Apple's big fall event is less than a week away, and we're still puzzling over the tagline and animated logo that accompanied invitations to the Sept. 9 "Awe dropping" gathering. Is the iconic Apple logo on fire? Does it portend a new heat-sensing feature of the Vision Pro that will make you feel like a Predator hunting prey through the jungle?
Or maybe a designer at Apple just came up with a cool-looking effect and thought it would be fun to use it? Nah, the company has a history of enigmatic teases, so there must be a reason. Until we know for sure, it's open-season on speculation.
Why does Apple tease its events like this? Obviously, one reason is to encourage articles like the one you're reading. But also, in an environment where details about what's coming invariably get leaked ahead of time, it's a way to pique interest and add a sense of -- yes, I'm going to say it -- magic. It's no bombshell like Taylor Swift getting engaged, but we can still have fun scrutinizing Apple's hidden clues.
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Watch this: Apple's iPhone 17 Invite Has a Nifty Interactive Easter Egg 00:25
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One year ago, Apple teased its upcoming fall event with "It's Glowtime" and an Apple logo design that highlighted the new Siri glow as part of Apple Intelligence. Unfortunately, the actual "glowtime" got pushed out a few weeks, since the AI technology wasn't ready to ship with the rest of iOS 18 and the iPhone 16 line. And in fact, Apple Intelligence itself turned out to have less of a glow and more of an unpleasant aroma as it failed to deliver what Apple hyped. (To be fair, I've found several Apple Intelligence features to be helpful on a day-to-day basis, but they don't live up to the company's vision at the time.)
So now we have a design that evokes a heat map, particularly when you view it animated; go to Apple.com to see it in action. Not only that, it's interactive: Press a finger (phone or tablet) or pointer with the mouse or trackpad held (on a computer) on the logo to make a bright orange "warm" spot appear, then drag it around. Also notice that the edges of the logo behave the way Liquid Glass items in iOS 26 do, with the light bending according to the contour of the glassy shape.
The logo for Apple's fall 2025 event invitation is interactive: a heat signature stays where you touch or click and hold. Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET
What does a heat map evoke in the context of new Apple products? Heat is the nemesis of mobile electronics, which shut down when they get too toasty. Perhaps the rumored A19 Pro chip is so powerful that it just runs hot, leading to Apple flipping a problem into an opportunity: "At Apple, we believe that overheating phones are a feature. It's the evolution of Screen Time parental controls, but designed for everybody: When you've been on your phone too long, it shuts off to force you to do something else."
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