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Apple iPhone 16 event to be held in underground Observatory bunker

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Sep 09, 2024, 11:12 AM

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Apple may be parting with its Steve Jobs Theater ways when it comes to important device announcements like today's iPhone 16 Glowtime event. It has reportedly built a shiny new event place that is located underground, literally carved in the rocky hills of the Apple campus.

The space apparently opens into a ten-feet oculus pointing at the sky when you enter it via a twisty path, reports Deezen, hence its name the Observatory. Visitors are then met by a stone door that slides open to reveal an event and device demonstration space where the iPhone 16 will ostensibly be unveiled and showcased today. According to Apple's global head of design:

With its stunning views of the campus greenery and the mountains ringing the horizon, The Observatory truly is an extension of Apple Park, showcasing the best of California and the best of the natural environment around us.

The building brings in the natural stone, terrazzo and wood elements that are featured in The Steve Jobs Theater and across Apple Park. It's a design that complements both the landscape and its neighboring buildings on campus.

John De Maio, Apple, September '24

The Observatory | Images by Image credit – Deezen

Apple will not only use The Observatory for events and device demos like during today's iPhone 16 keynote, but Mr. De Maio has also designed it as a "contemplative space... a welcoming space for visitors to share a wide range of new experiences."

There is a terrace with a giant oval window that can be approached rough a portal-like entrance from the main event place, and which opens into the campus landscape and the mountains beyond it, another reason that the new Apple building got the name it got. The Observatory will be inaugurated today, and hopefully Apple will use it to showcase the iPhone 16 to us and our readers so that we can experience the new holistic event space it has created.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.