Not AAPL shares (I do that, too) — I’m talking about my fall click-and-buy ritual on Apple.com! Well, in the case of iPhone, every other fall this time around. I decided last year that I would keep my iPhone 14 Pro Max for two years — that is, I skipped the 15. Why? Two reasons: 1) I was very happy with the 14 (display, battery life, and especially the camera), and 2) I was paying for it on a 24-month installment plan — through Apple, of course… on my (you guessed it) Apple Card! So, why not pay it off first, then trade it in when I buy another one? That, and I was hearing the 16 might be offering some exciting stuff worth waiting for. Though I didn’t know it for sure a year ago, that exciting stuff turned out to be — well, you know!

Sure, we’ll have to wait till next month for some of the Apple Intelligence features to be useable on the iPhone 16, with coming software updates — but I’ll be ready with my new phone, which will likely arrive on my doorstep around October 1. Here’s an article from The Verge on the AI features that will be coming this fall, and more into early 2025.

For a look at all the goodness that comes with the iPhone 16 — in addition to Apple Intelligence — the following slide from the September 9th “Glowtime” event wraps it up. (Click on any of the images in this post to enlarge.)

And here’s more on the iPhone 16 camera features — all of which are very much important to me:

For a complete rundown on the features of the iPhone 16 Pro — including the Pro Max — the following slide tells it well. Note the new “Grade 5 Titanium,” which results in lighter weight than my 14 Pro Max, while — get this — giving me a larger screen at 6.9″!  I’ll take that combo.

But, wait — I didn’t stop with a new iPhone — oh, no! I was ready to upgrade my Apple Watch, too! Again, I’ve been happy with my Series 9, but knowing I could trade that in (it’s in great condition) to get a pretty good deal on the new Series 10, why not? Was there one overriding reason for me to upgrade? No, sleep apnea detection is not something I’m worried about. For me, it was a combination of things. In addition to an improved design and more “intelligence,” that would be longer battery life (up to 18 hours!) and faster charging. The Series 9 was pretty good in regard to those last two points, but who wouldn’t want more improvement when it comes to a wearable that’s become an indispensable part of one’s life? I wear my Watch at night, too, as many people now do, to track sleep data. So, here’s a rundown of what the Apple Watch Series 10 brings to the party:

I expect my Watch Series 10 to arrive in the next few days, along with a return box for my trade in. And I can’t wait to strap it on!

How are you planning to upgrade? I have no doubt that this upgrade cycle will be a huge one for Apple — one that will propel the stock of the largest company on the U.S. stock market even higher.

(By the way, did you know that Apple’s market cap, at $3.3+ trillion, is larger than the entire GDP of the U.K.? Blimey!!)