Apple confirms September 9 launch event with ‘It’s Glowtime’ invite

Apple has confirmed the next major launch event, where the iPhone 16 is almost certain to be announced, will take place on September 9.

The event, which carries the tagline “It’s Glowtime”, has been scheduled for Monday September 9 at the usual time of 6pm UK time (which is 10am local time in California).

It is slightly surprising Apple is holding this event on a Monday. The iPhone launch events are almost always on a Tuesday, and recent reports had claimed Tuesday September 10 was the target date.

The Glowtime name is likely to be representative of something Apple plans to announce during the event, but there’s nothing immediately apparent to take from it. Some early speculation has suggested it might be Apple Intelligence-related, which seems a safe bet. The event will take place at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park, as usual, meaning we’re going to get an in-person event rather than a live stream.

The main event is highly likely to be the new iPhone 16 range. Expectations are the line-up will include four handsets, with Apple following the iPhone, iPhone Plus, iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max precedent of the last few years.

We’re likely to hear loads about the Apple Intelligence features available on the new iPhones, while a redesigned camera array is expected to at least give the hardware a slightly different look.

New Apple Watch models are also thought to be on deck with the Apple Watch 10 (maybe dubbed Apple Watch X) and Apple Watch Ultra 3. There have also been recent rumblings about a possible Apple Watch SE 3 with a plastic chassis that’d bring down the price further.

There has been plenty of talk about new AirPods, with the 4th generation of the standard edition set to come in two tiers according to recent reports; one would have ANC and the other would not. We may also get a second-generation version of the AirPods Max over-ear headphones with upgraded internals.

iPads have already received an overhaul this year and Apple usually reserves Mac launches for a separate event in October.