Apple is set to unveil its latest iPhone on Tuesday, which is expected to be its thinnest model yet. The event will take place at the company’s Cupertino headquarters in the Steve Jobs Theater at 10 AM PT, and is promoted under the theme “awe-dropping.”
The iPhone 17 lineup is anticipated to include standard, Pro, and Pro Max editions, along with a new addition called the iPhone Air. This latest model is expected to be Apple’s lightest flagship phone to date, drawing inspiration from its line of slim MacBook laptops.
Apple has not denied these reports about the upcoming announcements. In addition to the new iPhones, the company is also planning to reveal the Apple Watch Series 11 and an update to its AirPods earbuds. There are rumours that the new AirPods may feature live translation capabilities, bringing Apple up to speed with its competitor, Google, which introduced this feature in its Pixel Buds years ago.
Apple is also expected to provide launch dates for its mobile and desktop operating systems, iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe. Looming over the new product announcements are Donald Trump’s tariffs, which threaten to disrupt the iPhone’s complex global supply chain with large price hikes, particularly the steep levy on China that is still under negotiation. Consumers may be forced to shoulder the burden of increased costs if they wish to upgrade. However, CEO Tim Cook has so far dodged doomsday predictions of a $2,000 iPhone, shifting a major portion of Apple’s production to India from China and flying hundreds of tonnes of iPhones into the US ahead of the tariffs’ effective date.
Investors and iPhone owners alike will be watching for mentions of Apple Intelligence, the suite of features meant to bring generative AI to the iPhone that rolled out in October 2024 to mixed reception. Among last year’s announcements was a pledged overhaul of the virtual Siri that never materialized, a rare unfulfilled promise from Apple.
During a July earnings call, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said the company was “making good progress on a more personalised Siri” and promised a release next year. Apple has also reportedly engaged in talks with Google about using the latter’s Gemini AI models to revamp Siri, according to Bloomberg, much like how Google provides the search engine for Safari.
Source: www.theguardian.com
