It's Glowtime Apple Event Bingo

*Apple's "It's Glowtime" event is scheduled for 10:00am PST on Monday, September 09.*

On Monday, August 26, Apple dropped invites to their first event of the Fall. With the teaser title "It's Glowtime," this event's graphic style and animations are strongly reminiscent of the Siri refresh introduced alongside Apple Intelligence at WWDC. This is colloquially known as the "iPhone Event," and I expect to see Apple announce their latest lineup of iPhone 16s. Rumours are hedging that Apple will also announce updates to the Apple Watch lineup and possibly update a few of their AirPods products and perhaps the iPad mini.

I've been making Apple Event Bingo boards for a number of years now and am excited to have you play along. Most of these predictions are informed by rumours swirling around the Apple community; some are stagecraft guesses, and a few are my wishes and prognostications.

The predictions for this board were collected between August 26 and September 05, and finalized on Friday, September 06.

Bingo Board

The Bingo Board is available to download as a PNG or PDF, and I've added a more printer-friendly PDF so you don't end up using all your toner printing this card (but if you're at work during the event, you have my permission to print the full-colour PDF).

Disclaimer: MacPaw, the developers of CleanMy®Phone, reached out & offered to sponsor this year's It’s Glowtime Bingo Board—my thanks to them for their support!

PNG | PDF | Printer-Friendly PDF

My Picks Explained

New iPhone 16 Pro Colour Name: "Desert Titanium"

Apple has historically released one "colourful" Pro option during their September events. In 2020, it was Pacific Blue; in 2021, it was Sierra Blue; in 2022, Deep Purple; and in 2023, it was back to a Blue Titanium. This year, rumours consistently suggest a gold/bronze titanium finish. One rumour I saw referred to the colour as "Desert Titanium," I liked the name enough that I'm making it my pick for this year's new colour option.

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Gets a Dark Titanium Finish

*I'm normally a fan of light, silver, and natural colours, but I might need to reconsider that stance if Apple releases a Space Black Apple Watch Ultra.*

This time last year, rumours were swirling that we'd see a Dark/Space Black Titanium finish come to the Apple Watch Ultra. But to the dismay of many, the renders were all in vain, and we got little more than a processor bump to the Series 2 Ultra. I have to imagine that the rumours were latching onto some shred of evidence for the existence of a darker Ultra watch, but perhaps the colour wasn't ready and was delayed for one reason or another. This year, I predict we see a dark titanium finish join the Natural Titanium Apple Watch Ultra when it gets a refresh to the Series 3.

Apple Introduces A18 & A18 Pro Chips

For the past couple of years, Apple has had its "regular" iPhones get the previous year's chip while the Pro gets the newest chip. In 2022, the iPhone 14 kept the A15 while the Pros got the A16; in 2023, the iPhone 15 got the A16 while the Pros received the A17 Pro. This year, I picked Apple to launch with simultaneous A18 and A18 Pro chips, with the Pro chip getting a few extra CPU/GPU cores to make calling your grandma or ordering Door Dash the most Pro Experience Yet! That's a little facetious, but those cores separate the product lines and are helpful in more "pro" use cases like RAW image capture, video production, and gaming.

Tetraprism Lens Comes to the iPhone 16 Pro

Last year, only the iPhone Pro Max got the new Tetraprism lens system that increased the optical Zoom from 3x to 5x. This year, that lens is also rumoured to reach the regular Pro iPhone.

A Secret Location is Accessed Via Whimsical Transition

In addition to the expected drone footage around Apple Park, at some point, we'll transition from one place to the next via some fancy corridor, escape hatch, portal, or secret underground tunnel accessed via the fountain inside the courtyard of Apple Park.

Apple Products Health & Safety Features Showcased

As Apple has been apt to do in recent years, I imagine we see devices like the iPhone and Apple Watch showcased for their health and life-saving capabilities - irregular heart rate detection, Emergency SOS, backtracking while lost in the wildness, how mood check-ins have helped people regarding their mental health.

Apple Intelligence Showcased but Not Available at Launch

We saw Apple introduce Apple Intelligence at WWDC back in June, but this is an important, highly watched event that gives Apple a chance to make a case for how the tools and capabilities of Apple Intelligence will revolutionize how people use their iPhones (and make surfing T-Rex wearing tutu emojis). I imagine we will see Apple revisit some of the features of Apple Intelligence & give a rough timeline about when we should expect some of the earliest features to begin rolling out. Still, these features won't be available at the launch of the iPhone 16.

AirPods 4 Announced

The rumour mill is suggesting that Apple is about to release two variations of the AirPods 4 - a 'cheaper' model designed to replace the aging AirPods 2 (released in 2019) and a more mid-tier model that replaces the AirPods 3 (released in 2021) and that features Active-Noise Cancellation.

