Excited about Apple’s “Surprise and Shine” event on Wednesday? Can’t wait to hear about the iPhone Ultra, Apple Watch Series 12, and other new products? Wish you could read about the announcements before they’re, well, announced? Then you’ve come to the right place.
As is traditional at this time of year, we sent a team of crack reporters down to Apple Park, and after a few hours of rummaging in the bins, they hit paydirt: the script for Wednesday’s presentation, rehearsal tapes, marketing videos, everything we need to construct a minute-by-minute preview of the entire event. And we’re excited to present it here, to you.
(For the avoidance of doubt, none of that is true; this is for entertainment purposes only. But other than a few silly jokes and fake names, what follows is our genuine prediction, based on rumors, leaks, and a long history of covering these events. Return to Macworld on Wednesday to follow all the announcements as they happen and see how we got on.)
Here’s John Ternus!
9:59 am PT: We’re up and running! Black metal fans will recognise the toe-tapping sounds of Leviathan’s “Vesture Dipped In The Blood Of Morning.” That’s a California band, of course. Perhaps John Ternus is a fan.
10:00: Speaking of… here’s the man himself, in trademark t-shirt and sneakers. We’ve seen Ternus present at events before (notably covering much of the iPhone Air segment last fall, alongside since-departed design hotshot Abidur Chowdhury), and he’s a confident, relaxed speaker. But this is a different ballgame. Will we see his usual blend of positivity and technical detail, or will he default to vague platitudes in his new role as compère?
10:01: Today, we’re going to be hearing about three Apple products that have changed the world, Ternus says. The AirPods, the Apple Watch, and the iPhone.
10:02: “Technology is all about priorities,” he says. “And at Apple, we believe in logistical efficiency, upsell marketing, and delivering sustainable value to shareholders amid economic headwinds. Over to Neil.”
AirPods 5
10:03: Here’s a new face, likely the first of many following Apple’s recent exodus of senior talent. It’s Neil Overall, AirPods marketing VP and a rising star at Apple Park.
10:04: “The AirPods are one of the most iconic tech products in history,” says Overall. “But here at Apple, we refuse to rest on our laurels. This year, we’re going to make the best wireless earbuds in the world very, very slightly better. This is AirPods 5.”
10:05: We’re seeing a product video. The new AirPods look… yes, exactly the same as the 4th-gen models. No redesign. Which, to be fair, was what we expected following the revamp we got on the AirPods 4. They still don’t have silicone eartips. No sign of alternative color finishes either. It ends on the marketing slogan: “AirPods 5: Who Cares? You’ll Obviously Buy Them.™️”
10:06: But here’s a solid upgrade: the AirPods 5 get a new H3 chip. That’s a bold step, because the AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2, obviously both more expensive than the standard AirPods, remain on the H2… unless there’s more news to follow! Overall says the H3 will give the AirPods 5 better active noise cancellation (which is important since they don’t have the physical, passive noise cancellation of the AirPods Pro eartips) and access to Siri AI features.
10:07: The H3 chip also means improved battery life. The ANC version now lasts up to 6 hours with ANC enabled, up from 4 hours on the previous model. Obviously, that’s for just the earbuds; you’ll get more battery life by topping up in the case (which appears to be unchanged).
10:08: On to health, and the standard AirPods are getting a temperature sensor, which will enable them to feed more data into Apple Health. But it looks like they still won’t have a heart rate sensor. That’ll help Apple continue to upsell the AirPods Pro, which do have that sensor.
10:09: And we’re done: no sign of H3-equipped AirPods Pro or Max. (Or any AirPods with cameras.) AirPods 5 are available to pre-order on September 12, Overall announces, and will ship on September 18. They’re $179 with ANC or $129 without, so phew, there’s no price rise. “Back to you, Tim,” he adds. “Er, I mean John.”
Petter Ahrnstedt
New Apple Watches
10:10: Ternus is summing up the AirPods announcements. “We think you’re going to love them,” he says. “I’ve spoken to our accountants, and it’s just so exciting to work at a company that makes this much money.”
10:11: What’s up next? It’s the Apple Watch. Ternus says Tim Cook has forwarded to him dozens and dozens of letters and emails from people whose lives were saved by health notifications on their watches. “And frankly,” Ternus adds, “I couldn’t care less. I wish people would stop sending these messages.”
