Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 on Monday as the tech giant seeks to breathe new life into its flagship product, betting that consumers will be persuaded to ditch their older devices by a steady rollout of new generative artificial intelligence features.
Chief executive Tim Cook said the latest model was the first of its smartphones to be “designed from the ground up” for artificial intelligence “and its breakthrough capabilities”, as audience members packed into the Steve Jobs Theatre on Apple’s Cupertino campus for its annual product launch event.
The iPhone 16, which will go on sale on September 20 with pre-orders starting this Friday, comes as the tech giant moves to establish itself as a player in artificial intelligence and revive flagging iPhone sales with new generative AI features in its latest operating system, iOS18 — although analysts agreed the launch lacked any major surprises. Apple shares ended the day flat.