Apple's product pipeline is pretty close to bursting right before the holiday shopping season. So it's tempting to think the company might open the floodgates during next week's Time Flies event and unveil a boatload of new hardware.
It sounds like that's not going to be the case, however. At least one Apple observer predicts a fairly focused effort for the Sept. 15 Apple event, with the iPhone 12 staying well out of the spotlight.
- The best iPhones to buy now
- Apple Watch 6 vs. Apple Watch 5: What's changing
- Plus: iPhone 12's killer software bundle leaked early
Jon Prosser, who frequently tweets about Apple's reported plans, says that he's heard the Apple Watch and new iPads will be the main focus of the Sept. 15 event. "No iPhone or AirPods Studio," Prosser added in his tweet.
For the “Time Flies” event on the 15th, what I’ve been told is coming for sure is:Apple Watch SEApple Watch Series 6(or Apple Watch & Watch Pro)iPad Air 4iPad 8I’m sure there might be more, but that’s the main focus of the event.No iPhone or AirPods StudioSeptember 11, 2020
Specifically, Prosser's looking for Apple to introduce the Apple Watch Series 6 and the Apple Watch SE, a lower-cost version of Apple's Smartwatch that will adopt some of the features found in the Series 4 and 5 versions. There's a possibility that Apple could introduce these products as the Apple Watch Pro and Apple Watch, which would be consistent with its iPhone naming conventions.
As for the iPad updates, Prosser expects Apple to show off the iPad Air 4 as well as a new version of the standard iPad.
Prosser's Apple leaks have their share of misses — previously, he had predicted the new Apple Watch would be out by now — but this forecast of Apple's Sept. 15 event agenda squares with a lot of other reports about what to expect. (We have our own guide to all the products Apple could announce in an article on how to watch the Apple Time Flies event this Tuesday.)
Bloomberg, for example, also expects the Apple Watch and iPad to dominate Apple's next product event, though it's also mentioned both the AirPods Studio wireless headphones and a smaller version of the HomePod speaker as possibilities.
Another leaker had suggested that the first MacBook Pro built on Apple Silicon could arrive on Tuesday, but that leak seems as dubious now as it did then.
So if the iPhone 12 is a no-show on Tuesday, when might it finally arrive? Apple has already told us there will be no new iPhones shipping in September, meaning a likely October launch for the iPhone 12. Any iPhone launch event would likely take place within a week or two of the phones' release, so at the earliest it won't be until the end of the month before we finally get a glance at the new iPhones.