10:12: Another new face, this time from the Apple Park design department: Georgia de Giungle, Apple Watch product manager. “We know you love Apple Watch,” she says. “We love Apple Watch too. But we think you’re going to love the new Apple Watch even more, and pay us money so you can have it.”
10:13: Product video time. Lots of visuals of happy thin people doing sports. It looks like the basic design is unchanged. (Those of us who’ve been doing this for a while will know that the endlessly rumored redesigned Apple Watch is always just around the corner.) But there are clearly lots of new colors and new band designs.
10:15: The video ends on the inevitable slogan. “Apple Watch Series 12: Realistically The Only Option.™️”
10:16: “We’re thrilled to welcome back Apple Watch Edition,” gushes de Giungle. This isn’t the ludicrously expensive 18-karat gold model from the initial launch, we should note, but the somewhat more recent ceramic model. It’ll still be expensive, though. It looks nice, and comes in white and dark gray.
10:17: The Series 12 comes with an S12 processor, so as suspected, Apple is skipping the S11 generation. (The Series 10 and Series 11 both came with an S10 chip. Not that these designations matter a great deal.) Apple isn’t making any claims about performance here, despite the nominal double upgrade, and we wouldn’t expect a noticeable speed bump. It will just make things a little easier for Siri AI and similar on-device processing tasks.
10:18: “For millions of our customers, Apple Watch is the health device they rely on most,” says de Giungle. “Here’s Boswell to explain how Apple Watch Series 12 will take that to the next level.”
10:19: And here’s Dr. Boswell Boyce, Apple Watch and Health Product Marketing VP, to discuss health features on the new watch. “Thanks, Georgia,” he smiles.
10:20: The major upgrade is an all-day heart sensor. It will track your heart rate continuously, whether you’re working out or not. Boyce says this is going to be a game-changer for health data and will help millions of people to diagnose potential medical problems at an earlier and more treatable stage.
10:21: Boyce is walking us through the redesigned health and fitness apps on the watch, which now offer a wider range of metrics.
10:22: “That’s the new health features on Apple Watch. We think you’re going to love it. Back to you, Georgia.”
10:23: Now de Giungle is moving on to Apple Watch Ultra 4. This looks to be largely the same as the Series 12: no physical redesign or new buttons, an S12 processor, and continuous heart-rate tracking.
10:24: And that’s it for the Apple Watch: the SE isn’t getting an update this year. Both new models will be available to pre-order on September 12 and will ship on September 18. Series 12 starts at $429 and the Ultra 4 at $829, which in both cases is a $30 increase on the last generation. Not ideal, but it could have been worse.
David Price / Foundry
iPhone 18 Pro (and 18 Pro Max)
10:25: We’re back with John Ternus. “It’s time to talk about the iPhone,” he says. “Every year we release a new model and tell you it’s our best iPhone yet, and that’s always technically true. And this year is no exception. Here is iPhone 18 Pro. We think you’re going to love it.”
10:26: We’ve segued into a marketing video. The new phones look as attractive as ever, but (with apologies if this is getting repetitive) the designs appear to be the same as last year. The only obvious difference is that Cosmic Orange has been killed off, very sadly, and replaced by two new colors: light blue and dark red. The latter is called Dark Cherry and is sure to be the most popular option this year.
10:27: Here’s the slogan: “iPhone 18 Pro: So What If It Can’t Fold?™️”
10:28: “Over to you, Bill,” says Ternus. That’s iPhone Marketing Manager Bill Whittlingham, for those who aren’t familiar with the personnel at Apple Park.
10:29: Whittlingham says iPhone 18 Pro is designed from the ground up to deliver market-leading performance. The A20 Pro processor is Apple’s most powerful mobile chip, “optimized for our best-ever AI computation and even stronger battery life.” The company is claiming that the new chip is 10 percent faster than last year’s model.
10:30: As expected, and like the A19 Pro, the new chip has a 6-core CPU, with two performance and four efficiency cores. Pre-event rumors indicated the A20 Pro would be a 2nm chip (unlike the A19 and A19 Pro, which were 3nm chips), but that hasn’t been confirmed. Read our A20 Pro preview for more info.
