The iPhone 16 and the Glowtime event: How Apple made the audience glow

The introductory commercial for the iPhone event on Monday evening German time was telling in two ways. Not only did it reveal, even before Apple boss Tim Cook, that three types of device could be expected in this video: iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch. The commercial also seemed to show where Apple currently sees its path to further development: In lots of little helpers that support you with health, operation and safety. They later formed a kind of common thread among the functions.

An analysis by Malte Kirchner

Malte Kirchner has been an editor at heise online since 2022. In addition to technology itself, he is interested in how it is changing society. He pays particular attention to news from Apple. He is also involved in development and podcasting.

And Apple itself is also playing it safe with its bestsellers: bigger, slimmer and smarter were the attributes that characterized this event around the iPhone 16, AirPods 4 and Apple Watch Series 10. Unfortunately, the unpleasant tradition of everything being leaked in advance continued.

EU citizens made to glow

But it wasn't the betrayal of secrets that led to critical comments from viewers online in the aftermath, which made some people glow in line with the motto "It's glowtime". EU citizens in particular had to take note of the fact that since the presentation of Apple Intelligence in June, there has apparently been no progress at all in introducing the AI functions in the European Union. This was evident from the timetable that Apple displayed: German language support is not in sight. This is not the case in China, where the introduction of intelligence has also been delayed due to governmental influences. Nevertheless, Chinese is firmly planned.

However, the display in the video should not and must not be regarded as irrefutable. Even Apple's press release afterwards read more conciliatory. The languages mentioned were only selected examples. Consequently, the back door to the EU remains open.

The highlights of this event

However, beyond Apple Intelligence, some had simply expected more from Apple's most important event of the year. The one hour and 40 minute video also contained some repetition, for example on Apple Intelligence, and some passages seemed stretched out. In short: Apple had a lot more to show in previous iPhone keynotes.

But there were also undoubtedly highlights in this product presentation:

• The Apple Watch Series 10: Apple's tribute to 10 years of the Apple Watch, cast in hardware, significantly enhances the look of the Series range, which has recently been fixed in appearance. The thinner case and larger display show that Apple has not forgotten the bestseller in the shadow of the more expensive Ultra. Functionally, of course, there are not quite as many new features. But the Series watch remains true to itself here: the ten-year success story of the wearable has always been a story of small steps in places.

• The AirPods Max have a future after all: After four years without change, you had to be a little worried about the future of the AirPods Max. Apple's flagship earbuds, which stand out from the rest of the AirPods range thanks to their design, got off to a bumpy start in 2020. Now there is not only the overdue changeover of the connection from Lightning to USB-C, but also new colors and Spatial Audio – but above all, Apple is committed to the fact that the headphones have a future.

• A new camera button in the iPhone: The new camera button in all new iPhones in the 16-series is an acknowledgement of the reality that for many users, the smartphone is less a phone than a camera with internet function. The only curious thing is the timing: an entire generation of people has now grown up with the iPhone who have only ever taken photos by tapping the display of their smartphone. However, Apple has packed the camera button with functions compared to last year's action button, so it could be really useful.

• Larger displays for the iPhone 16 Pro (Max): Even though Apple isn't shaking up the design of the iPhone much overall, buyers of the Pro devices will at least get a little something extra when it comes to the size of the screen.

Although perhaps the tech nerds are not all happy: The new iPhone 16 with A18, camera button and new design, the AirPods 4 and the Apple Watch Series 10 could still become bestsellers, precisely because they are not intended to appeal to those who buy the top models. So far, Apple has often proven to have a good nose here. Despite all the criticism.

(mki)