What Not to Expect at Apple Event on September 9: 'It's Glowtime'

Apple's annual fall event takes place on Monday, September 9, when it is expected to unveil the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, and some new Apple Watch models. It may also make some additional new products available, but there are a handful of rumored upcoming devices that we don't expect to make an appearance this month.

Glowtime What Not To Expect Feature 1 1
To help set expectations ahead of Apple's "It's Glowtime" event, we've compiled a list of products that Apple is unlikely to announce in September, but rather later on in the year or in 2025 and beyond.

M4-Powered Macs

Apple is developing new Macs powered by the company's next-generation M4 chip, which is built on chipmaking partner TSMC's second-generation 3nm technology and features a new display engine, resulting in significant performance and power efficiency improvements over the M3 chip that Apple's most recent Mac models are based on.

M4 Mac mini Black Ortho Warmer
The first of Apple's new M4-powered Macs are expected to arrive later in the year. According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman's sources, Apple is planning to refresh the MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac with M4 chips this year, and we are likely to see the new models announced sometime in October, with a possible November launch.

Four machines that Apple has been testing reportedly have base-level M4 chips, according to developer logs. Three of the Macs have a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU. The fourth machine has an 8-core CPU and an 8-core GPU, which is not an M4 configuration that we've seen so far. All four of the M4 Macs have either 16GB or 32GB of Unified Memory.

Meanwhile, Apple's supply chain is reportedly beginning mass production of next-generation 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips. If Apple repeats last year's launch pattern, these machines are around two months away from being released.

iPhone SE 4

Following the release of the iPhone 16 lineup in September, Apple will release the fourth-generation iPhone SE as early as the beginning of 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1
The fourth-generation ‌iPhone SE‌ is rumored to feature an iPhone 14-like design, Face ID instead of Touch ID, a USB-C port, an Action button, an Apple-designed 5G modem, an A18 processor, and an all-screen look that does away with the Home Button.

The device's display is expected to grow in size from 4.7 inches to 6.06 inches and use OLED for the first time, and the device will almost certainly come with 8GB of RAM, up from 4GB in the 2022 model, due to the hardware requirements of Apple Intelligence.

The device could be released ahead of the Lunar New Year in January 2025. However, all three existing iPhone SE models were announced in March over the years, so a March 2025 release seems quite possible too.

HomePod mini 2

Apple's HomePod mini will be four years old in October. Gurman was first to highlight Apple's work on a second-generation HomePod mini in August 2022. He also expressed skepticism about what a new ‌HomePod mini‌ could offer since "the latest ‌HomePod‌ doesn't include any major new functions that aren't already in the $99 mini."

HomePod Mini 2 Feature
In February 2023, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed Apple would begin mass shipments of the second-generation HomePod mini in the second half of 2024. But given how long ago Kuo made the claim, it's not clear how much weight should be given to it. And since then, rumors about the device have been scant.

That said, it would be reasonable to assume a new model would feature improved sound and microphones, along with an updated S-series chip and new color options. If Apple wants to keep up with Amazon's rumored new Claude AI-powered Echo devices, Apple Intelligence could also factor into a next-generation HomePod mini.

Talking of colors: In an unusual development, Apple replaced the Space Gray with a practically identical Midnight finish just a few months ago, which would make it seem odd to expect a new model to be unveiled anytime soon, and almost certainly not at Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 event.

AirPods Pro 3

Apple is expected to release a redesigned version of the AirPods Pro in 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The update will likely include enhanced audio quality, an improved design, and a faster chip.

airpods 3 purple
Apple may introduce a new hearing test feature for the AirPods Pro, potentially capable of detecting hearing issues. Additionally, new health sensors are under development, which could enable features such as reading body temperature from the ear canal and enhancing hearing-related functions like Conversation Boost and Live Listen.

The next-generation AirPods Pro are rumored to have significantly improved Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) compared to the AirPods Pro 2, although specific details on how ANC will be enhanced are not yet available.

