I deciphered Apple’s iPhone 17 event invite, and it led me down a rabbit hole of theories

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Apple has confirmed its subsequent iPhone launch occasion will happen on Tuesday, September 9.
• The invitation graphic hints at the potential of new iPhone 17 colours and improved thermal cooling.
• A deeper look suggests temperature-related options to the AirPods and Apple Watches.

Apple’s greatest occasion of the 12 months is simply days away, with new iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods — and perhaps a number of surprises — set to debut at its annual September hardware showcase.

Whereas rumors of the upcoming merchandise have been swirling over the previous 12 months, no preview is extra official than Apple’s occasion invitation graphic, crammed with sufficient Easter eggs to maintain followers excited and journalists engaged. 

Additionally: Apple’s iPhone 17 event launch date is official – here’s everything we expect

This 12 months, we’re seeing an Apple brand shimmering in blue, orange, pink, and yellow, adopted by the phrases “Awe dropping.” Listed here are my three greatest theories about what it might imply, starting from probably the most grounded to probably the most shocking.

1. iPhone 17 Professional colours

Apple’s performed a somewhat protected recreation with regards to iPhone Professional colours through the years, however that will change in 2025. The most recent rumors and renders, gathered by provide chain analysts, have advised that the iPhone 17 Professional collection will function a brand new Orange end on prime of the extra conventional Black, Silver, and Darkish Blue.

Additionally: 9 iPhone 17 Air rumors I’m tracking – and why Apple’s ultra-thin model is set to kill the Plus

That tracks with the Apple invitation graphic, which options an orangish glow that follows your cursor or finger as you progress throughout the brand (you’ll be able to try it here). If true, this could be probably the most polarizing iPhone Professional colours we have seen in recent times, succeeding the iPhone 14 Pro in Deep Purple and iPhone 11 Pro’s Midnight Green for me.

2. A more practical solution to cool your iPhone

For all of the cell computing our smartphones now deal with, higher cooling and warmth dissipation have turn out to be important. iPhones, particularly, have struggled with overheating throughout demanding duties like out of doors video recording, high-resolution enhancing, or intensive gaming.

Past the design implications, this 12 months’s Apple occasion invitation additionally resembles a warmth map — reds and oranges trace at heat, whereas the cooler blues counsel temperature regulation. That could possibly be a refined nod to approaching thermal enhancements.

Additionally: 7 AI features I’d like to see the iPhone 17 embrace from Google, OpenAI, and others

My cash is on a brand new vapor chamber cooling system, just like what we have seen on flagship Android phones. This sort of system helps dissipate warmth extra effectively by spreading it throughout a wider floor space, decreasing the danger of thermal throttling and protecting efficiency constant underneath heavy hundreds.

A vapor chamber cooling system could be particularly helpful on the rumored iPhone 17 Air, the place the thinner design seemingly limits the scale of the battery. By pairing a smaller battery with extra environment friendly thermal administration, Apple might lengthen battery life past what the uncooked numbers may counsel.

3. Different temperature options

The thermal implications lengthen to Apple’s different {hardware} merchandise — specifically, the AirPods Professional and Apple Watch. It has been rumored that the earbuds’ successor will function an upgraded chipset able to monitoring biometrics and tracking body temperature. That will be an affordable subsequent step after Apple’s push for hearing aid assistance over the previous 12 months.

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The infrared depiction can be traced to the Apple Watch. Whereas such wearables have historically used infrared lights to trace coronary heart charge and blood oxygen saturation, the know-how could also be prolonged to glucose and blood strain monitoring — not essentially to a level to which customers can totally change medical-grade tools, however sufficient to get a pulse of their well being situation. 

Contemplating Apple’s monitor report of normalizing superior well being monitoring, bringing once-specialized options to the wrists of tens of millions, this might very effectively be the subsequent huge factor. We’ll know for certain in only a matter of days.