Apple CEO Tim Cook holds the new iPhone 14 at an Apple event at their headquarters in Cupertino, California, September 7, 2022.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
Apple is holding its most important launch event of the year on Tuesday at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, where it’s expected to unveil new hardware, including the iPhone 15.
Apple will present a prerecorded video featuring company executives to launch the products, which will be streamed on YouTube and Apple’s website. Last year’s event lasted about an hour an a half. Apple has used prerecorded videos for its product showcases since 2020.
Apple’s launches are important for the company and build hype for the products and set the stage for a marketing blitz heading into the December quarter, its biggest sales period of the year. Thirty-one million people have watched Apple’s YouTube video from last year’s launch, revealing that customers still like to get information directly from the company.
Apple also announced its new VR headset, the Vision Pro, in June ahead of a planned launch in 2024. The company could provide an update on its efforts to attract developers, but more details about that product are likely not to be released until next year.
Apple’s Macs and iPads are unlikely to see new reveals on Tuesday, given the company usually prefers to give them their own events. Last year, Apple announced new iPads through a press release.
This year’s launch invitations have the tagline “Wonderlust,” although the taglines don’t necessarily preview what the company is announcing. CNBC will be covering the launch live from Apple’s headquarters and with a live blog on CNBC.com.
Last year, Apple announced new iPhones, Apple Watches and updated AirPods at its September event. Here’s what to expect from this year’s edition:
iPhone 15: USB-C and titanium
Apple’s invite to its Sept. 12 event.
Apple
Apple is expected to release four new iPhone models, continuing the pattern that’s been in place since 2020. If Apple keeps its naming pattern, this year’s models will share the iPhone 15 brand.
Apple is likely to release two sizes of middle-range iPhones, one with a 6.1-inch screen and one with a 6.7-inch screen, as well as two sizes of higher end “Pro” phones with titanium casing and better cameras, according to reports from Bloomberg News, TF International Securities hardware analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Wall Street analysts.
This year, the biggest change is expected to be a USB-C charging port, replacing Apple’s proprietary Lightning port, which was introduced in 2012 as the iPhone charger “for the next decade.”
A USB-C charging port on iPhones will match the same charging port on Android phones, newer laptops, iPads, wireless headphones and other gadgets.
The change is being spurred by new European regulations which require a common charging port. Apple is unlikely to mention that the change was required by a new law, but it will probably emphasize the positives for users, such as convenience and faster charging. It might also give the port a proprietary Apple marketing name.
Apple will “comply” with European Union regulation that requires electronic devices to be equipped with USB-C charging, said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing. That will mean Apple’s iPhones, which currently use its proprietary Lightning charging standard, will need to change to support USB-C.
Jakub Porzyck | Nurphoto | Getty Images
New Pro models could also get a titanium casing, replacing the stainless steel used in the past few models. Titanium is lighter than steel, reducing the phones’ total weight. Event invitations show an Apple logo in what looks like a titanium finish.
Lower-end phones — expected to be called simply iPhone 15 — could get an upgrade to what the company calls the “dynamic island,” or a cutout that holds the phone’s facial recognition cameras toward the top of the screen. Last year’s Pro models ditched Apple’s “notch” for the undulating window, which can show real-time updates, such as how far away an Uber is or what’s playing on the music app. The mute switch, which has been present on iPhones for over a decade, could gain new functions as a customizable “action button.”
Apple is also likely to focus on camera and chip improvements as reasons for the upgrade. The biggest and most expensive iPhone model, the bigger Pro, could get a new lens that can zoom with twice the strength as the 3x zoom lens on the iPhone 14 Pro, according to Bloomberg.
One open question is whether Apple will raise price points. Some analysts think so, noting rising costs for parts like memory or processors. However, Apple did not raise U.S. iPhone prices last year under similar conditions. It does tweak its prices around the world regularly after launches and in response to currency fluctuations.
Apple Watch and accessories
Apple Watch Ultra.
Sofia Pitt
Last year, Apple released the Apple Watch Series 8 and a new high-end titanium model called the Ultra in September.
Both are likely to get updates this year, although Apple’s Watches don’t typically get as many major changes from year to year as the iPhones. Apple’s mainstream watches have had the same size and shape since 2018.
The company is likely to upgrade the chip inside the new watches, as well as update its health sensors, according to analysts. But Apple may save bigger changes for the device’s 10th anniversary next year.
Apple also has several accessories that use Lightning connectors, such as some of its AirPod models, Beats headphones, mice and keyboards.
AirPods Pro will get a new feature that doesn’t need new hardware called Adaptive Audio. It uses machine learning and software to intelligently turn down the volume and noise canceling so users can be aware of their immediate surroundings.
Apple will likely update its accessories to work with USB-C, but the updated accessories may not be discussed on Tuesday, or could be released later.
iOS 17
StandBy Mode in iOS 17
Todd Haselton | CNBC
Even users who don’t plan to pick up a new iPhone or Watch will get new software for their devices. Apple previews its latest operating systems for its devices in June, then releases them in September alongside new iPhones.
Many of Apple’s best new features don’t require new hardware and will be available to everyone with an iPhone released since 2018.
The software includes a revamp of the caller ID screen called “contact posters” where users can choose the images that show up when they call other iPhone users.
Autocorrect has been improved using a transformer-based language model, the same technology underpinning applications like ChatGPT.
