity to grow their audience, says Spotify. Often, podcasts already have a video option -- but until now, Spotify offered no way for creators to share it on its platform. That meant podcast creators would distribute their audio podcast on Spotify and other podcast distribution services, but would publish their videos to YouTube. They may continue to do, of course - especially if they've built a YouTube fan base for their work and no deal prevents it.

However, being able to publish directly on Spotify means creators will be able to connect more directly with podcast listeners, rather than having to compete on a broader platform that pits their shows against a wide variety of other content. Video also gives Spotify a new place to sell advertising, but the company declined to comment on its ad strategy, saying it was still in the "early stages" of its video efforts.

Only a handful of podcasts are offered right now, including Book of Basketball 2.0, Fantasy Footballers, The Misfits Podcast, H3 Podcast, The Morning Toast, Higher Learning with Van Lathan & Rachel Lindsay and The Rooster Teeth Podcast. These are only available in the markets where podcasts are already supported, Spotify says.

These podcasts include a combination of originals, exclusives and third-party podcasts. Their creators are the only ones that today have the ability to upload their own video content. In the future, Spotify will continue to expand the feature.

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OnePlus is almost ready to stop the drip feed of info and properly reveal its latest lineup of more affordable smartphones. It will hold a virtual launch event for the OnePlus Nord line on 21 July at 10:00 A.M. ET. The company is trying something a little different this time, though.

Instead of checking out a YouTube stream, users can watch the event in augmented reality via the OnePlus Nord AR iOS and Android app. OnePlus will also give some people the chance to have a virtual hands-on with the device through the app. In a somewhat convoluted setup, it’ll send out physical invitations for that hands-on, with more details to come on how that’ll all work.

Leaks and reports have suggested the first Nord will include dual selfie cameras, along with a Snapdragon 765G processor and 90Hz AMOLED display. The launch is taking place a little later than expected, as OnePlus CEO Pete Lau said last month it’d take place on 10 July. He has also confirmed the first Nord phone will cost under US$ 500.

The company is giving customers in Europe a second chance to secure a OnePlus Nord pre-order on Wednesday at 10:00 A.M. CEST, with 900 devices available. The last batch of pre-orders starts at the same time a week later. Those who do plunk down £20 or €20 for a device they only really know the name of will score some OnePlus merch

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The annual Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will officially begin on 22 June 2020. The conference will be taking place virtually for the first time because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The event, which usually takes place in San Jose, California, will also be free for all developers, who will be able to access it through Apple's developer website and app. Apple previously announced that the event would be held virtually for the first time in June, but hadn't revealed the precise date until this point.

WWDC is a multi-day conference Apple holds each year when it details future software updates across its platforms and services, including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Mac. The unveiling of Apple's new iPhone update is usually the most anticipated announcement of the event, but Apple sometimes reveals new hardware products as well.

Last year, for example, Apple unveiled the latest model of its Mac Pro computer. It also announced its HomePod smart speaker at WWDC in 2017, and the company is reportedly working on a smaller new model slated to launch this year.

Apple's WWDC announcements will come after the company has launched several new products virtually via press releases over the past few weeks during the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, the company unveiled a refreshed MacBook Pro with a new Magic Keyboard. It launched a new low-cost iPhone called the iPhone SE in April, and debuted a new iPad Pro and MacBook Air in March.

Apple also said previously that it would commit US$ 1 million to local organizations in San Jose to make up for any revenue loss as a result of the conference moving to a digital format.

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SXSW has officially announced it will cancel its tech and music conference scheduled this coming 13 to 22 March 2020 in Austin, Texas due to concerns around coronavirus, though it's exploring rescheduling.

"Based on the recommendation of our public health officer and our director of public health ... I've gone ahead and declared a local disaster in the city and associated with that, have issued an order that effectively cancels SXSW," said Austin Mayor Steve Adler at a press conference last 7 March.

SXSW writes that it will follow the mayor's order and cancel its conference. "We are exploring options to reschedule the event and are working to provide a virtual SXSW online experience as soon as possible for 2020 participants, starting with SXSW EDU. For our registrants, clients, and participants we will be in touch as soon as possible and will publish an FAQ." It's unclear if attendees or sponsors will receive refunds.

