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Apple’s big Glowtime event on Monday was interesting, to say the least. The company spent half an hour detailing everything coming to “Apple Intelligence,” which was already revealed earlier this year at WWDC 2024. We were left with a dull affair where Apple showed us small hardware upgrades supporting software that won’t be there at release Sept. 20.
I should be used to this. After all, I commute on the New York subway system. When trains regularly get stuck at or between stations—perhaps due to a stalled train, a signal failure, or even a kaiju attack in Union Square—riders are told, “We thank you for your patience.” It’s as if our patience is implied, but riders’ resignation has more to do with our lack of efficacy. We can grumble and curse, but it wouldn’t change anything. Though, unlike the necessity of using the MTA for transit, iPhone users don’t have to buy into Apple’s next big launch just yet.
Unlike the rumors suggested, there was no new Apple Watch SE. The Apple Watch Ultra now comes in black, as if it deserved its spot in Apple’s lineup. The only update to the AirPods Max in four years is the move to USB-C to comply with EU regulations. It was Apple’s most dry and corporate setting for such a mercilessly low-energy hardware deployment.
Apple Intelligence and Camera Capture Button Will Take Months to Flesh Out
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo Apple further thanked customers for their patience on Monday, telling them to buy a product before all the features are ready. We should buy an iPhone 16 because of its new Camera Control feature. It’s a quick way to access the camera app or snap a photo without touching the screen. It also has a scrollable function for selecting a few camera options without touching the screen. I really wanted the ability to half-press the Camera Capture like the shutter button on a DSLR to lock in focus and reframe the subject. That will supposedly be arriving in an update later this year.
I like physical buttons far more than I appreciate thinner devices, so I should be at least intrigued. Instead, it feels like a last-minute attempt to drive sales for an iPhone in the middle of growing pains. The tech giant says this is the first phone designed specifically for Apple Intelligence. That’s why the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models have an A18 Bionic chip and more RAM. Promised Apple Intelligence features like ChatGPT integration won’t be on-device when it launches Sept. 20. That could be here in October. However, AI-generated images won’t arrive “in the following months.” All those big Siri improvements are coming in 2025.
The Apple Watch Series 10 is thinner and lighter but lacks a standout feature that brings it above a Series 9. That sleep apnea feature highlighted at the event still needs U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance. It might show up later this year.
According to what Apple said at Glowtime, the iPhone 16 and Apple Watch will completely differ in six months. When we initially review these products around release, they’ll miss half their promised features. I don’t suggest anybody buy a device billed as a work in progress.
Apple Needs to Rethink Its Messaging on the Environment
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo The Glowtime event featured a thinner Apple Watch Series 10, new mid-range AirPods with ANC, and long-rumored hearing aid support for Apple’s AirPods Pro. That last bit has me personally interested since it could save some people with hearing issues thousands of dollars, but we’ll have to see if they’re truly equivalent. Beyond that, I’m starting to wonder if the iPhone 16 generation is worth skipping in favor of the iPhone 17. At least that phone should have all the touted software features at launch.
Glowtime was filled with typical Silicon Valley overpromises. Apple spoke endlessly about its environmental initiatives. Using recycled titanium in the latest Apple Watches and promising to use more recycled materials in the future is a worthy endeavor. The thing is, Apple CEO Tim Cook claimed they were using far fewer planes to ship its products. The company likes to say it focuses on “low carbon shipping,” but we must constantly mention how shipping and manufacturing are just a piece of Apple’s environmental impact. Environmental groups regularly take Apple to task over its “greenwashing” messaging.
Let’s also not forget that the Congo has accused Apple of sourcing rare earth materials from conflict areas. We have yet to see the country file a lawsuit, but this suggests that no multinational corporation can operate ethically so long as it feels the need to release new hardware every year.
