News

Apple Confirms iPhone 14 Launch Event On September 7th

Expect a refreshed iPhone lineup and new Apple Watches — though there’ll be few surprises due to an abundance of leaks.

Published

4 years ago

August 25, 2022

Nour Nasir

Apple

Apple has announced its next big product launch date. The Cupertino company has invited journalists for a September 7th event at the Steve Jobs Theater, situated on Apple’s main campus.

The launch will be the first in-person event hosted by Apple since the pandemic, at least if we discount the outdoor WWDC keynote from earlier this year. The invite, which contained the tagline “Far out”, is an intriguing choice — perhaps hinting at extended telephoto functionality for iPhones or representing a nod to some kind of satellite connectivity (something bouncing around the Apple rumor mill for a while).

iphone 14 color line-up

Either way, the proliferation of (almost certainly accurate) leaks means that we already know what the new Apple iPhone lineup will look like before the event begins:

iPhone 14 (6.1 inch)
iPhone 14 Plus, or Max (6.7 inch)
iPhone 14 Pro (6.1 inch)
iPhone 14 Pro Max (6.7 inch)

If you were expecting an iPhone Mini 14, you will almost certainly be let down. The company is thought to be ditching the model, despite overwhelmingly positive reviews, as sales have been pretty disastrous since its release.

So what can we expect from the lineup? Well, the biggest news would be the release of the iPhone 14 Plus (or Max), a 6.7-inch version of the standard iPhone 14, to match the two sizes offered by the Pro models. Speaking of the flagship phones, Apple is rumored to be beefing up the main cameras of both iPhone 14 Pros, with a much larger 48MP sensor and an autofocus enabled front-facing camera.

What else can we expect from the new handsets?

Rumors are circulating that the infamous notch will be axed in favor of a punched hole for the front camera and a pill-shaped cut-out for the Face ID sensor. Apple is also expected to add an always-on mode for the screen (iPhone Pro versions only) using the variable refresh rate of the screen to preserve the battery by slowing it to 1Hz.

Also Read: Disney+ Releases New MENA Content In September

As well as the refreshed iPhone lineup, three new Apple Watches may be announced at the event. The Apple Watch Series 8 is rumored to look just like the Series 7 but will include a body temperature sensor. There are also hints that a cheaper SE watch will also surface, along with a high-end model featuring a larger battery and chunky screen.

Although there are rumors of new Macs, iPads, and Airpods, we’re not expecting to see anything revolutionary materialize at the same event.

News

Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict

Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.

Published

4 days ago

September 24, 2026

Nour Nasir

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.

“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.

The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.

The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.

Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.

Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.

So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.