Apple Fifth Avenue Flaunts Apple Intelligence, But Skips Launch Day • iPhone in Canada Blog

Today Apple launched its new iPhone 16 series smartphones, and its iconic ‘Cube’ retail location in New York City, Apple Fifth Avenue, was decked out yesterday to celebrate today’s launch.

Apple CEO Tim Cook was on hand for today’s launch in NYC. Yesterday, he shared a photo of Apple Fifth Avenue with new glowing lights on its perimeter, echoing the new colours of a revamped Siri coming soon, powered by Apple Intelligence. 

“Tomorrow is glowtime for the iPhone 16 lineup at Apple Fifth Avenue!” said Cook on Thursday. Looking at other photos of the ‘Cube’ store, you’ll realize Apple edited Cook’s photo to make the glowing Apple logo appear whiter than it does in person, as right now other photos show it’s actually glowing yellow.

The right corner of the Apple Store has “iPhone 16” lit up, with “Hello Apple Intelligence” beneath. The only problem? Apple Intelligence won’t be available at launch, but only in October. The first Apple Intelligence features are only available for iOS 18.1 beta testers so far. Native Canada English support won’t debut until December, while a full revamped Siri isn’t expected until the spring of 2025.

“Hello Apple Intelligence” plastered on Apple’s most recognizable store with a release not happening for probably 3-4 weeks. I wonder what — if any — fallout there will be within Apple for this delay. https://t.co/deZvayu10z

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) September 19, 2024

“Apple Intelligence will be available in beta on all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad and Mac with M1 and later, with Siri and device language set to U.S. English, as part of an iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia update this fall,” says Apple.

In September 2019, Apple Fifth Avenue nearly doubled in size, with a higher ceiling and more natural light, creating a brighter and more spacious environment. A new Forum was introduced to host free daily ‘Today at Apple’ sessions. The Genius Bar area also doubled in size. This flagship retail location remains the only Apple Store open 24/7, 365 days a year.