FineWoven Cases are Discontinued

Apple had a substantial environmental spot at last year's event, highlighting its greener manufacturing processes and ecological commitment. One of those changes was eliminating leather, which had been used for years across Apple accessories—from iPhone cases to Apple Pencil Sleeves. In its place, Apple gave us FineWoven, a 68% post-consumer recycled "durable micro-twill." Priced at the same premium tier as the leather cases, FineWoven was mercilessly mocked online for its poor durability and cheap-feeling build quality.

Apple cases are among the most important accessories the company sells. They're the first cases available at launch, so the phone's reputation is, in a small way, inextricably linked to its companion accessory. I can't imagine FineWoven sold well, and I can't imagine the beatdown Apple suffered online fueled a desire to reintroduce these cases alongside the iPhone 16.

My thoughts: Either Apple goes with option 1, sticking with their tried-and-true silicone and clear cases, or option 2, introducing a new case material (vinyl or succulent vegan leather) as their premium case option alongside their existing silicone and clear options.

iPhone 16 Pros Gets a New Capture Button

One of the most persistent rumours of this cycle is the addition of a new "Capture" button on the bottom right of the phone. The button is purported to serve as a dedicated camera controller to record photos and videos and control capture features (e.g., zoom levels).

There is debate about which phones will get the new buttons - some mockups show the entire iPhone 16 Lineup getting the new button, while Mark Gurman suggests that only the Pros will get this feature. Given Apple's history of introducing features in the Pros before trickling them down across the lineup, it wouldn't surprise me to see this be a Pro-exclusive feature at launch.

A Decade of Apple Watch Highlighted During Event

*Apple's Event Invite for September 09, 2014.*

Although the Apple Watch was released in April of 2015, it was first announced and showcased on September 09, 2014 - 10 years to the day of this Apple event. I'm sure we'll see Apple lean into the growth and significance the Apple Watch plays in society when it comes to framing the Apple Watch Series 10 announcement.

*The Apple Watch was famously introduced as "One more thing..." by Tim Cook during the event. The full keynote is available* *here*.

AirPods Max Updated (Finally!)

If the AirPods Max were updated at this event, it would have been 1371 days since they were first announced. Apart from the battery in my pair needing to be replaced, they remain a fantastic set of headphones I relish using daily. However, they show their age in other ways—from their lightning connector to their lack of adaptive audio, conversational awareness, inability to play loss audio, and lack of H2 chip.

I haven't seen rumours suggesting this will be a massive update, but I'd personally be happy with a USB-C port (for changing and lossless audio), a fresh set of colours, and features that bring it to parity with those the AirPods Pro 2 have had for years.

iPad mini Updated

As Apple gears up for its Apple Intelligence push, I hope to see a refresh to its most iPad-like iPad, the mini. There are murmurs that in-store stock is beginning to dwindle, but a precise timing of their impending update remains elusive. Will it show up at Apple's September event, a Fall press release, or sometime later in the year?

Here's betting the mini will see at least a minor update at this event: new colours, an A18 to give it Apple Intelligence capability, a display that reduces jelly scroll, a camera enhancement, and updated support for Apple Pencil Pro.

Apple Watch SE Updated

It's been two years since Apple updated the Apple Watch SE, it's lower-cost smartwatch option. I'd love to see a spec bump (maybe an S9), a few modern Apple Watch niceties (double-tap, for example), and finally give the watch the Always-On display. It'd also be excellent to see the SE drop to a $199 price point.

A Sub-45mm Series 10 Watch Remains in the Lineup

There are rumours that Apple's planned redesign of the Apple Watch will increase display sizes from 41 to 45mm and 45 to 49mm. For numerous reasons, I'm hoping Apple will retain a smaller sub 45mm Series 10 Apple Watch in the lineup. First, many people have smaller wrists and prefer the proportions of a smaller watch. Apple risks alienating a sizeable cohort of buyers if it makes the 4mm jump in size and makes 45mm the default watch size. Second, would the rumoured new 45mm break compatibility with every 38-41mm Apple Watch band previously released, or will Apple somehow create a narrative about how this watch is designed to work with the smaller bands? Similarly, does that mean existing 42-45mm watch owners would need to update to the rumoured 49mm watch (rather than the new 45mm) to ensure compatibility with their existing bands? It's all very confusing.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a slight redesign and sign increase, but I'm still betting against the rumours that a sub-45mm Series X remains in the lineup.

Runtime: +93 Minutes

Each year, I predict the runtime of the Apple event. For the last seven iPhone events, the average length has hovered around 93 minutes (significantly shorter for online vs. in-person events). This year, I took the average (93.29) and chose the over, predicting that this event would be ever-so-slightly longer than the hour-and-a-half average.