Interim health authority for Austin Dr. Mark Escott said that there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Travis County, but called the cancellation a "proactive step in preparing this community for this storm." He said that because people would be spending long periods of time near each other at panels and concerts, and because some registered attendees hail from international and domestic areas with COVID-19 exposure, cancelling SXSW was the right move. Not all future events will need to be cancelled, though, Escott explained.

The news comes just three days after Adler held a press conference to announce that, "At this point, there's no evidence that cancelling SXSW makes us safer." As of 3 March, Austin's Travis County said that it had zero confirmed cases of COVID-19.

SXSW is known as a central gathering point for the tech, music and media industries that gather to learn from each other while enjoying the Texas weather, beer and barbecue. A decade ago it was the hot place to launch new social apps. Though over the years as the event grew less tech-oriented and more mainstream, SXSW became more of an exhibition space for well-funded companies to prove that they are still attracting participants.

A petition to cancel the 2020 conference had reached 54,000 signatures. Entrepreneurship influencer Tim Ferris had called on Adler to cancel the event. SXSW had been refusing to offer refunds to trade show booth-buyers and attendees. A full-access platinum badge for the conference currently costs US$ 1,550.

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Invitations for the next big Apple event have just landed in press mailboxes everywhere, confirming the rumored September 10 date. Invites for the event, which is set for Steve Jobs Theater on the company’s shiny new Cupertino campus, note that the event is “by innovation only.” It is a small theater, after all.

The invite features a swirling multi-color homage to the 80s Apple logo, albeit in a subtler pastel hue, which may point to colorful new hardware.

The centerpiece of the event will, of course, be the iPhone 11, which is rumored to arrive in three different flavors: The standard 11 (replacing the budget XR) and two 11 Pro models, set to replace the XS and XS Max, respectively. The scheme would mark a kind of new approach for the company, which has struggled to grapple with declining smartphone sales along with the rest of the industry.

Offering a lower-price-point flagship could help Apple appeal to consumers who have been put off by increasing prices on the high-end units, which have routinely topped out well over US$ 1,000. It could also help Apple in increasingly important markets like China and India, which currently stand as numbers one and two in global smartphone sales, respectively.

A number of new features have been rumored for the new handsets, including a triple-camera array with an ultra-wide lens, a new A13 chip and wireless power sharing à la the Samsung Galaxy series, which would fit nicely alongside the latest AirPods. This being Apple’s last big hardware push before the holidays, there's sure to be plenty more on the docket, as well.

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Mark down September 12 in the calendar as Apple could be unveiling the next iPhone at 9:00 A.M. on that day. Mac4Ever wrote a report saying that it confirmed with telecom companies that Apple should hold a press event on 12 September.

This wouldn’t be a big surprise as Apple has been announcing new iPhones every September since 2012. Apple also always holds press conferences on Tuesday for some reason. So many people were hesitating between September 5 and September 12. Nobody will know for sure very soon as Apple should be sending press invites in a few days.

So if some are thinking about buying a new iPhone right now, they should wait a few weeks. Apple usually starts pre-orders on the Friday after the press conference (15 September). And devices go on sale a week later (22 September).

If nobody is planning on buying a new iPhone, they will still a get a big software update with iOS 11. Apple is going to release the final version of iOS 11 at some point between 12 September and 22 September.

Apple is also probably going to announce a new version of the Apple Watch. The main change with this new watch could be that it's going to have LTE connectivity. There could be a small update to the Apple TV as well with 4K video output.

Rumor has it that Apple has been working on not one, not two but three different iPhone models. The company should be announcing a more powerful iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, as well as a brand new super premium phone. This rumored "iPhone 8" (or whatever they call it) is going to feature a taller screen that is going to completely fill the front of the device, except for the speaker, camera and sensors at the top.

The camera should be much better on the back and the front of the device. All phones are also going to learn new tricks when it comes to facial detection, inductive charging and more.

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At its annual World Wide Developers Conference last 5 June, Apple unveiled a Siri-powered smart speaker, the HomePod. CEO Tim Cook announced the device as the day’s "one last thing."

"We think we can do a lot," Cook said, "to make the experience [of listening to music in your home] much better."

