News

Apple’s Glowtime Event: Key Announcements & How To Watch

Apple’s upcoming keynote is expected to reveal the iPhone 16, iOS 18, Apple Watch X, and new AirPods, with a focus on AI.

Published

2 years ago

August 27, 2024

Nour Nasir

Apple

Apple’s latest and highly anticipated iPhone event is just around the corner, with the Cupertino company expected to unveil the iPhone 16 and reveal updates on iOS 18. The event, scheduled for September 9th, was announced using an Apple logo adorned with overlapping colors and the tagline “It’s Glowtime”.

The design echoes the invitation for June’s Worldwide Developers Conference, where Apple introduced its new AI suite, Apple Intelligence. It’s likely that the upcoming event will continue this conversation in addition to revealing new hardware.

How To Watch Apple’s Glowtime Event

Apple’s keynote is scheduled for Monday, September 9th, at 10:00 AM PT (8:00 PM Beirut, 9:00 PM Dubai).

The event will be livestreamed on Apple’s website and YouTube. In addition, you’ll also be able to watch via the Apple TV app.

Anticipated Features: AI-Powered iPhones & Enhanced Cameras

During June’s WWDC keynote, Apple introduced Apple Intelligence, a collection of AI-driven features including a smarter Siri, AI-powered writing tools, and ChatGPT integration. The iPhone 16 is expected to be the first to launch with these features fully integrated, following their introduction on the iPhone 15 Pro models.

In tandem with these AI advancements, the public rollout of iOS 18 is expected. This new operating system will offer customizable home and lock screens, an upgraded Control Center, and RCS messaging support, making communication with Android users more seamless.

Apple is also likely to showcase improvements in iPhone hardware, particularly in the camera department. Rumors suggest that the iPhone 16 lineup may feature larger image sensors and a new physical camera button, positioned alongside the Action button from last year’s iPhone 15 Pro models. This button could also introduce swipe gestures for zooming in and out.

Also Read: Yango Group Unveils Yasmina AI-Enhanced Smart Speakers For UAE

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the iPhone 16 Pro will include a 5x optical zoom lens, eliminating the need to upgrade to the Pro Max for this feature. Another analyst, Jeff Pu, speculates that the ultrawide cameras on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max could jump from 12 megapixels to an impressive 48 megapixels.

The base iPhone 16 and 16 Plus models might feature vertically stacked cameras, a design change that could enhance their ability to shoot spatial videos. These videos appear in 2D on a regular iPhone but are designed to deliver a 3D effect when viewed on Apple’s Vision Pro headset.

Apple Watch X: The Next Generation

Apple is also expected to unveil the 10th generation of its Watch series, likely named the Apple Watch X, continuing the tradition set by the iPhone X. This new model should feature a slimmer design and larger screen sizes, along with advanced health monitoring capabilities like blood-pressure tracking and sleep apnea detection. Additionally, the Apple Watch X may introduce a new magnetic band attachment system.

New AirPods: Enhanced Design & Features

As reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple might also debut two new AirPods models during the event. These redesigned headphones are expected to feature shorter stems, USB-C charging support, and possibly Active Noise Cancellation, traditionally reserved for the AirPods Pro.

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.