With just a few hours to go until September’s Time Flies Event kicks off, some of the most reliable tipsters have shared some last-minute rumors about what Apple is going to release today. Here’s what we’ve learned so far:
Apple Watch SE: Mark Gurman and Evan Blass have both seemingly confirmed that the new cheaper Apple Watch will be called the Apple Watch SE, matching the naming introduced with the iPhone earlier this year. Gurman says the SE will be “similar to the Series 5 in terms of design and internals,” while Blass agrees that it will come in Bluetooth and LTE options as well as 40mm and 44mm sizes.
Apple Watch 6: Gurman has tempered his expectations for the Apple Watch Series 6, saying we “wouldn’t look for a ton new” with the new flagship wearable other than a new processor and a blood-oxygen monitor, which we’ve expected. However, Apple often has new apps, watch faces, and features to show off with its latest hardware.
New iPads: A redesigned iPad Air is all but confirmed to make an appearance at today’s event, but Blass says we should also expect an eighth-gen 10.2-inch iPad with an A12X processor (an upgrade over the A10 processor in the seventh-gen) along with the same design.
A14 processor: Blass also expects the new iPad Air to be powered by the new A14 processor, which would not only be a serious boost over the A12 in the current model, but also the first time Apple introduces a new chip generation in an iPad rather than an iPhone.
Fitness service: Gurman continues to believe that Apple will be launching a new Apple One services bundle today along with a new fitness service, though details are sparse.
AirTags: Gurman hasn’t gone on record with his prediction of Apple’s new Bluetooth trackers for this event, but he definitely agrees that they’re coming soon. Jon Prosser, however, believes they will arrive today, as detailed in an extensive video yesterday complete with renderings.
Apple TV: Gurman doesn’t expect a new Apple TV today and there have been very few rumors to suggest the new model with a new remote will arrive.
iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7: Apple will reportedly release the newest versions of its operating systems when the new products start shipping next week.
Adobe Illustrator: Adobe has listed its Illustrator app for iPad on the App Store with a launch date of October 21, which could indicate some new Apple Pencil features alongside the new iPad Air.
Apple Store: Apple has taken its online Apple Store down ahead of the event.
Twitter Easter egg: Apple has been using the #appleevent hashtag for a week, which creates a small blue Apple logo, but there’s a surprise today. When you like a post with the hashtag using the official Twitter app, it will animate like the AR Apple logo in the event invite.
Update 10:15 am: Added information about Adobe Illustrator on the iPad.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor
Michael Simon has been covering Apple since the iPod was the iWalk. His obsession with technology goes back to his first PC—the IBM Thinkpad with the lift-up keyboard for swapping out the drive. He's still waiting for that to come back in style tbh.