A new Journal app encourages users to save thoughts and feelings on a daily basis and uses on-device machine learning to spot patterns without sending the data to a server in the cloud.
A new standby dock mode turns your phone into a clock with widgets that can show alarms, appointments or other updating information.
A business card replacement called NameDrop allows two iPhone users to exchange personal information by tapping their phones together.
Offline Apple maps make it possible for users to save huge swaths of roads and land to navigate even without cellphone service.
An Apple Store on Jan. 26, 2025, in Chongqing, China.
Cheng Xin | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Alibaba Group Chairman Joe Tsai confirmed on Thursday that the company was partnering with Apple to roll out AI for iPhones sold in China. He was speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai.
“[Apple] talked to a number of companies in China, and in the end, they chose to do business with us. They want to use our AI to power their phones,” Tsai said.
The partnership was first reported by tech-focused news organization The Information on Tuesday, triggering a jump in Alibaba and Apple shares.
Hong Kong-listed shares of Alibaba surged on Thursday to hit their highest level since 2022 during the intraday session before paring the gains, last up 2.5%.
The announcement could provide clarity on Apple’s AI strategy in China, helping it better tackle growing competition as the iPhone’s market share erodes in the world’s largest smartphone market.
While domestic rivals such as Huawei have touted AI features on their devices since last year, Apple has been quiet about its ‘Apple Intelligence‘ push in the market, despite plans to launch in the U.S. this fall.
Apple Intelligence is the Cupertino-based company’s plan to bring AI across its devices, featuring an improved version of its voice assistant Siri, as well as features that automatically organize emails and transcribe and summarize audio.
Analysts have told CNBC that Apple’s AI rollout in China has likely stalled due to China’s stringent rules on the technology.
Beijing has enacted various regulations on AI in recent years with some of the rules requiring large language models to get approval for commercial use. Generative AI providers are also responsible for taking down “illegal” content.
However, Tsai said Thursday that the Alibaba partnership could offer Apple a local partner to help it navigate the regulatory environment and localize its AI.
Alibaba is among China’s technology giants that have built their own large language models and voice assistants.
Sony PlayStation games are displayed at a Best Buy store on December 17, 2024 in San Rafael, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
Sony on Thursday raised revenue and profit forecasts for the full year after reporting a significant jump in gaming sales for the fiscal third quarter.
Here’s how Sony did in the December quarter compared with analyst estimates compiled by LSEG:
Revenue: 4.41 trillion Japanese yen ($28.6 billion), versus 3.77 trillion yen expected. That was up 18% year-over-year and beat analyst expectations.
Operating income: 469.3 billion yen, versus 404.21 billion yen expected. That’s up 1% year-on year and also topped analyst estimates.
Sony said it now expects sales for its fiscal full-year 2024 to hit 13.2 trillion yen, up 4% from its November forecast. The Japanese technology giant also raised its outlook for annual operating profit by 2% to 1.34 trillion yen.
The company noted that sales in its game and network services division totaled 237.9 billion yen in the fiscal third quarter, growing 16% year-over-year. This was bolstered by an increase in sales of both console and non-first-party game titles including add-on content.
Sony sold 9.5 million units of its PlayStation 5 console in the December quarter, up from 8.2 million in the same period a year ago.
The December quarter is a key period for Sony, covering the popular holiday shopping season which is often a lucrative time for consumer electronics firms.
In the previous quarter, Sony raised its sales guidance for the 2025 fiscal year, revising its forecast for revenue up slightly to 12.7 trillion yen from 12.6 trillion yen previously.
All eyes were on Sony’s gaming hardware business Thursday. In its fiscal second quarter, the firm said it sold 3.8 million units of its PlayStation 5 console, down 22% year-over-year.
Sony released the PlayStation 5 Pro last year, an upgraded version of its PS5 machine which has been out since November 2020.
Google chief executive Sundar Pichai speaks during the tech titan’s annual I/O developers conference on May 14, 2024, in Mountain View, California.
Glenn Chapman | Afp | Getty Images
Google will start using artificial intelligence to determine whether users are age appropriate for its products, the company said Wednesday.
Google announced the new technique for determining users’ ages as part of a blog focused on “New digital protections for kids, teens and parents.” The automation will be used across Google products, including YouTube, a spokesperson confirmed. Google has billions of users across its properties and users designated as under the age of 18 have restrictions to some Google services.
“This year we’ll begin testing a machine learning-based age estimation model in the U.S.,” wrote Jenn Fitzpatrick, SVP of Google’s “Core” Technology team, in the blog post. The Core unit is responsible for building the technical foundation behind the company’s flagship products and for protecting users’ online safety.
“This model helps us estimate whether a user is over or under 18 so that we can apply protections to help provide more age-appropriate experiences,” Fitzpatrick wrote.
The latest AI move also comes as lawmakers pressure online platforms to create more provisions around child safety. The company said it will bring its AI-based age estimations to more countries over time. Meta rolled out similar features that uses AI to determine that someone may be lying about their age in September.
Google, and others within the tech industry, have been ramping their reliance on AI for various tasks and products. Using AI for age-related content represents the latest AI front for Google.
The new initiative by Google’s “Core” team comes despite the company reorganization that unit last year, laying off hundreds of employees and moving some roles to India and Mexico, CNBC reported at the time.
