Apple’s September 9 “Awe Dropping” occasion, introduced earlier this week, arrives at a crucial second for one of many world’s most beneficial firms because it seeks to keep up momentum following sturdy third-quarter earnings that delivered report income of $94 billion. The occasion, scheduled for 1 p.m. Jap at Apple’s Cupertino, Calif. headquarters, represents the opening part of a reported three-year transformation technique, in keeping with Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, that’s designed to reinvent Apple’s {hardware} ecosystem.
The timing carries specific significance as Apple faces mounting challenges in synthetic intelligence, the place the corporate has struggled to maintain tempo with rivals and just lately confronted an antitrust lawsuit from Elon Musk’s xAI over alleged AI monopolization. Apple’s inventory has been hit significantly arduous, declining roughly 15-19% to date in 2025, making it the one of many worst performers among the many Magnificent Seven tech shares. The inventory misplaced roughly $75 billion in market worth throughout Apple’s WWDC 2025 keynote in June when the corporate acknowledged its AI-powered Siri improve could be delayed till the next 12 months. Regardless of these headwinds, Apple’s latest monetary efficiency has proven resilience, with iPhone income surging 13.5% to $44.6 billion within the third quarter, partly pushed by clients upgrading forward of potential tariff will increase.
The September occasion’s product lineup immediately addresses Apple’s strategic priorities by introducing {hardware} designed to combine with the corporate’s Liquid Glass design language: a translucent, depth-focused interface that represents the corporate’s most vital visible overhaul since iOS 7 in 2013. This design system, impressed by the Imaginative and prescient Professional headset, establishes a unified aesthetic throughout Apple’s platforms whereas getting ready customers for expanded spatial-computing capabilities.
The primary iPhone “Air”
The centerpiece of Apple’s September 9 occasion will reportedly be the ultra-thin iPhone 17 “Air,” which might be the primary time an iPhone is bestowed with the moniker that was so in style with Apple’s MacBook line 20 years in the past. The “Air” mannequin is anticipated to switch the underperforming iPhone Plus in Apple’s product lineup. The machine will reportedly measure roughly 5.5mm at its thinnest level, making it considerably thinner than the iPhone 16’s 7.8mm profile and in all chance, given the rumored identify, the thinnest iPhone ever made. You possibly can see what it appears like in mock-ups right here.
The iPhone 17 Air is claimed to characteristic a 6.6-inch show supporting 120Hz ProMotion refresh charges, which might be the primary time non-Professional iPhones to have this characteristic that makes your iPhone display screen feel and look buttery clean. The machine is rumored to sport a hybrid titanium-aluminum body and weigh roughly 145 grams, considerably lighter than the iPhone 16 Professional’s 199 grams.
Nonetheless, the ultra-thin design apparently means some compromises. The telephone will reportedly solely embrace a single 48-megapixel rear digicam and a smaller battery in comparison with final 12 months’s flagship iPhones. The USB-C port placement can be mentioned to be off-center, and speaker grilles have been simplified to accommodate the slim profile. Shade choices reportedly embrace black, white, gentle gold, and a lightweight blue shade just like the MacBook Air. Pricing is anticipated to match the present iPhone Plus at $899.
iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Professional
The usual iPhone 17 is rumored to have a greater 24-megapixel front-facing digicam that doubles the decision of present fashions. All iPhone 17 fashions will reportedly characteristic ProMotion 120Hz shows, extending this beforehand Professional-exclusive characteristic throughout your complete lineup.
The iPhone 17 Professional fashions will reportedly showcase a brand new pill-shaped digicam bump that’s bigger than earlier designs, together with a 48-megapixel telephoto lens with as much as 8x optical zoom; the iPhone 16 Professional is simply able to 5x optical zoom. The Professional fashions will even transition to primarily aluminum backs as an alternative of glass, bettering sturdiness whereas decreasing weight.
Shade choices for the Professional fashions will reportedly embrace a pair of recent colours hinted at in Apple’s invites: orange and blue, in addition to the extra conventional black, white, and silver choices. The occasion’s thermal-inspired brand seems to reference each the brand new colours and the rumored vapor chamber cooling system designed to forestall overheating throughout intensive duties.
Apple Watch Collection 11
The Apple Watch Collection 11 will apparently emphasize health-monitoring enhancements, probably introducing blood-pressure pattern monitoring capabilities—although not full systolic and diastolic readings. The characteristic would detect hypertension patterns and alert customers to seek the advice of well being care professionals.
