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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Apple confirmed its subsequent iPhone launch occasion for Tuesday, Sept. 9.
- Apple might unveil a foldable iPhone… and (perhaps) sensible glasses.
- Will probably be incoming CEO John Ternus’ first go on the annual launch occasion.
Apple simply confirmed the timing of its annual iPhone occasion on Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. PT in Cupertino. The tech large is rumored to unveil a foldable iPhone that might rival its Android opponents, particularly the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold.
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Its anticipated iPhone 18 lineup additionally contains new Apple Watches, AirPods, and extra. How will the occasion unfold? Here is what we are able to count on, based mostly on reported rumors and the restricted particulars Apple supplied.
When is Apple’s ‘Shock and shine’ occasion?
Apple’s annual product launch occasion takes place on Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) this yr.
ZDNET shall be on the bottom, watching within the Steve Jobs Theater as Apple unveils an entire new lineup of merchandise. These tuning in just about can stream the occasion on Apple’s website, Apple TV, or the corporate’s YouTube channel.
What’s going to Apple announce at its iPhone 2026 occasion?
1. iPhone 18 – and new foldable?
All indicators level to a new foldable iPhone, alongside the iPhone 18 Professional and Professional Max. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suspects Apple will unveil its Professional fashions in September and save its base mannequin launches — together with the iPhone 18, iPhone SE, and iPhone Air — for the spring, when it has traditionally unveiled extra reasonably priced gadgets, like this yr’s MacBook Neo.
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2. Apple Watch 12 (and Extremely 4)
Apple has unveiled new smartwatches at its September occasion up to now, so we are able to count on, with close to certainty, at the least an Apple Watch Sequence 12. Gurman says an Apple Watch Extremely 4 with a brand new chip can also be on the desk.
3. AirPods 5
The AirPods 4 are additionally due for a refresh, two years after their launch. Final yr, Apple launched its Professional mannequin earbuds, the Apple AirPods Professional 3, and made no updates to the AirPods 4, doubtlessly making it the AirPods 5’s time to shine.
New Apple CEO: It is Ternus’ flip
You will see a brand new face opening Apple’s keynote this yr. CEO Tim Prepare dinner will step down in September to usher in Apple’s subsequent CEO, John Ternus. He is the present senior vp of {hardware}, with a 25-year tenure on the firm. His work has touched a number of of the corporate’s merchandise, together with the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, and Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional.
Ternus follows the lead of Prepare dinner, who, throughout his 15-year run, turned Apple from a $350 billion firm right into a $4 trillion firm.
Are there any clues within the occasion invite?
As is custom with Apple, the occasion invite might embody some Easter eggs as to what the tech large will unveil subsequent month. The flier depicts a blue sky and a brightly shining solar inside an Apple brand with the phrases “Shock and shine.”
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Why would somebody be staring on the solar? Properly, perhaps they’re sporting sun shades — or Apple sensible sun shades — and that brand is the very first thing they spot after they activate their glasses. That is my vote. Or perhaps child blue is the subsequent iPhone colorway.
After all, that is all hypothesis; we’ll see for ourselves subsequent month.
