On Tuesday at 1 am Beijing time, the first heavyweight event of the global consumer electronics market this autumn, the Apple Autumn Conference, will officially begin.

For the Apple fans, this conference can be said to be the most important event of the year. Undoubtedly, the most significant protagonist of this conference will be the release of the iPhone 16.

In addition, it is expected that new models of Apple Watch, AirPods, M4 mac, HomePods, and Mac mini will also be unveiled.

Of course, before Apple CEO Tim Cook officially takes the stage, everything is still just speculation. However, we can imagine in advance the surprises that may appear on the stage of the conference.

The latest models of iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro.

The new iPhone models will undoubtedly be the highlight of the Apple conference. It's good news for those who are ready to upgrade their iPhones. But the bad news is that most of the leaks and rumors suggest that this year's new iPhone will be another iterative improvement version, so don't expect a game-changing new hardware feature.

According to leaks, four new models may be released at this conference, similar to Apple's event last year. According to industry analyst Mark Gurman, the new phones are said to be named iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max. This naming convention is the same as the iPhone 15 released last year, which means that the rumors about Apple using the name 'iPhone Ultra' seem to be false.

However, even if Apple doesn't use the Ultra name, the screen of the Pro models may be slightly larger: the screen of the regular Pro may increase from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches, while the screen of the Pro Max should increase from 6.7 inches to 6.9 inches.

In terms of phone colors, according to Bloomberg's Gurman, Apple is planning to abandon the blue model and return to rose gold.

In addition, according to 9to5Mac, the iPhone 16 Pro will adopt a new "Gold Titanium" color scheme - a color scheme shown in the image below.

In terms of hardware, the new iPhone is expected to adopt a completely new chipset to accommodate Apple's recently announced Apple Intelligence. At the same time, the upgraded A18 chip will undergo iterative improvements in specifications. As usual, the Pro and Pro Max may be equipped with more powerful chips than the standard models. The base memory for the new iPhone will be 8GB to handle the aforementioned AI tasks.

There are also rumors that the standard version of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will be equipped with an "Action Button", a feature introduced in last year's iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. By default, this multifunction button will replace the previous mute switch and can control a variety of different things, such as changing ringtone settings, turning on the flashlight, and launching the camera.

There are also reports that the new iPhone will have another new button, located on the right side of the phone. It will control the camera functions and operate like a button on a DSLR camera. In terms of functionality, lightly pressing this button will trigger autofocus, while pressing it firmly will take a photo. In addition, users can slide this button when taking photos or videos to zoom in or out.

According to reports, this camera button will only appear on the Pro and Pro Max models, as high-end models typically offer a more powerful photography experience.

In addition, the specifications of the camera on the new iPhone are always upgraded, and the camera module of the iPhone 16 may undergo a design update. Apple may abandon the square and instead use a vertically-oriented camera module. This may only apply to the base version of the iPhone 16, or it may also apply to the iPhone Plus, as the Pro and Pro Max phones often prioritize photo and video capabilities.

In terms of software, according to previous years' situations, iOS 18 should be released within a week after the conference. The characteristics of the software update are a more customizable control center and home screen.

As for Apple Intelligence, consumers may have to wait a while longer. Although it was announced as part of iOS 18, it has been delayed to be launched in iOS 18.1, expected to be released in October. In other words, early users of iPhone 16 will not be able to use AI immediately.

Apple Watch

Since 2016, Apple's autumn conference has often included a detailed introduction of the latest Apple Watch. This year seems to be no exception.

In fact, this year is an important year for Apple Watch, as it marks the tenth anniversary since the first Apple Watch was launched.

At this conference, two watches may be released, codenamed N217 and N218. One of the products may be the Apple Watch Ultra 3, and the other may be the Apple Watch Series 10 or Series X.

According to reports, Apple's next standard Apple Watch will have a larger screen. It is expected that Apple will abandon the 41mm form factor and introduce a 49mm size, while also being thinner in thickness.

However, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg said that this high-end smartwatch will not undergo a major redesign this time, but may only go through iterative updates.

There are also rumors that Apple has completely redesigned the Apple Watch strap system and added a new connector to make the strap easier to adjust, but the downside is that it may no longer be compatible with old watch accessories.

Of course, the new Apple Watch will use a new chip and may be compatible with Apple's Apple Intelligence in the future.

In terms of software, Apple seems to have encountered some obstacles in developing the long-awaited health tracking tool.

Health monitoring is one of the key functions of the Apple Watch, so the company has been developing new sensors to detect high blood pressure and sleep apnea. However, it may still be impossible to use this technology on the smartwatches released this year. In addition, Apple has been developing glucose sensors for nearly ten years, and whether it will appear on the new Apple Watch is also a question.

In addition, Apple may also release a new version of the affordable Watch SE. The product line was last updated in 2022, so it is very likely to be updated again this year.

There are reports that Apple will use hard plastics casing instead of aluminum casing. This will help to further reduce costs. Currently, the Apple Watch SE is priced at $250, but Samsung's cheapest wearable device is the $200 Galaxy Watch FE. Therefore, Apple's new Apple Watch may also be in this price range.

Two new sets of AirPods

According to reports, Apple is preparing to launch two new standard wireless headphones: an entry-level model and a mid-range model, which will effectively replace the AirPods 2 and AirPods 3.

The biggest news is that both new versions of AirPods may transition to the USB-C interface to keep up with the pace of the iPhone and the second generation AirPods Pro.

In addition, it is rumored that among the two upcoming phones, the lower-priced version will not have wireless charging functionality, but the mid-range version will support wireless charging technology. This is consistent with the strategy adopted by Apple in several previous generations of products. The more expensive AirPods case may also include a speaker, making it easier to find using Apple's 'Find My' feature.

These two versions have similar overall designs, but the mid-range version may support active noise cancellation like the Pro model.

As for AirPods Max, Apple's high-end Pro headphones may not be updated in this release.

Is there another small surprise?

In addition to the above regular product updates, it is reported that Apple may also be preparing a major redesign of the Mac mini, which includes giving up the USB-A interface.

Analysts say this will be the smallest desktop computer the company has ever made, possibly the same size as the Apple TV streaming box.

The new Mac mini may be even smaller than that.

According to reports, the upcoming Mac Mini will have two versions, one with a standard M4 chip and the other with a more powerful M4 Pro chip.

According to leaks, the version equipped with M4 Pro will still have a large number of ports, including five USB-C ports, an Ethernet port, an HDMI port, and a headphone jack, and will come with a built-in power supply.

It is rumored that the base model will start shipping from suppliers this month, so Apple may spend a few minutes showcasing this computer at the iPhone launch event.

Of course, considering that the main focus of Apple's launch event is still the iPhone and Apple Watch, this new product may not have a very long appearance time. However, Apple may also choose to hold a dedicated event for the Mac later this year, just like they did last autumn.