Apple has sent out invitations to its next major event.
Scheduled for September 9, it will be held in the Steve Jobs Theatre, part of the US company's spaceship-like Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. Apple has teased the upcoming event with the mysterious tagline, "Awe Dropping".
That cryptic two-word clue is accompanied by a colourful Apple logo in swirling shades of purple, black, yellow, and red, which resembles a heatmap or infrared image. The same graphic appears on the Apple website – and the colours move and swirl based on the movements.
It's unclear whether this is a clue about announcements we can expect in the next fortnight, but Apple has previously hidden clues about its plans within its invitations. For example, its September 2020 event has labelled "Hi, Speed", and ended up being focused on the introduction of fast 5G downloads on the iPhone.
Invitation to the next major Apple Event, which will be held in September at the Apple Park campus in California
|APPLE PRESS OFFICE
Some commentators believe the heatmap-like graphic is a nod to a new cooling system in the iPhone that will allow the next-generation processor to run at full pelt for longer durations — supercharging performance. Others speculate it's a hint at a new thermal camera in the triple-camera setup. It could also be a hat-tip to the new colourways.
Apple typically unwraps a new iPhone and Apple Watch during its September event.
So, expect to see successors to the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max unveiled on stage. Rumours suggest improved cameras, faster processors, and new colours from the incoming iPhone 17 lineup.
Whispers from inside the secretive company suggest we could also see an all-new model.
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Dubbed iPhone 17 Air, it will introduce a new ultra-thin and lightweight design. According to some leaks, Apple would forgo the dual- or triple-camera setup that's now commonplace on its handsets in favour of thinness.
Apple rarely reveals anything about its upcoming product launches ahead of time, so you'll need to tune in to the keynote from 6pm BST on September 9, 2025. However, one thing we do know is coming is a brand-new version of iOS, the operating system used on all 3 billion iPhones ever sold.
Apple offered a sneak peek to developers earlier this summer, before allowing millions of iPhone owners to help road-test the free upgrade with a Public Beta programme a few weeks ago. Dubbed iOS 26, the next-generation software is part of Apple's "broadest software design update ever" as it seeks to refresh – and unify – all of its devices.
Aside from the head-to-head redesign – dubbed "Liquid Glass", expect iOS 26 to bring enhanced Apple Intelligence capabilities that let you search for anything in a screenshot, call screening to check the identity of unknown callers before you pick-up, polls and other new features in Messages, the ablity to trigger the camera from your AirPods like a remote, and unrecognisable new CarPlay experience, and much more.
The new iPhone lineup will ship with iOS 26 running out-of-the-box, but older handsets can be updated to support the new features, provided your model supports all of these advanced features.
GB News will be bringing you all of the news and opinion on whatever is announced at the Apple Event in Cupertino, California. Stay tuned for more.