The Apple Event kicks off today in what figures to be the first in a series of fall product launches today. And when when Tim Cook takes center stage at the Time Flies event, you can expect to see several new products unveiled.
Most industry watchers believe that Apple will show off the new Apple Watch 6, along with a cheaper Apple Watch SE. You can also expect a new iPad Air 4 with a full-screen design and a faster new iPad 8. We would not expect the iPhone 12 to debut at this event; it will likely launch later.
- Apple Watch 6: Release date, price, features and rumors
- Apple Watch SE just leaked — meet the new cheap Apple Watch
- Updating live: Apple Event live blog: All the big news as it happens
The company sent out invitations last week and posted an announcement on its events page promising a Sept. 15 live stream at 1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT. The event is being billed as “Time Flies,” which would seem to point to the Apple Watch being the focus. Bloomberg has also reported that the Sept. 15 is all about the Apple Watch 6 and a new iPad Air model.
If you don’t want to miss a moment of Apple’s big moment, here’s how you can live stream the Apple Event. We’ve also got a closer look at all the fall products Apple is working on that might be part of its fall product launches.
How to live stream the Apple Event
The Time Flies event gets underway at 1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT today (Sept. 15). There’s no way to attend in person — like Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference keynote in June, this is a pre-taped presentation that the company is live streaming.
You’ll be able to watch from the Apple Events website through a web browser. Anyone with an Apple TV can also watch on the big screen via the Apple Events app. You can also watch the Apple Event via YouTube, where Apple already has a placeholder.
So now that you know how to watch the Sept. 15 Apple event, here’s what you’re likely to see.
Apple Watch Series 6
The Apple Watch Series 6 is expected to replace the Apple Watch Series 5 and introduce a host of new capabilities including blood oxygen (or SpO2) monitoring. We already know that Apple Watch sleep tracking is happening, too, as it's a centerpiece of the watchOS 7 update.
Those new features, particularly sleep tracking, will require a performance boost, and Apple could address that with improved battery life. That could either be handled with a more power efficient chip or the use of a more efficient Micro LED display on the Apple Watch 6.
In addition to the Apple Watch 6, Apple will apparently release a lower-cost version, reportedly called the Apple Watch SE. Expect this smartwatch to draw on features from the Apple Watch 4 and 5, as Apple looks to stave off competition from other wearable makers who produce less expensive devices. This likely means the end of the Apple Watch 3 in Apple's lineup.
We could see the final release of watchOS 7 following up this summer's beta testing for the new smartwatch software. If Apple follow its past pattern, it would release the OS a few days before the new watches ship.
New iPad Air 4
Apple already released a new iPad Pro earlier this year, which leaves other parts of its tablet lineup seeking attention. A likely candidate for an update is the iPad Air, with at least one rumor monger claiming the iPad Air 4 could debut this fall.
Several features that Apple introduced with the iPad Pro could find their way into this new iPad, such as USB-C connectivity, Magic Keyboard support and a newer A12Z Bionic processor. The new iPad Air could also look a lot like the iPad Pro, too. (And at least one report suggests a potentially higher price for the new tablet.)
A last-minute Apple Event leak from Evan Blass says the new iPad Air will feature Apple's newest A14 chip, which we expected to debut on the iPhone12. We don't put a lot of weight behind this rumor, but it's possible.
As with watchOS, there's a new version of iPadOS in the works. It's possible Apple could announce a launch date for iPadOS 14 timed with the release of any new iPads. Of course, since iPadOS is so closely intertwined with iOS 14, Apple's phone software could be ready to launch, too — unless that release is timed for whenever the iPhone 12 appears.
Apple Silicon MacBook
At WWDC, Apple unveiled plans to make its own laptop chips. The first Apple Silicon MacBooks are expected to arrive this year, A rumor earlier this week claimed that a 14-inch MacBook Pro with an Apple-built processor would debut at the Sept. 15 event, but the claim seems dubious. Earlier rumors had pointed to a lower-cost laptop like the MacBook being the first Apple Silicon release.
A more likely scenario is that Apple holds a separate product event that includes any Apple Silicon announcements. In its preview of tomorrow's Time Flies event, Bloomberg says that the first Apple Silicon-based Macs are expected "by November."
AirPods Studio, AirTags and other possibilities
Given the success of its AirPods wireless earbuds, Apple could be looking to branch out into headphones as well. The AirPods Studio headphones are rumored to be in the works, and these over-the-ear headphones are likely to feature active noise cancellation along with a Transparency feature to let in outside noises when you need to hear the world around you.
AirTags have been rumored for more than a year now. These are device trackers that will help you find things like keys and other valuable objects that have a tendency to go missing. AirTags are expected to work with the U1 Ultra Wideband sensor found in recent iPhones. (Basically, the iPhone 11 and later, including — we would presume — the new iPhone 12 models.)
The Bloomberg report claiming the Sept. 15 event will focus primarily on the Apple Watch also says that a smaller version of the HomePod speaker will debut there. Apple is also rumored to be working on a revived version of the AirPower wireless charging mat it scrapped more than a year ago.
It’s not just hardware that Apple’s working on. Over the summer, word leaked out that Apple was planning to launch an Apple One bundle that would bring together its news, music, streaming TV and gaming services into one single subscription. Code hinting at the Apple One bundle was recently spotted in the Apple Music app for Android, suggesting a launch is imminent; that launch was supposed to happen with the iPhone 12, though.
What about the iPhone 12?
So when is the iPhone’s time to shine? The new iPhones aren’t expected to ship until October, so it’s expected a launch event would happen closer to that date. Still, a JP Morgan report raises the possibility of the iPhone 12 making a surprise appearance at the Apple Watch event.
If the iPhone 12 doesn’t appear on Sept. 15, it certainly won't be because there's not a lot to say about them. Apple is reportedly planning four models that introduce significant changes to its phone lineup.
The four models include a 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Max along with a smaller 5.4-inch iPhone 12 as the two affordable options in Apple's lineup. The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are expected to debut as well, with larger screens than their iPhone 11 Pro counterparts.
All four iPhone 12 models should feature 5G connectivity, making these the first Apple phones capable of delivering the faster wireless speeds. 5G phones have yet to really take off, but it's thought that once the iPhone adds support for the new networking standard, it will become more widely adopted.
Besides the differing screen sizes, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Max could both feature OLED panels. Previously, Apple has used an LCD screen in the iPhone 11 model that those phones are expected to replace.
Even more substantive changes are planned for the iPhone 12 Pro models. Apple is widely expected to add a LiDAR sensor to the triple camera array on the back of the new phones, which will help support augmented reality apps. There's also a rumor that the screens on the Pro models could support a faster refresh rate, though not everyone agrees that this feature is likely.
What's also up in the air is just when we'll see the new iPhones. Apple will likely ship the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Max in October. It's possible the iPhone 12 Pro models could ship later, as Apple uses a staggered launch to deal with production deals caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
More Apple events to come?
If the rumors are true, and the iPhone 12 doesn't join the Apple Watch 6 and iPad Air 4 at today's Time Flies event, it's all but certain Apple will be doing this all again in a few weeks. We'd expect at least one additional Apple event, either in late September or early October, to show off the new iPhones.
Apple Silicon-based Macs could also debut at that time (again, if they're not featured in the Sept. 15 event). Or Apple could really fill up our fall calendar with yet another event specifically devoted to its MacBook plans.
Whatever happens, expect to hear a lot coming out of Cupertino over the course of the next month or so.