2023 Apple Event was 83 minutes
2022 Apple Event was 95 minutes
2021 Apple Event was 79 minutes
2020 Apple Event was 71 minutes
2019 Apple Event was 102 minutes
2018 Apple Event was 107 minutes
2017 Apple Event was 116 minutes

Apple Watch SE 3 Goes “Unapologetically Plastic*”

Some rumours suggest that the next Apple Watch SE will switch from aluminum to a hard plastic casing. If this is a cost-cutting measure, I would like to know how much Apple stands to save in the switch and if those savings are passed down to the consumer, making this a more enticing entry-level device for children and first-time buyers. I also wonder about durability, though this does give Apple no excuse to create some vibrant colours.

*If you raised an eyebrow at that description, “Unapologetically Plastic” was how Jony Ive described the iPhone 5C during its introductory video.

Event Shot on iPhone & Edited on Mac

Apple spooked us all at the end of their "Scary Fast" MacBook Event last year when they announced that the entire production had been shot on iPhone and doubled down on their efforts with WWDC when it repeated the claim. There's no going back at this point, and I fully expect Apple to continue using iPhones as the defacto recording device for their events moving forward.

Apple Watch Gets Sleep Apnea Detection

Health and fitness capabilities are tentpole elements of the Apple Watch. Apple has slowly added various features—ECG to Blood Oxygen, temperature analysis to mood monitoring—to build that reputation. And it's a poorly kept secret that Apple is trying to figure out glucose monitoring and blood pressure detection on a wrist-worn device. Another feature rumoured to be arriving soon in the Apple Watch is sleep apnea detection, which could use microphones, heart rate, and blood oxygen saturation to detect the characteristic changes of people at risk of developing sleep apnea. However, Apple got into a bit of a patent brouhaha with Masimo for legal claims related to Masimo's patents on blood oxygen detection. As a result, that sensor is disabled inside the United States for all Apple Watches sold in 2024. Nevertheless, I'm betting Apple includes the feature and somehow has settled, licensed, or found a workaround to these patents that enable sleep apnea detection to be included on the device.

AirPods Max Gets Better Lossless Audio

Apple announced lossless support for Apple Music back in 2021. It offered three tiers:

CD quality (16-bit/44.1kHz).
Apple Music Lossless (up to 24-bit/48kHz).
Hi-Res Lossless (up to 24-bit/192kHz).

The catch was that Bluetooth limitations prevented any of the AirPods (including the Max) from listening to Lossless audio. The lightning cable does some wonky conversion that I can't claim I understand, and even then, it caps the audio at Apple Music Lossless bitrates. This year, I wonder if Apple enables Hi-Res Lossless playback via a wired USB-C connection to the updated AirPods Max.

AirPods Begin at $99

AirPods first went on sale in December of 2016 with a starting price of $159 (USD). Currently, the cheapest set of AirPods 2 begins at $129 (USD). However, with the introduction of the AirPods 4 expected at this event, I wonder if we will see Apple keep the AirPods 2 in the lineup, starting at the killer price of $99.

The Return of a Ceramic Apple Watch

*My five-year-old Apple Watch Edition from 2019.*

This is my dark horse pick for the Bingo Board, and there's ZERO evidence to suspect its return. The Ceramic Apple Watch was introduced with the Series 2 Apple Watch and later updated to the Series 3 and Series 5 generations before being discontinued. It was expensive but golly was it gorgeous. I still wince at the price I paid, but after half a decade, I still regularly use it in my watch rotation. With the 10th anniversary upon us, Apple might do something extra special and reintroduce an updated Ceramic Edition back to the lineup.

16 Pro Models Get a 48MP Ultrawide Sensor

Rumours suggest that a dramatically enhanced ultrawide sensor will be one of the updates coming to the iPhone 16 Pro. The Ultrawide sensor is my least used sensor often because of poorer photo quality and a significantly beefed up sensor would go a long way to make it a more compelling camera. This might also go a long way to improving the quality Spatial Videos for Apple Vision Pro.

iPhone Preorders begin on Friday, September 13

Traditionally, most iPhone preorders have begun on Friday the week of the event—previously at 00:00 PST but more recently at 05:00 PST. One rumour was posted about Apple potentially beginning preorders on Thursday, but I am holding out that Apple will continue the convention and keep Friday, September 13, as preorder day. From there, the new devices usually begin being delivered in-store the following Friday, so in this case, September 20.

In Sum

Thanks for reading and playing along! It's always fun to soak in the rumours and ponder what you imagine might unfold at an Apple event! And with Apple still rumoured to have at least one more event later this fall to unveil new Macs, I'll be back soon with another Bingo Board!

It’s Glowtime Apple Event Bingo