The Apple Store has gone down, right before the start of iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max preordering. (The Apple Watch Series 10 and AirPods 4 are already available for purchase.)
If you’re eager to get your hands on those shiny new Apple gadgets, keep refreshing the Apple Store at 5 AM PT, which is approximately six hours from now. All the new iPhones, Watches, and AirPods will be shipped to customers starting from September 20.
Apple is relying heavily on the aggressive promotion of its Apple Intelligence features to persuade people to order the new iPhone 16 lineup, even though these features won’t be available at the initial launch. The first Apple Intelligence features will become accessible starting with iOS 18.1 next month. All iPhone 16 models support Apple Intelligence.
Aside from AI, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max come with larger screens and thinner borders. There’s a brand-new 48-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a new Camera Control button on the side of the phone. This allows for convenient direct photo and video capturing. The button is also capacitive and can be swiped to adjust camera settings like zoom.
The base iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus also have the Camera Control, and the Action button, which is no longer exclusive to the Pro phones. Across all models, Apple is promising a significant improvement in iPhone 16 battery life compared to the previous generation, and enhanced durability thanks to the second-generation Ceramic Shield cover glass for the display.
The iPhone 16 is available in a new range of captivating colors, including ultra-marine, teal, pink, white, and black. The Pro phones also have updated colors (including a new bead-blasted titanium finish), with Desert Titanium being the brand-new color option this year. The prices of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 start at the same levels as last year’s phones for the same storage configurations.
The Apple Watch Series 10 represents a major upgrade for the Watch. It features a new, slimmer chassis design with a larger screen that rivals that of the Ultra. The display offers better off-axis viewing, and can now update once per second in the power-efficient always-on mode, ensuring a visible ticking second hand when your wrist is down. The Watch also gains enhancements such as faster charging, a more capable speaker app, and a depth gauge. Starting with a forthcoming software update, the Series 10 will also be able to detect signs of sleep apnea (this feature is also coming to the Series 9 and Ultra 2).
The Series 10 aluminium watch lineup includes a very stylish new Jet Black color option, and on the higher end, titanium replaces stainless steel. However, the new titanium watches use a unique finish, maintaining their eye-catching mirror-like shine. Series 10 is available in two new sizes, both of which are physically larger than the Series 9 size options. The 42 mm Series 10 starts at $399, and the 46 mm starts at $429.
The major upgrade for AirPods 4 is the addition of Active Noise Cancellation without the need for in-ear tips. AirPods 4 also come with upgraded drivers for better sound quality and a new charging case. The AirPods 4 bring down the price of Apple’s non-Pro earbuds, now starting at $129. The ANC model costs an extra $50.
We’ll find out how quickly everything sells out, if at all, when the Apple Store reopens for business at 5 AM Pacific Time.
