• Apple’s event unveiled the AI-powered iPhone 16 and updates to AirPods and Apple Watch.
• Many features, like Apple Intelligence, will be rolled out later.

The annual Apple event has just ended, with its flagship devices receiving upgrades—or are they just camouflaged as upgrades? Apple announced a lot of cool new features at the event, but most of them aren’t something people can actually use yet, especially on the new iPhone 16. Here’s what we mean.

During the event, Apple CEO Tim Cook and other executives unveiled the iPhone 16 lineup, AirPods 4, AirPods Pro, and the Apple Watch Series 10.

The event heavily focused on how AI will transform the iPhone ‘experience.’ Apple executives detailed how the new iPhone 16 will integrate the company’s generative AI technology, known as Apple Intelligence, which is tightly woven into iOS 18.

A cool feature is visual intelligence designed to transform iPhone use. In one demonstration, an iPhone using the new A18 chip used a camera control button to take a photo of a restaurant and search for reviews on Google. The same button can be used to scan homework and receive immediate assistance from ChatGPT. That feature alone should ensure the debate on academic plagiarism will remain healthy in the long term, and generations of school children turn in second-rate ‘research.’

Apple Intelligence will be firmly integrated into iOS 18. Thus, consumers will most likely interact with AI capabilities more regularly in their daily routines.

On the wearable tech front, Apple entered the hearing aid sector with the announcement of hearing assistance features for the AirPods Pro, which will be released later this year. The AirPods Pro Max also made a cameo with five new colour variations, but Apple soon moved on from these announcements without much explanation.

The Apple Watch Series 10 will now be available in a sleek jet black colour, with additional health tracking features, including sleep apnea detection.

Not everything available at launch

The big question is: was it enough? Not all features will be available when the iPhone 16 launches. Some will roll out later this year, while others won’t arrive until 2025.

The new A18 and A18 Pro chips, featured in the iPhone 16 lineup, boast a 16-core Neural Engine optimised for handling large generative models. While Apple has been testing upgrades like a redesigned Siri and tools to enhance writing, remove objects from photos, and summarise notifications, most of these features won’t be available until iOS 18.1 rolls out, which is currently in beta.

A few Apple Intelligence features will be available as early as October, although Apple was vague on exact dates. The features will be released in beta initially and limited to US English, with additional languages Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish set to roll out next year. Key Apple Intelligence upgrades, such as image generation, custom emoji creation, Siri’s improved personal context understanding and ChatGPT integration are slated for release “later this year” or even further out.

Beyond the phones, the AirPods Max received minor updates, with the only significant changes being new colours and a switch from Apple’s proprietary Lightning port to USB-C.

According to MacRumors, you can now purchase replacement ear cushions in new colours that are compatible with the original version of the headphones. The ear cushions are listed on Apple’s website at $69 for a set in blue, orange, purple, midnight, or starlight, with next-day shipping available. The new USB-C version of the AirPods Max is currently available for preorder and will ship on September 20th.

Apple is still offering replacement ear cushions in the original colours—green, silver, black, sky blue, and red. However, the Lightning version of the headphones appears to have been discontinued on Apple’s online store, with the USB-C model now the only option in the five new colours.

Apple’s silence on China

Despite Apple making several significant announcements at its recent event, it left many questions unanswered about its plans for China.

Analysts have forecasted a “golden upgrade cycle” for Apple with the launch of the iPhone 16, due to its AI capabilities. However, at the Glowtime event, executives avoided mentioning the Chinese market, where iPhone sales have struggled in 2024.

This decline in sales has raised concerns among investors, as Apple faces increasing competition from local smartphone makers like Huawei and Xiaomi, who are vying for market dominance.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple dropped out of the top five smartphone shippers in China during the Q2 2024.

Although some are optimistic that Apple’s first AI-powered iPhone could help reverse its fortunes in Greater China, the company’s partnership with OpenAI for ChatGPT integration won’t extend to the region. Apple Intelligence will be available to US consumers in October, but Chinese speakers will not have access until 2025.

This begs the question: will Chinese consumers be willing to buy a smartphone without one of its most anticipated features?

Apple has announced that it is looking for a local partner to introduce Apple Intelligence chatbot functionality in China, although the timeline for this rollout is undetermined. According to reports, Apple is in talks with Chinese AI company Baidu about bringing the technology to iPhones.

Wedbush Securities analysts stated that a potential deal with Baidu “could fill a crucial gap in Apple’s AI strategy for the Chinese market.”

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