We have a solid sense of what to expect from the iPhone 17 event next week. Still, there’s a narrative turn happening that will make Apple’s “Awe dropping” presentation feel more new than the typical routine tech announcement.
The challenge when making version 17 of any product is keeping the story interesting, and that starts with the presentation.
If Apple were only showing us the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, we might feel more like we were seeing the latest installment of an annually released series of incremental updates.
We could argue that the target audience should be people who haven’t upgraded in years, or the hardcore customers who update annually no matter what.
But that’s not the only thing happening next week. Apple is showing all that and more.
iPhone 17 Air will introduce an all-new form factor, from the dimensions to the external camera design. The idea alone is already making iPhone users who would otherwise default to another model think strongly about taking the ultra-thin design for a spin.
The novelty of next week’s Apple event also goes beyond the iPhone.
For the most part, iPhones are released like clockwork. The same is generally true for Apple Watch Series models as well. The Series number increases each year, and some years bring bigger changes than others.
Series 10 was defined by a thinner overall design and a better always-on display. That gives Series 11 room to focus on new capabilities.
For Apple Watch Ultra 3, though, Apple is potentially serving a larger group with a greater appetite for something more.
That’s because after replacing Apple Watch Ultra with Ultra 2 a year after launch, Apple only shipped a new black option in the Ultra’s third year. Apple Watch Ultra 3 gives us more than the year-over-year update after Apple broke the annual release cadence in 2024.
That’s even more true for AirPods Pro 3.
Apple delivered highly capable hardware with AirPods Pro 2 in 2022. Three years later, Apple has shipped countless new features, including clinical-grade hearing aid functionality, without changing the hardware apart from switching the charging case port.
The bar is set high for AirPods Pro 3, and the market for new customers and upgraders alike has to be strong after the first new version in three years debuts.
The newness of Apple’s “Awe dropping” event doesn’t end with new form factors and longer-than-usual upgrade cycles. After discontinuing leather products in 2023 and introducing FineWoven cases, Apple offered no premium material case for the iPhone 16 line in 2024. This year, we expect a new TechWoven option to arrive, and Apple’s Crossbody Strap accessories could round out the new accessory lineup.
Lastly, Apple’s September 9 event will conclude with news that affects nearly every Apple product used today.
Apple’s major OS 26 redesign will make every iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and CarPlay screen feel brand new in a way that hasn’t happened since 2013. The update from iOS 18 to iOS 26 is far from iterative visually.
What are you most excited to see from Apple’s September 9 event? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to make 9to5Mac your go-to source for all the news coming next week. Chance and I will be in attendance to provide hands-on coverage of all the new hardware as soon as the presentation concludes.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.