It's official — we're getting our first look at Apple's next big products on Wednesday, September 7.
Invitations have gone out for the first big Apple event of the fall. This one takes place two weeks from today (August 24), starting at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT/6 p.m. BST. The invitation says the event will be at the Steve Jobs Theater on the company's Cupertino, Calif., campus, which suggests an in-person product launch. It would be the first such event Apple's hosted since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, which has forced Apple and a lot of tech companies to hold virtual product launches. Apple took one step closer to this decision with its previous event, which was technically in-person, but the presentation was pre-recorded.
Apple hasn't specified what it's showing off at the September 7 event, but you wouldn't be going out on a limb to assume that the iPhone 14 phones will likely be the star of the show. Apple typically introduces its new round of iPhones in September, and while this year's event would be a week earlier than past iPhone launches, it would still give Apple plenty of time to get the new handsets onto store shelves in time for the holiday shopping season.
Besides the iPhone 14, Apple is also expected to show off the Apple Watch 8. At least, that's what Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said, and he's the one to correctly nail the September 7 event date in a report from last week.
Apple's event invitations typically contain hints about what to expect. This one bears the Apple logo made up of what appear to be stars, along with the words "Far Out." That could imply either improvements to the telephoto lens on the new iPhones or enhanced astro-photography features.
Curiously, neither of those improvements have been hinted at in the iPhone 14 rumors circulating up until now. The iPhone 14 Pro models are tipped to feature a 48MP main camera, with a bigger sensor that can capture more detail, particularly in low light settings.
But that's just one of the rumored improvements for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, which are expected to see the more noteworthy changes in Apple's new phones. That includes a redesigned display which trades the iPhone's customary notch for a pair of cutouts along with an improved A16 Bionic chipset. Apple's also expected to drop the mini model from the iPhone lineup, replacing it with the iPhone 14 Max, which will offer a large display at a lower price than the Pro Max version.
As for the Apple Watch, we could be in for a number of new models. Besides the Apple Watch 8, Apple is said to be working on a Pro version. The Apple Watch SE 2 could debut as well, giving watch shoppers a new low-cost option from Apple. The biggest Apple Watch 8 rumors suggest features like a temperature sensor coming to Apple's smartwatch.
In addition to new phones and watches, we could also see Apple introduce the AirPods Pro 2, an updated version of the company's advanced wireless earbuds. We'd expect more information on iOS 16 and macOS Ventura, both of which are due out this fall. Apple will likely reveal release dates for these software updates; it's already confirmed that iPadOS 16 will ship after the iOS 16 release.
With two weeks between now and Apple's September 7 event, expect more details about possible announcements to drop. We'll be sure to keep you up to date on any new rumors leading up to the unveiling of this fall's new Apple products.
Read next: What does Apple's 'Far Out' invite tell us about iPhone 14?
