Apple embraces the AI craze with its newly unleashed iPhone 16 lineup

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple on Monday charged into the artificial intelligence craze with a new iPhone lineup that marks the company’s latest attempt to latch onto a technology trend and transform it into a cultural phenomenon.

The four different iPhone 16 models will all come equipped with special chips needed to power a suite of AI tools that Apple hopes will make its marquee product even more indispensable and reverse a recent sales slump.

Apple’s AI features are designed to turn its often-blundering virtual assistant Siri into a smarter and more versatile sidekick, automate a wide range of tedious tasks and pull off other crowd-pleasing tricks, such as creating customized emojis within seconds.

After receiving a standing ovation for Monday's event, Apple CEO Tim Cook promised the AI package will unleash “innovations that will make a true difference in people’s lives.”

But the breakthroughs won't begin as soon as the new iPhones — ranging in price from $800 to $1,200 — hit the stores on Sept. 20.

Most of Apple’s AI functions will roll out as part of a free software update to iOS 18, the operating system that will power the iPhone 16 rolling out from October through December. U.S. English will be the featured language at launch but an update enabling other languages will come out next year, according to Apple.

It’s all part of a new approach that Apple previewed at a developers conference three months ago to create more anticipation for a next generation of iPhones amid a rare sales slump for the well-known devices.

Since Apple’s June conference, competitors such as Samsung and Google have made greater strides in AI – a technology widely expected to trigger the most dramatic changes in computing since the first iPhone came out 17 years ago.

Just as Apple elevated fledgling smartphones into a must-have technology in 21st-century society, the Cupertino, California, company is betting it can do something similar with its tardy arrival to artificial intelligence.

In an attempt to set itself apart from the early leaders in AI, the technology being baked into the iPhone 16 is being promoted as “Apple Intelligence.” Despite the unique branding, Apple’s new approach mimics many of the features already available in the Samsung Galaxy S24 released in January and the Google Pixel 9 that came out last month.

“Apple could have waited another year for further development, but initial take up of AI-powered devices from the likes of Samsung has been encouraging, and Apple is keen to capitalize on this market,” said PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore.

As it treads into new territory, Apple is trying to preserve its longtime commitment to privacy by tailoring its AI so that most of its technological tricks can be processed on the device itself instead of relying on giant banks of computers located in remote data centers. When a task needs to connect to a data center, Apple promises it will be done in a tightly controlled way that ensures no personal data is stored remotely.

While corralling the personal information shared through Apple’s AI tools inherently reduces the chances the data will be exploited or misused against a user’s wishes, it doesn’t guarantee iron-clad security. A device could still be stolen, for instance, or hacked through digital chicanery.

For those seeking to access even more AI tools than being offered by the iPhone, Apple is teaming up with OpenAI to give users the option of farming out more complicated tasks to the popular ChatGPT chatbot.

Although Apple is releasing a free version of its operating system to propel its on-device AI features, the chip needed to run the technology is only available on the iPhone 16 lineup and the high-end iPhone 15 models that came out a year ago.

That means most consumers who are interested in taking advantage of Apple’s approach to AI will have to buy one of the iPhone 16 models — a twist that investors are counting on will fuel a surge in demand heading into the holiday season.

The anticipated sales boom is the main reason Apple’s stock price has climbed by more than 10% since the June developers conference, including a slight uptick Monday after the shares initially slipped following the showcase for the latest iPhones. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives was so impressed with what he saw Monday that he predicted the new AI iPhones will propel Apple's market value through the $4 trillion threshold next year for the first time. That forecast translates into increase of roughly 20% from Monday's closing price of $220.91 for Apple's stock.

Besides its latest iPhones, Apple also introduced a new version of its smartwatch that will include a feature to help detect sleep apnea as well the next generation of its wireless headphones, the AirPods Pro, that will be able to function as a hearing aid with an upcoming software update.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, second from right, smiles as he shows the new iPhone 16 model to attendees at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

Apple CEO Tim Cook talks on the stage during an announcement of new products at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

Apple CEO Tim Cook walks on the stage during an announcement of new products at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

Apple Watches are displayed during an announcement of new products at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

The AirPods Max are displayed at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

The AirPods Max are displayed at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

The new iPhone 16 is displayed during an announcement of new products at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

Attendees take a closer look at the Apple iPhone 16 during an announcement of new products at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

The Apple iPhone 16 is displayed during an announcement of new products at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

The new iPhone 16 is displayed at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

Apple CEO Tim Cook talks on the stage during an announcement of new products at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

Apple CEO Tim Cook talks on the stage during an announcement of new products at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

Attendees wait inside and outside the Steve Jobs Theater before an announcement of new products at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

Apple CEO Tim Cook walks on the stage during an announcement of new products at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

Apple CEO Tim Cook talks on the stage during an announcement of new products at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)

FILE - The iPhone 15 Pro is shown after its introduction on the Apple campus, Sept. 12, 2023, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mark Stone had a goal and two assists and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Seattle Kraken 6-2 on Saturday night.

After falling behind 1-0 less than three minutes into the game, the Golden Knights scored three unanswered goals in the first period and never relinquished the lead.

After Keegan Kolesar tied the game at 1-all, Brett Howden took Jack Eichel’s pass from behind the net and beat Philipp Grubauer at the doorstep to give Vegas a one-goal edge. Nic Hague's goal later in the period put Vegas up, 3-1.

William Karlsson and Noah Hanifin also added goals in the third and Ilya Samsonov stopped 21 shots to improve to 8-3-1. Eichel finished with two assists.

Vince Dunn and Jaden Schwartz scored for Seattle while Grubauer made 29 saves and fell to 3-10-0.

Kraken: Center Chandler Stephenson made his first return to Vegas since signing with Seattle as a free agent during the offseason. Stephenson is the only NHL player to hoist the Stanley Cup twice in Vegas, winning inside T-Mobile Arena with Washington in 2018, and again with the Knights in 2023.

Golden Knights: Vegas has won three straight and seven of eight in December. With the win, the Knights (47) are now four points in front of Los Angeles (43) in the Pacific Division and two points shy of Western Conference-leading Winnipeg (49).

Trailing 1-0, Kolesar took a cross-ice pass from Victor Olofsson that led him perfectly on a breakaway. Kolesar’s snipe over Grubauer’s glove gave him his career-high eighth goal of the season.

Seattle is now 1-17-1 when trailing after two periods while Vegas improved to 12-1-0 when leading after the first 40 minutes.

The Knights host the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night. The Kraken visit the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

Vegas Golden Knights centers Brett Howden (21) and Jack Eichel (9) celebrate after Howden's goal against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde (37) and Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin (15) battle for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) and right wing Cole Schwindt (22) celebrate after Kolesar's goal against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde shoots against Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb (3) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Seattle Kraken center Chandler Stephenson (9) shoots against Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov (35) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)