Apple’s big iPhone launch is coming on September 9. What to expect

A man walks past a screen displaying the iPhone 16 inside the Apple Inc. store at Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) on September 20, 2024, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Annice Lyn/Getty Images via CNN Newsource

Apple is holding an event on September 9, the company said in an invitation to the press Tuesday, where it will likely announce the iPhone 17 and new Apple Watches, among other potential new devices.

Apple rarely shares details about future products before announcing them, but the company has been introducing new iPhones in September since 2012. The invitation includes the tagline “Awe dropping.”

Apple’s September event, which will take place at the company’s Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, is largely considered the tech giant’s most important moment of the year. There is anticipation for a new iPhone, Apple’s biggest revenue driver, but only time will tell if consumers decide it’s worth shelling out for the latest model at a time when purse strings are tight. Meanwhile, Wall Street will look to the announcements as a barometer for whether Apple is still an innovator, especially in the age of AI.

The stakes are especially high this year after Apple delayed a major upgrade to its Siri digital helper, one that would have helped bring it up to speed with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. Investors cheered Apple’s July earnings results on strong iPhone sales despite its AI setbacks.

But Apple framed last year’s iPhone 16 as being “built for Apple Intelligence,” an approach it could continue in 2025 as rivals like Google ramp up their own AI efforts.

This year, Apple is betting that it can woo consumers with a super slim iPhone, according to Bloomberg. The company is expected to release a new model that’s essentially the MacBook Air of iPhone: much sleeker, but potentially at the expense of battery life and the camera, the report says.

Giving the iPhone a new look could potentially reinvigorate interest in smartphones at a time when most people only upgrade out of necessity, as data from market research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners shows. While virtually every other smartphone maker has released foldable phones that bend in half, the iPhone’s look hasn’t changed much in years.

Apple’s attempts to entice shoppers with iPhones in different sizes have largely fallen flat. Apple scrapped the iPhone Mini from its lineup after just two generations. And the larger iPhone 16 Plus only accounted for 5-10% of Apple’s shipments as of July 2024, according to TF International Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst known for his Apple product forecasts. He also predicts Apple will retire the Plus model from its iPhone lineup in 2025.

Besides a new, sleeker variant, Apple is expected to announce a standard version of the iPhone 17 alongside new Pro models. Apple typically upgrades its standard models with new processors and incremental improvements to the camera and battery life. Compared to the standard, the Pro models offer more advanced cameras, bigger screens, slightly more powerful processors and a titanium-built design.

The splashy event comes as Apple continues to navigate the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. CEO Tim Cook told analysts in July that he expects Apple to incur $1.1 billion in tariff-related costs during the September quarter.

Apple shifted production of most of its US-bound iPhones to India to reduce reliance on China, the beating heart of its smartphone production operations. And although India has been hit with 50% tariffs, smartphones are currently exempt.

Trump has also hinted that Apple wouldn’t be subject to the upcoming 100% tariffs on semiconductors. The president has said companies that have committed to building in the US would not face a charge. Apple said earlier this month it would invest $600 billion in expanding its US operations, which includes creating a domestic supply chain for its chips.

By Lisa Eadicicco, CNN