-Summarizing the current rumors, this will be the biggest update to the iPhone in three years.

-Apple is hiring for dozens of positions in multiple offices around the world, with work ranging from large-scale research on language modeling fundamentals to compressing existing language models so they can run efficiently on mobile devices rather than in the cloud.

Apple will hold its annual phone launch event on Sept. 12 or 13, and the new iPhone 15 series will be available for pre-order on Sept. 15, with shipments beginning a week later on Sept. 22, according to the latest revelations from Bloomberg senior reporter Mark Gurman.

Meanwhile, Apple is beefing up its expertise in generative artificial intelligence for use on the iPhone and iPad.

Thinner bezels, lighter phones?

Apple usually holds a phone launch event in the first two weeks of September in order to launch new iPhones and account for a significant amount of revenue before the company's fiscal quarter ends at the end of that month, and this year looks to be no different. However, there have previously been rumors of challenges in producing the new models of the phone, which could mean tight supply or even later shipments of some models.

Tech outlet 9to5Mac, which follows Apple's moves, reported last week that several carrier partners have banned employees from taking time off on September 13th in anticipation of "major smartphone announcements".

Rounding up the rumors so far, this will be the biggest update to the iPhone in three years. In addition to the Aura Island, which will be standard across the lineup, the iPhone 15 Pro models will have a display bezel that's one-third thinner, with a titanium bezel that's supposed to be lighter and more premium than the current stainless steel bezel. The mute switch from the first generation may become another "action" button. The camera is also much improved (a periscope lens is expected on the Pro Max model), the charging port will become USB-C, the processor speed will be upgraded as usual, and new colors will be introduced.

Typically, Apple sells big when it introduces major phone refreshes, such as the iPhone 6 series in 2014, the iPhone X in 2017, and the iPhone 12 series in 2020, establishing a new switching cycle by offering larger screens, revamped designs (such as full-screen), and 5G.

Apple's second-quarter earnings report, released on Aug. 3, showed iPhone sales slipping 2.4 percent to $39.7 billion, slightly below Wall Street's expectations. Apple blamed monetary policy for the decline, but also acknowledged that U.S. consumers are not spending as much on its products as they used to. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said China was the bright spot in the quarter.

With the release of new phones, Apple expects to improve its performance this quarter, but warned that overall revenue could be flat compared to the previous quarter. In fact, Apple's sales are set to fall for the fourth consecutive quarter, something Gurman says hasn't happened since 2001.

"Investing a lot of money" in generative AI

Apple is hiring for dozens of positions in its offices in California, Seattle, Paris and Beijing to work on large-scale language models (LLMs) - generating text, images or code from simple prompts, the Financial Times reported on Aug. 5 (local time). All of the positions were advertised between April and July, and say that Apple is working on "ambitious, long-term research projects that will shape the future of Apple and our products."

Several Apple teams, such as the Machine Intelligence, Neural Design (MIND) group, are hiring researchers and engineers to work on large-scale fundamental research on language modeling at the Paris labs, compressing existing language models so that they can run efficiently on mobile devices rather than in the cloud.

While competitors such as Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google have been quicker to release generative AI products such as chatbots and productivity assistants, Apple's job ads suggest that the company is stepping up its efforts to bring cutting-edge technologies such as large-scale language models exclusively to mobile devices, the report said. That remains a huge technical challenge that Apple's rivals have yet to solve, but is critical to the iPhone maker's core business in device sales and related services.

In an Aug. 3 call with investors, Cook called artificial intelligence and machine learning core, fundamental technologies that are "inextricably linked to almost every product we make." Apple's research and development spending in the third quarter was $3.1 billion higher than in the same period last year, which Cook attributed in part to generative AI research and development, and said that Apple would be "investing a lot of money" in the coming months.

So far, Apple has been cautious about using machine learning to enhance existing features like autocorrect and photo animation.

Running AI software on a phone eliminates the need for an Internet connection or sending data to the cloud, with the benefit that apps can run faster and handle user data in a safer, more private way.

An Apple job ad says the company is looking for a senior software engineer to "implement compression and acceleration of LLM in our device inference engine," a reference to performing AI operations on mobile devices rather than on the Web.Another job posting on July 28 says the company wants to "bring state-of-the-art fundamental models to the phone in your pocket to enable the next generation of ML (machine learning)-based experiences in a privacy-preserving way."

Some of the hires focused on enhancing the multimedia capabilities of the AI software, including generating "image/video content ......." One of the job postings states, "...... for visual manipulation and multi-round interaction."

A French AI entrepreneur told the Financial Times that Apple is trying to source Parisian AI talent and is hiring more than other large tech companies. Apple currently has a small lab in Paris and recently hired researchers from Meta.

In 2020, Apple spent nearly $200 million to acquire Seattle-based AI startup Xnor, which specializes in running complex machine learning models on mobile devices, beating out other large tech conglomerates including Microsoft, Amazon and Intel, according to two sources.

