Apple Announces Release Dates for New iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods, and OS Updates

By John Voorhees

Source: Apple

Apple announced a lot of dates today. Here’s a rundown of all the dates mentioned in the keynote and press releases:

iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max

In Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Türkiye, the UAE, the U.K., the U.S., and 58 other countries:

Pre-Orders: Friday, September 13, 2024
In Stores and Deliveries: September 20, 2024

In Macao, Vietnam, and 19 other countries, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will be available starting September 27, 2024.

Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra

In Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, the UAE, the U.K., the U.S., and more than 49 other countries and regions:

Pre-Orders: Today
In Stores and Deliveries: September 20, 2024

AirPods 4 and AirPods Max

Pre-Orders: Today
In Stores and Deliveries: September 20, 2024

AirPods Pro 2

AirPods Pro 2 are available online and in stores today.

iOS and iPadOS 18.0

Release Date: Monday, September 16th

watchOS 11

Release Date: Monday, September 16th

macOS 15.0, Sequoia

Release Date: Monday, September 16th

visionOS 2.0:

Release Date: Monday, September 16th

You can follow all of our September 2024 Apple event coverage through our September 2024 Apple event hub or subscribe to the dedicated September 2024 Apple event RSS feed.

Apple’s September 2024 Glowtime Event: Replay Today’s Keynote

By John Voorhees

If you didn’t follow the livestream of today’s ‘It’s Glowtime’ Apple event, you can replay it on Apple’s Events site or YouTube.

The keynote video can be streamed here and on the Apple TV using the TV app. A high-quality version will also be available through Apple Podcasts as a video and audio podcast. An American Sign Language version of the event keynote is available on the Apple Events page too.

We’ll be adding links to the product videos released by Apple today as they appear on YouTube after the break.

Dezeen Highlights The Observatory, a New Event Space at Apple Park →

Linked By John Voorhees

Architecture and design site, Dezeen has an exclusive first look at The Observatory, a new events space built into the side of a hill at Apple Park. The building, which is near the Steve Jobs Theater, will open officially later today, presumably for the iPhone media event.

Apple’s global head of design (real estate and development) John De Maio told Dezeen:

When we built Apple Park, we wanted the entire campus to be seamlessly integrated into the landscape, and this building follows that same approach,

With its stunning views of the campus greenery and the mountains ringing the horizon, The Observatory truly is an extension of Apple Park, showcasing the best of California and the best of the natural environment around us,

The building brings in the natural stone, terrazzo and wood elements that are featured in The Steve Jobs Theater and across Apple Park. It’s a design that complements both the landscape and its neighboring buildings on campus.

The Observatory looks spectacular. Don’t miss the photos shared by Dezeen on its site.

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The Latest from Magic Rays of Light, Comfort Zone, and MacStories Unwind

By John Voorhees

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Sigmund and Devon highlight the triumphant return of Slow Horses and rate tvOS streaming apps based on how well they take advantage of system features.

Niléane and Chris have upgraded their desk setups, but Matt didn’t get the memo and brought a hard drive or something. Then we see who can bend the rules the most to survive the challenge.

This week, a surprise apology for rain, an update on our annual OS reviews and what we plan to do with our free time once they’re finished, and a TV pick.

Balatro+ Is Coming to Apple Arcade on September 26th

By John Voorhees

Balatro+. Source: Apple.

Earlier today, Apple announced several new and updated games are coming to Arcade, including one of my favorites of 2024: Balatro. Balatro is a roguelike deck-builder that mixes the familiarity of poker with special joker and other cards for combos that result in an incredibly fun roller coaster ride that’s hard to put down.

The game was originally released earlier this year on consoles and PC, but the potential for a mobile version was immediately obvious. My and many others’ wish for an iOS version of Balatro will come true on September 26th as part of the Apple Arcade service with Balatro+, which will also be available on the iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro.

Other notable Arcade announcements today include NFL Retro Bowl ‘25 and Monster Train+, which are out today along with Puzzle Sculpt, a spatial puzzle game for the Apple Vision Pro. NBA 2K is returning with NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition on October 6th, too.

Of all these games, though, I’m mostly excited about Balatro+. We’ve discussed this on NPC and elsewhere many times, but this is exactly the sort of game that Apple Arcade needs. There’s plenty of room for variety on Apple Arcade, but for a while, it’s felt like the artistic, indie corner of the catalog has been in decline. Balatro+ is just one game, but it’s an important one that many consider a contender for ‘Game of the Year,’ so I’m very happy to see it on Arcade.

Apple Music Vibes with Five New Mood Stations

By John Voorhees

Today, Apple Music introduced five new mood stations:

The music featured by the stations is automatically updated from Apple Music’s catalog of over 100 million tracks and tuned to your listening tastes.

This isn’t the first time Apple has introduced mood stations. You may recall that it released Love and Heartbreak stations on Valentines Day. All seven mood stations are in a new ‘Find Your Mood’ section in Apple Music’s Home tab.

I haven’t spent a lot of time with Apple Music’s new mood stations yet, but as I sampled each, I was met with a familiar song or band, with every track matching the mood I picked. I’ll be digging into each of these station more as I edit my macOS Sequoia review.

Ivory 2.2 Adds New Navigation Design and More →

Linked By John Voorhees

Ivory, the Mastodon app by Tapbots, was updated on iOS and iPadOS yesterday with a new navigation design.

The app’s new tab bar can accommodate up to six of its many views and adds a ‘More’ button on the far right for ones that don’t fit. From the ‘More’ button, there’s also a shortcut to configure the order in which Ivory’s tabs appear. I’ve been using the new design in beta for a while and love having the added level of control over my Mastodon experience.

Tapbots has also added the ability to translate hashtags by long-pressing on them and now displays media, cards, and quotes when a post is truncated with a ‘Read More’ button. Posts that quote an account you’ve blocked are no longer visible either. Finally, there’s an all-new Blueprint app icon.

The Ivory update is available on the App Store.

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The Latest from AppStories and Ruminate

By John Voorhees

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

On AppStories+, John explains how Apple is working to make the Apple Pencil more useful to a wider audience with Smart Script.

This episode is sponsored by:

Sentry – Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. Try it for free.

John hits some limitations of Sequoia, Robb isn’t playing anything but John is, and they both bring some chili snacks

Bitmo Lab Opens Pre-Orders for a Delta Emulator-Friendly iPhone Case →

Linked By John Voorhees

Source: Bitmo Lab.

Bitmo Lab, an affiliate of JSAUX, a videogame accessory maker, has announced pre-orders for an intriguing new iPhone case. The GAMEBABY case, which I came across on Overkill.wtf, is a two-part iPhone case that allows users to remove the bottom half, moving it from the rear of an iPhone to the front. The switch transforms your iPhone into a Game Boy lookalike with A and B buttons, a D-pad, Start and Select buttons, and more.

According to Bitmo Lab, the GAMEBABY’s buttons are capacitive, meaning they don’t require power, a Bluetooth connection, or other technology to work. It’s a simple solution that, when paired with the Delta iOS game emulator, should be able to play classic emulated games on the go with the added benefit of physical buttons.

How well the GAMEBABY works remains a mystery. Bitmo Lab’s website says the case is still under development, but you can pre-order one for the iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 16 Pro Max with expected shipping in October for $19.99, which is 50% off the launch price.

I’ve pre-ordered a GAMEBABY and will report back after I’ve had a chance to use it for a while.

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