10:31: To get specific, that battery life Whittlingham mentioned has gone up from 33 hours of video playback on the iPhone 17 Pro to 36 hours on the 18 Pro. On the Pro Max model, it’s gone up from 39 hours to 44. These are smaller improvements than last year (when Pro went from 27 to 33 and Pro Max from 33 to 39), but it all helps. It isn’t clear at this point how much of the increases are down to the new processors and how much is affected by battery capacity. There were rumors that the batteries would get bigger this year, but as always, Apple is keeping quiet about this spec.
10:32: There are more upgrades inside the 18 Pro. It gets the C2 cellular modem with mmWave for the first time and the N2 wireless networking chip, which brings unspecified battery life improvements.
10:33: We’re getting to a crucial part of the presentation: the cameras. Whittlingham is handing over to Finbarr Saunders, Manager, iPhone Camera Architecture, for more information on that topic.
10:34: Saunders says he’s proud to announce “the biggest improvement in iPhone photography since the iPhone 4 got a front-facing camera.” Which means the rumors were true and we’re getting a variable aperture on the main camera.
10:35: With this new feature, iPhone owners will be able to manually adjust the amount of light reaching the sensor, allowing for far better depth-of-field effects and more artistic control. This puts the iPhone on a par with high-end cameras and gives iPhone users the same capabilities as professional photographers, Saunders claims. But it’s worth bearing in mind that most iPhone owners use the Camera app on the default automatic settings, so this may affect only a small proportion of the user base.
10:36: The main camera isn’t the only lens to get an upgrade. The telephoto lens is getting a wider aperture, which should result in improved low-light performance.
10:37: “We can’t wait to see what you do with these cameras!” says Saunders. “And now back to Bill.”
10:38: Whittlingham is wrapping up. Ah, here’s a catch: while both 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max get the upgraded telephoto lens, the “bento box” displaying the new features indicates that only the 18 Pro Max gets the variable aperture. Both models will be available for pre-order this Saturday, September 12 (for reasons discussed elsewhere) and will ship on September 18.
10:39: This part could be painful. Yes, we’re looking at substantial price rises on both models. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,249, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,399. Ouch.
Foundry
iPhone Ultra
10:40: We’re back with Ternus, who is summing up the iPhone 18 Pro announcements. “It’s our fiduciary responsibility to pass on increased manufacturing costs to the consumer,” he smiles.
10:41: But we’re moving on. The screen darkens. Something dramatic is happening.
10:42: Product video time! Yes, it’s the foldable iPhone. And for the first time this morning, we’re seeing a completely new design. For Apple fans, of course, it’s a completely new product category.
10:44: As we revealed some time ago, the phone is available in just two color finishes: silver/white or Indigo Blue. But the plateau housing the camera module on the back is always black; it isn’t matched to the main color.
10:45: The folding iPhone appears to have the stubbier dimensions that were leaked several months back; more passport than paperback. This is becoming an increasingly popular format (Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 uses it, possibly inspired by Apple) because it results in an unfolded screen that’s rectangular rather than square.
10:46: And here’s the slogan. “iPhone Ultra: Offensively Expensive.™️” So Apple did decide to go with the Ultra branding. Even though this may be a controversial choice.
10:47: “To tell you more about iPhone Ultra,” Ternus says, “here’s Barbara.” That’s Barbara Lighthouse, Industrial Designer, iPhone, for those who aren’t familiar with her work.
10:48: Lighthouse is talking about the screen. This segment is reminiscent of the iPhone Air launch last year; Apple is making a special effort to anticipate and pre-empt customers’ concerns about the design. In this case, the company knows that anyone who’s used or even seen a foldable will be wary about marks or creases appearing on the screen over time, but Lighthouse insists that Apple has solved the crease using ultra-thin glass and optically clear adhesive. The glass is thinner at the fold point to reduce stress during repeated use.
10:50: Just to cover the numbers, the Ultra’s screen specs are as follows: 5.4-inch (2088 x 1422) outer screen, 7.8-inch (2713 x 1920) inner screen. For comparison, the largest screen previously seen on an iPhone was the 6.9-inch display on the Pro Max. The Ultra (when unfolded) is pushing towards tablet territory; the first five generations of iPad mini had 7.9-inch screens, barely bigger at all.
10:51: The Ultra’s hinge (another potential concern for wary buyers) is made out of LiquidMetal, a zirconium-based alloy which is used for small, high-precision, high-performance parts. (Apple bought worldwide rights to this material 16 years ago, yet has found very few applications up to now: SIM ejector tools and possibly some watch parts.)
