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The Apple 2024 event kicked off on September 10, 2024, at the Silicon Valley campus in Cupertino — we have the details below, which you can read in about 2 to 3 minutes. Read everything you need to know about Apple Intelligence, iPhone 16 Series, Apple product launches, and iOS 18.

From the world of startups, read a brief on the business model of Spotter, a creator-funding platform. From Dubai, the land of innovations, read about a princess’s inspired and business-smart approach to a personal conflict.

Your guide to the Apple 2024 ‘Glowtime’ event

The main reveal

The iPhone 16 lineup, Apple Watch Series 10, AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Max were unveiled at the marquee event hosted by Apple. 

What’s exciting about the iPhone 16?

The four new iPhone 16 models were debuted via a prerecorded video. They are the first iPhones designed to harness Apple Intelligence, a generative AI system that combines AI models with personal context to revolutionize the user experience. Apple intelligence technology can understand and create text and images, function across various apps, and make daily tasks easier, and faster. The feature, while highly personalized, is built to process information in a private and secure manner. 

iPhone 16 devices have aerospace-grade aluminum enclosures and are two times tougher than any smartphone; 50% more resistant to scratches and drops. They feature a new tactile ‘camera control’ button along the lower right-hand side, to navigate the app and its features.

New Apple watches!

Apple Watch Series 10, the thinnest model yet at 9.7mm and up to 10% lighter, debuts the first wide-angle OLED screens. Thanks to the latest AI features, users can enjoy photo watchfaces with improved transition tools. It also includes a new sleep apnea detection feature, although the FDA clearance is pending. 

Apple Watch Ultra leverages AI features to enhance live activity tracking and custom workouts.

Latest Airpods!

Claimed to be the most comfortable model yet, the new AirPods 4 can identify head shakes and nods as Siri commands and promises an enhanced audio experience with Personalized Spatial Audio.

AirPods Pro 2 uses machine learning to deliver passive noise reduction. AirPods Max is available in a range of new color options and now supports a USB-C port.

iOS 18 is all about artificial intelligence!

iOS 18 is here with Apple Intelligence and the power of generative models to transform your user experience!

Smart writing, editing, and reading

Apple intelligence allows your iPhone to understand text and images on your device in a personal context and helps you do stuff faster and easier. Write faster with system-wide AI suggestions in any app — emails, notes, and other third-party apps; no more of those pesky errors! 

Walking into a meeting without reading the agenda? Select a bulk test and ask Apple Intelligence to summarize it!

New generation video/image search!

Search through your Photos app for a specific image or something that happens somewhere in a video. 

AI images, GIFs, emojis!

Generate AI images/animations/GIFs of yourself and friends; use prompts to create emojis. Your AI-generated image repository is saved to the new Image Playground app, available as an overlay for Messages and other apps. Don’t worry about the storage — there’s a new AI-powered cleanup tool.

Siri successfully demoed multi-step requests with ChatGPT integration

Demos claim you can now interact with Siri with multi-step prompts; for example, look up a specific image shared by your contact Linda and save it as a note without touching your device. ChatGPT is integrated into Siri and iPhone’s system-wide writing tool  — you no longer need an OpenAI account to use the feature.

Wondering if your iPhone supports the new iOS updates? 

Probably yes! The following iPhone series support the iOS 18 updates: iPhone SE, iPhone XS (iPhone XS Plus not included), iPhone 11 (iPhone 11 Pro not included), iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone 15, iPhone 16.

Spotter, a creator-empowerment startup, has raised an additional $7.4 million

Spotter, a startup that raised a whopping $200M from SoftBank in 2022, has now raised a much smaller funding of $7.4 million, as reported by TechCrunch. 

About Spotter

As per their website, Spotter, “provides Creators with transformative capital, innovative AI productivity software, expert knowledge, and a supportive community”. Spotter provides creators with the upfront capital needed to grow their channels in exchange for licensing their long-form videos. The startup makes money from the ad revenue of the licensed videos, without claiming copyright or intellectual property from creators.

Few other companies that follow a similar model: Jellysmack, Creative Juice, Channel Factory, Tubular Labs, Apostrophe, Social Blade, Fanbase.

Plans for the latest funding

While Spotter declined to reveal plans for the funding, the raise coincides with the launch of Spotter Studio, their AI-powered suite of tools made for creators. In 2022, Spotter was valued at $1.7 billion and used their $200 million to support YouTube creators. 

As per their website, Spotter has provided $940 million in funding to over 735 creators. Their YouTube clientele includes ‘MrBeast’ and ‘The Try Guys’ .

"Divorce", the fragrance that smells like vengeance, by Princess Mahra Al Maktoum of Dubai

Few would show an entrepreneurial spirit after a separation from their spouse. But the Dubai princess Sheikha Mahra Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum did just that with her ironically named new line of perfume, weeks after her very public separation from Sheikh Mana Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Bin Mana Al Maktoum on Instagram. The divorce and the launch of the perfume line comes just a few months after the birth of their first child.

A new fragrance

The princess launched her perfume with an Instagram post of the stylish black perfume bottle. The caption simply read '‘DIVORCE’ By Mahra M1'. She did not need to say more; her post a few weeks earlier addressing her husband for being 'occupied with other companions' and her declaring divorce in the same post covered everything.

The reaction

The comments section is packed with applause, humor, and appreciation of the marketing genius of the princess. As one user @macmillananna put it in the meme language of Instagram “Very demure, very private, very mindful, very profitable 😉”.

About the princess

The Emirati princess is the daughter of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. She is known for her advocacy of women’s empowerment, humanitarian efforts, and associations with charitable organizations.

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