New York CNN —
Apple has announced the date for its next major event, where the iPhone 16 is expected to be launched.
On Monday, September 9, the tech giant will host a special event with the tagline “It's Glowtime,” which will take place at 10 a.m. PST at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park and will be streamed online.
It's not yet clear what “Glow Time” refers to, but artificial intelligence is expected to be built into the latest iPhone as a key feature.
In June, Apple announced a slew of AI-generated features for the iPhone at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. The company unveiled the first set of tools powered by “Apple Intelligence,” from personalized Genmoji (Apple's AI-generated emoji) to a significantly smarter Siri that can answer questions about your schedule, the contents of your emails, and when your loved one's flight is landing.
While iPhone 15 Pro Max users will likely have access to at least some AI features, the upcoming iPhone 16 is expected to be the first device designed entirely with AI in mind.
At the conference, Apple also announced a partnership with OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, which has also faced its own scrutiny and challenges.
Artificial intelligence has been integrated into some iPhone features for years, like Live Text and an improved autocorrect feature over the original, but enhanced generative AI could build on those features for enhanced interaction and personalization, and the new iPhones could be the first iPhones built specifically with some of those features in mind.
But Angelo Gino, a technology analyst at CFRA Research, said the outlook for the iPhone 16 is bleak because new AI features will be rolled out over the next few years — an improved Siri, for example, may not arrive until 2025, he said.
“This is going to be an evolutionary process, not a big cyclical cycle for the iPhone,” Gino said.
Generative AI enables tools that create text, images, and even audio in response to prompts from the user.
This strategy has worked for the iPhone, can Apple do the same with AI?
Analysts say Apple's foray into artificial intelligence will likely be its virtual assistant, Siri, which, when combined with OpenAI's latest ChatGPT-4o model, could help the assistant remember photos taken years ago, provide more specific information, and even learn about a user's preferences and personality over time.
The launch could change the trajectory of Apple's iPhone, whose sales in China have plummeted due to economic uncertainty and increased competition.
One of the biggest questions surrounding the device's launch is how much it will cost. Apple enthusiasts have debated for years whether iPhone models should be cheaper, or whether investors want to maximize profits. CFRA doesn't expect the iPhone 16 to increase in price significantly, but the inclusion of AI features “could lead to higher prices across the board,” Gino said.
Apple's competitors have already entered the field of generative AI, such as Samsung's “circle to search” feature, which allows users to quickly search for information on their device's screen with the movement of their finger.
CNN's Samantha Kelly contributed to this report.