10:53: “As a result of this unique advantage, the iPhone Ultra has the most durable hinge in the entire foldables market,” says Lighthouse. The company has tested hundreds of thousands of folds, she says.
10:54: On the inside of that carefully designed chassis, the iPhone Ultra has some, but not all, of the capabilities of the iPhone 18 Pro. It does get the A20 Pro, so (depending on the RAM allocation, which Apple never announces) it should offer extremely fast performance. It also gets the C2 modem.
10:55: But the cameras aren’t quite on a par with the Pro models. The main camera is a dual- rather than triple-lens setup. There’s no telephoto lens and no variable aperture.
10:56: And there’s no Face ID. The Ultra unlocks using a Touch ID sensor hidden in the power button.
10:57: Lighthouse says the Ultra contains the “largest battery we’ve ever put in an iPhone.” And talks about software optimisations which should ensure users get all-day life despite running two screens. Nevertheless, as we saw with the iPhone Air last year, the numbers are mildly disappointing for what is likely to be a very premium product: the Ultra lasts up to 34 hours, less than the 18 Pro, and a lot less than the 18 Pro Max. Still, it’s more than the 17 Pro (33 hours) and a lot more than the iPhone Air (27).
10:59: Talking of a premium product, here’s the most important number. The iPhone Ultra starts at $2,199. And here’s another bombshell: it isn’t available right away. Apple says only that it’s coming “later in 2026.” There had previously been rumors that it might arrive in December despite being announced in September, so we’ll have to wait and see.
11:00: We’re back with Ternus, who’s wrapping up the iPhone Ultra announcements. “If it’s too expensive,” he says, “you don’t have to buy it.”
11:01: “But you will,” he adds.
11:02: It seems the event is drawing to a close. Except…
Apple
One more thing…
11:03: Those three little words: “One more thing…”
11:04: Time for another video. What’s Apple got in store for us? We’re seeing screens: screens on the wall, screens on shelves, screens sitting on the nightstand. Their owners are using them to FaceTime, talk to Siri, check the weather, search the web, control the lights, and adjust the heating. Some are just being used as clocks. It’s Apple’s long-rumored smart home hub.
11:06: Here’s the slogan: “HomeHub: Because What You Really Need Is Another Screen.™️”
11:07: John Ternus is pumped. “Apple is excited to push into the smart-home market and diversify our revenues going forward,” he says.
11:08: The HomeHub comes in two versions, both based around a 7-inch screen. The more slimline version is essentially just the screen and can be hung on the wall (there’s a magnetic attachment for this purpose); the second mounts this screen on a half dome like a HomePod mini cut in half.
11:10: There’s a clever feature based on facial recognition: the device is able to determine who’s looking at it and adjust preferences in real time, with apps and content displayed that vary according to the user. It has Center Stage, of course, and looks perfect for videoconferencing.
11:11: The HomeHub costs $349 and is available to pre-order from September 12. It will ship on September 18.
11:12: “We’ve got lots more smart-home products on the way to drive growth metrics,” says Ternus. And that wraps up the event for today.
Foundry
Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too.
Trending: Top stories
6 ways the fall iPhone event will ‘Surprise’ and delight Apple fans.
With an eye for hardware and a passion for smart design, John Ternus is the perfect CEO for this Apple era.
Apple’s loaded September kicks off with ‘huge launch’ this week.
Mahmoud Itani explains why Apple’s folding iPhone will be ‘Ultra’ in name only.
An iPhone Ultra stylus would be a colossal mistake.
Apple finally hits a VR home run.
Podcast of the week
Apple is set to reveal new iPhones on September 9, so on the latest episode of the Macworld Podcast, we talk about what to expect: the iPhone 18 Pro, new Apple Watches, and a new folding iPhone.
You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site.
The rumor mill
Apple’s loaded September kicks off with ‘huge launch’ this week.
Apple Watch Series 12 features leaked ahead of Apple’s fall event.
iPhone 18 Pro leak claims the A20 Pro will have dramatic GPU gains.
Software updates, bugs, and problems
iOS 27 will actually speed up your old iPhone—here’s the proof.
And with that, we’re done for this week’s Apple Breakfast. If you’d like to get regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters, including our new email from The Macalope–an irreverent, humorous take on the latest news and rumors from a half-man, half-mythical Mac beast. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, or X for discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley.