New Apple TV

Apple is reportedly developing a new Apple TV with a faster processor while retaining the same design as the current model. Initially, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggested a 2024 launch for the new Apple TV, but he later indicated that an update is not imminent, leaving the timeline unclear.

apple tv 4k new orange
According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the next-generation Apple TV could be more affordable, and that would fit a pattern of Apple reducing the price of the device. The second-generation (2010) and third-generation (2012) models of the Apple TV were both launched in the U.S. at a price of $99. Apple later reduced the price of the third-generation model to $69, establishing a precedent for a sub-$100 Apple TV that could better compete with low-cost streaming devices from companies like Amazon and Roku.

A future version of the Apple TV might feature a built-in camera for FaceTime and other video calling apps, as reported by Mark Gurman. While Apple introduced a FaceTime app for the Apple TV in tvOS 17, which works via a connected iPhone or iPad, this could be a step toward an Apple TV with an integrated camera.

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Latest iPhone 17 Series CAD Images in Line With Redesign Rumors

Friday February 28, 2025 2:51 am PST by
Apple is expected to embrace a new camera system design for some models in its upcoming iPhone 17 series, and the latest purported CAD images don't deviate from what we have been hearing lately about Apple's new lineup. If you do not like the sound of an iPhone with a Google Pixel-style camera bar, look away now. Seasoned leaker Sonny Dickson shared the following images in a post on X...
iphone 16e usb c feature

Apple Provides Reason for iPhone 16e's Lack of MagSafe

Friday February 28, 2025 4:39 am PST by
Apple has offered a reason why the iPhone 16e doesn't include MagSafe, one of the more notable omissions from its latest entry-level smartphone. According to Apple representatives who spoke to Daring Fireball's John Gruber, MagSafe is not included in the iPhone 16e because "most people in the iPhone 16e's target audience exclusively charge their phones by plugging them into a charging...
apple intelligence black

These New Apple Intelligence Features Are Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday February 28, 2025 3:17 pm PST by
iOS 18.4 was supposed to bring new Apple Intelligence Siri features, but Apple ended up needing to pull those capabilities from the update to continue testing. There are fewer new Apple Intelligence additions now, but there are still some new features that will make the update worth installing when it comes out in April. Priority Notifications Apple introduced Priority Notifications back at ...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Rumored to Include These New Features for Your iPhone

Saturday March 1, 2025 11:00 am PST by
iOS 19 is still around three months away from being unveiled, but there are plenty of rumors about the upcoming update. Below, we recap iOS 19 rumors so far. Redesigned Camera App A leak earlier this year allegedly revealed a redesigned Camera app coming with iOS 19. On his YouTube channel Front Page Tech in January, Jon Prosser shared a video showing what the new Camera app will...
cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
apple c1

How Fast is Apple's First-Ever 5G Modem? The Results Are Surprising

Friday February 28, 2025 10:08 am PST by
iPhone 16e reviews are now out, and Apple's custom-designed C1 modem has been put to the test. The results so far are quite surprising, as the C1's speeds are not as slow compared to Qualcomm modems as originally expected. While the C1 does not support ultra-fast mmWave 5G in the U.S., it appears to offer comparable 5G performance to Qualcomm's Snapdragon X71 modem found in the iPhone 16,...

Top Rated Comments

redbeard331 Avatar
26 weeks ago
Hey Siri: Summarize this article.

“What not to expect at Apple event on September 9th.. innovation”.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BelgianChoklit Avatar
26 weeks ago
AirPods with a dvd drive
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HJM.NL Avatar
26 weeks ago
WHAT NOT TO EXPECT ???

Don’t expect new innovative designs or lower prices.

Don’t expect standard industry offerings of the amount of RAM and bigger SSD capacity.

Don’t expect inner parts to be replicable or upgradable to be future proof.

Don’t expect Apple to make the prices of RAM according what’s asked in the industry.

Don’t expect the unexpected ???
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nt5672 Avatar
26 weeks ago
I have no excitement in any Apple releases any more.

Now, I skip the keynotes and concentrate on life. When I need a new device I just go to the store and look at what's available.

Then I only buy 1 year old hardware. It seems to take Apple at least a year now to get the bugs worked out and the released features working correctly.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vegetassj4 Avatar
26 weeks ago
What not to expect? All the promised new iOS features in the initial release (we’ll get them by the x.3 release)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Johnny907 Avatar
26 weeks ago
1) A compelling reason to upgrade any of your devices.

2) An event that focuses on hardware instead of services, primarily AI.

3) “One more thing.”
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)