Top Stories: September 9 iPhone Event, iOS 18.1 Photos Clean Up Tool, and More

It's a day earlier than rumors had suggested, but Apple's big iPhone 16 event now has an official date: Monday, September 9. The 'It's Glowtime' tagline and glowing Apple logo theme are clear nods to the revamped Siri and new Apple Intelligence features that will undoubtedly be a major point of emphasis for the upcoming devices.

Much of the news this week focused on what announcements we will and won't see at Apple's upcoming event, with the usual focus on iPhone and Apple Watch perhaps being supplemented by a few other hardware announcements but a number of other updates like Macs not coming until later. This week also saw fresh rounds of operating system beta releases, including some new Apple Intelligence features for those on the iOS 18.1 beta, so read on below for all the details!

Apple Event Announced for September 9: 'It's Glowtime'

Apple has announced plans to hold its annual iPhone-centric event on Monday, September 9, at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The event is set to start at 10:00 a.m., and select members of the media have been invited to attend.

This year's event will see Apple unveil the iPhone 16 lineup, new Apple Watch models, and the AirPods 4, plus we'll get official launch dates for iOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and Apple's other software updates.

iPhone 16 Likely to Launch on September 20 With These New Features

With Apple's 'It's Glowtime' event taking place on Monday, September 9, pre-orders for the new iPhone 16 lineup are likely to begin on Friday, September 13, with a launch to follow on Friday, September 20.

We've recapped many of the rumors we've heard about the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineups, so read up for a refresher on what we can expect to see for Apple's latest flagship phones.

Apple's September 9 'It's Glowtime' Event: What to Expect Beyond the iPhone 16

While the iPhone 16 lineup will be the headliner for Apple's September 9 event, we're expecting a number of other product introductions to fill out the day's presentation.

We're expecting new Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and Apple Watch SE 3 models, plus two variants of fourth-generation AirPods, and perhaps a seventh-generation iPad mini and other announcements.

We should also be getting new colors of iPhone and iPad cases and Apple Watch bands, while we'll get final details and release dates for iOS 18 and related operating system updates.

When to Expect the iPhone SE 4 to Launch

The iPhone 16 lineup is right around the corner, but Apple's cheapest iPhone is also in need of an update so when can we expect to see a fourth-generation iPhone SE?

Rumors are currently pointing to an iPhone SE update in the spring of 2025, which makes sense considering all three previous generations have been introduced in March over the years. Check out our coverage for details on what we're expecting to see in what should be a major update for the budget iPhone.

See the Apple Intelligence Photos App 'Clean Up' Tool in Action

AI-driven Apple Intelligence features won't make the cut for the initial iOS 18 release next month, but Apple has been gradually rolling them out in betas of iOS 18.1, which should see a public release in October.

In this week's iOS 18.1 beta, the most notable Apple Intelligence addition is Clean Up, a tool in the Photos app that lets you remove unwanted objects from your photos and use generative AI to fill in missing pieces of the photo behind the removed objects.

It's a bit hit-or-miss right now, but it's still a work in progress in beta so check out our hands-on video to see what it's capable of at the moment.

MacBook Pros With M4 Pro and M4 Max Chips Reportedly Being Mass Produced This Month

Based on past history, next month's event will not include any Mac hardware announcements, but Mac updates based around the M4 chip family should arrive before the end of the year.

We're expecting a number of Macs with the base M4 chip similar to the one that debuted in the iPad Pro earlier this year, but there are also more powerful M4 Pro and M4 Max variants in the works, and a new report claims that Apple's supply chain is already gearing up to mass produce updated MacBook Pro models with these more powerful chips.

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