The speaker is 7 inches tall, covered in “acoustic” mesh, with a 4-inch woofer. Along the bottom: 6 microphones and a beam-forming tweeter. It runs US$ 349, which is far more expensive than competing products.

Like Amazon's US$ 179 Echo, Apple's HomePod is not just for music. It can tell users the weather, read news and sports scores, and perform many other tasks, all beginning with the command, "Hey Siri."

Three years after Amazon launched the Echo and six months after Google launched its US$ 109 Home, this is Apple’s first entry to the category. And like those products, the speaker is a gateway to other Apple products, and a showcase for Apple’s voice assistant, Siri. Amazon Echo is powered by Alexa, while Google Home is powered by Google Assistant.

Last month, Microsoft announced the Invoke, a smart speaker powered by its Cortana voice assistant, set to go on sale in the fall. There are also the Sonos, the Beats Pill, and the Jawbone Jambox as home speakers that will have to compete with Apple HomePod now.

Some might wonder why it took Apple this long to launch a home speaker. Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller answered that very question. He reasoned that there are great speakers already out there, but they aren't "smart," and there are smart speakers, but they don't always deliver great quality.

In addition to its own new speaker, Apple revealed that its new iOS 11 can control all the speakers in your home from an iPhone, including any Airplay-compatible third-party speakers.

Announcing the Siri speaker was just one of many Siri-related upgrades that came out of this year's WWDC. Apple opened the event by showing off new "Siri faces" for the Apple Watch Series 2 that use the voice assistant to provide quick information on the go.

Later in the event, Apple ran through upgrades to Siri, including an updated voice (female and male), ability to translate from other languages, and syncing Siri’s learning about the user across all their devices.

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Apple just confirmed its keynote address for its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) by sending press invitations for the June event, MacRumors reported last 9 May. Apple will hold the keynote event on 5 June at 10:00 P.M. PDT in San Jose, California.

The WWDC 2017 will consist of get-togethers, sessions and labs for developers, plus a keynote address. Last year, Apple unveiled iOS 10, which revamped iMessage and the Photos and Maps apps, along with other features. This year could include big announcements on the Apple TV, iOS 11 and the rumored Siri speaker.

The following could be announced in its Keynote event this June:

Apple TV and tvOS 11
Apple is rumored to introduce new features for the Apple TV's tvOS 11 update, which could be announced at WWDC. The new update will allow for multiuser use, Israeli blog the Verifier said last month.

The feature will allow users to create their own profiles and have tailored content, and switch in and out of profiles, similar to Netflix. Apple TV users will be able to make their own profiles through an iOS device and by connecting their Apple ID. The update also will allow users to listen to their Apple Music content, view their iCloud photos and videos, and use their apps once their Apple ID is linked to the Apple TV.

tvOS 11 will also come with a picture-in-picture feature, which will allow users to minimize the window of a movie or video to the corner of the screen and surf through another app. The rumored tvOS 11 updates could help Apple against competitors, like the Amazon Fire TV and Roku.

Siri Speaker
Apple could introduce its rumored Siri speaker, a rival to Amazon’s Echo devices, during the WWDC keynote address.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said earlier this month there is an "over 50 percent chance” the speaker will be revealed at WWDC. Kuo also said the Siri speaker will have "excellent" acoustics performance, which will help it compete with Echo devices.

The Siri speaker is rumored to cost more than the Amazon Echo and is expected to have a performance similar to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. iPhone leaker Sonny Dickson tweeted a few days ago that Apple was "finalizing designs for their Alexa competitor" and was "expected to be marketed as a Siri/AirPlay device."

Apple Original Content
The upcoming iOS 11 is expected to come with a revamped Music App that will better showcase Apple’s original video content, a recent Bloomberg report said. The company's upcoming projects could be revealed at WWDC with information about iOS 11.

Apple is expected to release as many as 10 original shows and documentaries by the end of the year, including will.i.am's Planet of the Apps and Carpool Karaoke. Apple is also said to be working on documentaries about hip-hop labels Bad Boy Records and Cash Money Records and another about music impresario Clive Davis. The company recently released a trailer for its upcoming Apple Music documentary on former One Direction singer Harry Styles, which will stream soon.

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