-Summarizing the current rumors, this will be the biggest update to the iPhone in three years.

-Apple is hiring for dozens of positions in multiple offices around the world, with work ranging from large-scale research on language modeling fundamentals to compressing existing language models so they can run efficiently on mobile devices rather than in the cloud.

Apple will hold its annual phone launch event on Sept. 12 or 13, and the new iPhone 15 series will be available for pre-order on Sept. 15, with shipments beginning a week later on Sept. 22, according to the latest revelations from Bloomberg senior reporter Mark Gurman.

Meanwhile, Apple is beefing up its expertise in generative artificial intelligence for use on the iPhone and iPad.

Thinner bezels, lighter phones?

Apple usually holds a phone launch event in the first two weeks of September in order to launch new iPhones and account for a significant amount of revenue before the company's fiscal quarter ends at the end of that month, and this year looks to be no different. However, there have previously been rumors of challenges in producing the new models of the phone, which could mean tight supply or even later shipments of some models.

Tech outlet 9to5Mac, which follows Apple's moves, reported last week that several carrier partners have banned employees from taking time off on September 13th in anticipation of "major smartphone announcements".

Rounding up the rumors so far, this will be the biggest update to the iPhone in three years. In addition to the Aura Island, which will be standard across the lineup, the iPhone 15 Pro models will have a display bezel that's one-third thinner, with a titanium bezel that's supposed to be lighter and more premium than the current stainless steel bezel. The mute switch from the first generation may become another "action" button. The camera is also much improved (a periscope lens is expected on the Pro Max model), the charging port will become USB-C, the processor speed will be upgraded as usual, and new colors will be introduced.

Typically, Apple sells big when it introduces major phone refreshes, such as the iPhone 6 series in 2014, the iPhone X in 2017, and the iPhone 12 series in 2020, establishing a new switching cycle by offering larger screens, revamped designs (such as full-screen), and 5G.

Apple's second-quarter earnings report, released on Aug. 3, showed iPhone sales slipping 2.4 percent to $39.7 billion, slightly below Wall Street's expectations. Apple blamed monetary policy for the decline, but also acknowledged that U.S. consumers are not spending as much on its products as they used to. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said China was the bright spot in the quarter.

With the release of new phones, Apple expects to improve its performance this quarter, but warned that overall revenue could be flat compared to the previous quarter. In fact, Apple's sales are set to fall for the fourth consecutive quarter, something Gurman says hasn't happened since 2001.

"Investing a lot of money" in generative AI

Apple is hiring for dozens of positions in its offices in California, Seattle, Paris and Beijing to work on large-scale language models (LLMs) - generating text, images or code from simple prompts, the Financial Times reported on Aug. 5 (local time). All of the positions were advertised between April and July, and say that Apple is working on "ambitious, long-term research projects that will shape the future of Apple and our products."

Several Apple teams, such as the Machine Intelligence, Neural Design (MIND) group, are hiring researchers and engineers to work on large-scale fundamental research on language modeling at the Paris labs, compressing existing language models so that they can run efficiently on mobile devices rather than in the cloud.

While competitors such as Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google have been quicker to release generative AI products such as chatbots and productivity assistants, Apple's job ads suggest that the company is stepping up its efforts to bring cutting-edge technologies such as large-scale language models exclusively to mobile devices, the report said. That remains a huge technical challenge that Apple's rivals have yet to solve, but is critical to the iPhone maker's core business in device sales and related services.

In an Aug. 3 call with investors, Cook called artificial intelligence and machine learning core, fundamental technologies that are "inextricably linked to almost every product we make." Apple's research and development spending in the third quarter was $3.1 billion higher than in the same period last year, which Cook attributed in part to generative AI research and development, and said that Apple would be "investing a lot of money" in the coming months.

So far, Apple has been cautious about using machine learning to enhance existing features like autocorrect and photo animation.

Running AI software on a phone eliminates the need for an Internet connection or sending data to the cloud, with the benefit that apps can run faster and handle user data in a safer, more private way.

An Apple job ad says the company is looking for a senior software engineer to "implement compression and acceleration of LLM in our device inference engine," a reference to performing AI operations on mobile devices rather than on the Web.Another job posting on July 28 says the company wants to "bring state-of-the-art fundamental models to the phone in your pocket to enable the next generation of ML (machine learning)-based experiences in a privacy-preserving way."

Some of the hires focused on enhancing the multimedia capabilities of the AI software, including generating "image/video content ......." One of the job postings states, "...... for visual manipulation and multi-round interaction."

A French AI entrepreneur told the Financial Times that Apple is trying to source Parisian AI talent and is hiring more than other large tech companies. Apple currently has a small lab in Paris and recently hired researchers from Meta.

In 2020, Apple spent nearly $200 million to acquire Seattle-based AI startup Xnor, which specializes in running complex machine learning models on mobile devices, beating out other large tech conglomerates including Microsoft, Amazon and Intel, according to two sources.