The Collection 11 will reportedly include an up to date S11 chip which may be smaller in design to accommodate bigger batteries or further sensors. The watch can also achieve 5G RedCap connectivity from MediaTek, in keeping with MacRumors, which would offer sooner information speeds than present LTE-only fashions.
Apple Watch Extremely 3
The Apple Watch Extremely 3 will reportedly be the primary Apple Watch with standalone satellite tv for pc connectivity, in keeping with Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. This characteristic will allow emergency SOS performance and probably textual content messaging in distant areas with out mobile or Wi-Fi protection.
The Extremely 3 can be mentioned to incorporate improved 5G connectivity, and the largest Apple Watch show to-date, which is claimed to be brighter and higher when viewing it from aspect angles. And an improved charging coil may allow 80% charging in half-hour, in keeping with MacRumors.
AirPods Professional 3
Apple’s third-generation AirPods Professional will reportedly introduce heart-rate monitoring capabilities, utilizing LED optical sensors that may monitor your coronary heart charge by way of blood movement within the ear canal.
Past well being options, the AirPods Professional 3 will embrace improved Energetic Noise Cancellation, enhanced sound high quality, and a sooner H3 audio chip. Some experiences counsel potential temperature monitoring capabilities and real-time translation options. The brand new mannequin will characteristic design refinements together with a slimmer kind issue and hid standing LED.
What the ‘Awe Dropping’ occasion says concerning the huge image at Apple
The September 9 occasion establishes groundwork for Apple’s long-term imaginative and prescient, with 2026 anticipated to deliver the corporate’s first foldable iPhone and 2027 probably introducing an all-glass design for the iPhone’s twentieth anniversary. This three-year transformation roadmap represents Apple’s most bold {hardware} technique for the reason that authentic iPhone launch, designed to deal with mounting aggressive pressures and place the corporate for the subsequent decade.
The foldable iPhone is reportedly scheduled for fall 2026 and is rumored to comply with a book-style design just like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold collection, reportedly that includes a 7.8-inch internal show and 5.5-inch outer display screen. The machine will reportedly embrace 4 cameras, Contact ID as an alternative of Face ID to avoid wasting inside house, and Apple’s second-generation mobile modem. Analysts predict a beginning worth round $2,000, positioning it as Apple’s costliest smartphone thus far.
The 2027 “iPhone 20” represents an much more radical departure, that includes four-sided curved glass that eliminates bezels completely and creates what Bloomberg describes as a “mostly glass, curved iPhone without any cutouts.” This design aligns immediately with Apple’s Liquid Glass interface launched in iOS 26, which emphasizes translucency, depth, and spatial-computing components impressed by the Imaginative and prescient Professional. The curved-glass strategy would fulfill former design chief Jony Ive’s long-held imaginative and prescient of making a tool that seems like “a single sheet of glass.”
These {hardware} advances immediately help Apple’s spatial computing ambitions, with CEO Tim Cook dinner reportedly “hell bent” on launching true AR glasses earlier than Meta can obtain the identical milestone. Cook dinner has reportedly made AR glasses his “top priority,” with one Apple engineer stating “Tim cares about nothing else” from a product-development standpoint. The corporate’s roadmap reportedly contains light-weight AR glasses anticipated in 2027, together with a number of Imaginative and prescient Professional iterations by way of 2028.
Apple’s Imaginative and prescient Professional roadmap features a small energy refresh by the top of 2025, adopted by a lighter “Vision Air” mannequin in 2027 which may be as much as 40% lighter than the present model. The corporate can be growing sensible glasses just like Meta’s Ray-Bans as an interim resolution whereas perfecting true AR expertise. These merchandise collectively purpose to attain Apple’s objective of delivery over 10 million AR/VR merchandise yearly by 2027.
The strategic timing aligns with Apple’s broader effort to diversify past the iPhone whereas sustaining its premium market place. Options like iOS 26’s 3D picture results and spatial interface components function stepping stones towards mainstream AR adoption, step by step acclimating customers to spatial-computing ideas earlier than introducing devoted AR {hardware}. This measured strategy permits Apple to construct ecosystem readiness whereas rivals like Meta and Google rush to market with probably untimely merchandise.
Apple’s “Awe Dropping” occasion will livestream on the corporate’s web site, YouTube, and Apple TV, on Tuesday, September 9. Primarily based on previous iPhone launch occasions, the place Apple holds the occasion on a Tuesday, pre-orders usually start that Friday with basic availability launching on week later: On this case, that will imply pre-orders opening on September 12 and a minimum of a number of the new iPhones launching on September 19.
