The updated second-generation AirPods Pro ship with a USB-C charging case, but the case is not sold separately at this time on Apple's online store. Additionally, the updated second-generation AirPods Pro include improved IP54-rated dust resistance for the earbuds and case, and will support lossless audio when connected to the Apple Vision Pro headset launching in early 2024. No other changes were announced.
Apple said the updated second-generation AirPods Pro will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Friday, September 22.
Apple continues to sell EarPods with a Lightning connector and with a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Apple today at its "Wonderlust" event announced the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. As expected, both devices are equipped with a USB-C port instead of Lightning, and have the Dynamic Island that debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro models last year.
iPhone 15 has a 6.1-inch display, while the iPhone 15 Plus has a 6.7-inch display. Both devices now feature a frosted rear glass panel with a matte finish and countered edges, an upgraded 48-megapixel main camera lens with a new 2x Telephoto option, the A16 Bionic chip, and a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip with up to three times the range. New color options include Pink, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Black.
For the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus displays, peak HDR brightness now reaches up to 1,600 nits, up from 1,200 nits on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Outdoors, peak brightness can reach up to 2,000 nits.
Apple shared an overview of new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus features:
All of the new iPhone 15 models are available to order starting Friday, September 15, and will launch on Friday, September 22 in more than 40 countries and regions around the world, Apple said. Pricing starts at $799 for the iPhone 15 and at $899 for the iPhone 15 Plus in the U.S., with the devices available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage capacities.
iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus availability will expand to Macao, Malaysia, Türkiye, Vietnam, and 17 other countries and regions beginning Friday, September 29, according to Apple.
Apple's just-announced iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus introduce five new color options: A light pink shade, yellow, blue, green, and black.
The iPhone 15 features an aerospace-grade aluminum enclosure, and color built into the foundation of the back glass itself. Apple used an optimized custom dual-ion exchange process for this new material, and polished it with nano-crystalline particles.
iPhone 15 has a 6.1-inch display, while the iPhone 15 Plus has a 6.7-inch display. Both devices feature a frosted rear glass panel with a matte finish, an upgraded 48-megapixel main camera lens, an A16 Bionic chip, and a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip.
iPhone 15 starts at $799 for 128GB and iPhone 15 Plus starts at $899 for 128GB, with 256GB and 512GB models also available. US carriers are offering up to $800 off with trade-in. Pre-orders for the new iPhone 15 models open on Friday, September 15, and will begin shipping on Friday, September 22.
Apple has announced a new textile it's calling "FineWoven," which is made of 68 percent post-consumer content and is overall more environmentally friendly compared to the company's previous line of leather accessories. Apple confirmed it will no longer use leather for new Apple accessories, starting today.
FineWoven Apple Watch bands will be available for purchase, along with a collection of all new Hermés bands and new Nike bands. All of these new Apple Watch band accessories were made with sustainability in mind.
Apple today announced an all-new second-generation Apple Watch Ultra, offering all of the features of the original Ultra, plus a faster new S9 SiP chip, a new double tap gesture, Apple's brightest display ever, expanded altitude range, quicker on-device Siri, Precision Finding for iPhone, and new capabilities for water adventures.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a brighter display at 3,000 nits – 50 percent brighter than the first generation of Apple Watch Ultra and the brightest display Apple has ever designed. For dark rooms or early mornings, the display can now lower to just one nit so as not to disturb people close by. Flashlight also benefits from the new display architecture, according to Apple, as rotating the Digital Crown temporarily doubles the brightness to better light up the immediate environment.
The Apple Watch Ultra also features an S9 chip, which has 60% more transistors and is 30% faster than the S8 chip used in the original Apple Watch Ultra. In addition, the S9 chip has a four-core neural engine for 2x faster neural tasks, according to Apple.
There's a new second-generation Ultra Wideband chip in the Ultra that makes it easier to use the Apple Watch Ultra to find an iPhone 15, and it also supports Precision Finding. Apple Watch Ultra 2 also has a new 4-core Neural Engine that can process machine learning tasks up to twice as fast as the original Apple Watch Ultra.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 also has a new gesture that uses just the watch hand for when your hands are full. Double Tap allows you to tap your index finger and thumb together to do things like answer a call, end a call, snooze an alarm, play or pause music, and more.
The new Double Tap gesture is enabled by the faster Neural Engine in Apple Watch Ultra 2, which processes data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and optical heart sensor with a new machine learning algorithm. The algorithm detects the unique signature of tiny wrist movements and changes in blood flow when the index finger and thumb perform a double tap. Double Tap will be available next month, according to Apple.
There's also a new Modular Ultra watch face, which takes advantage of the large display, using the outermost edge to present real-time data, including seconds, altitude, or depth. It offers the most complications of any Apple digital watch face to customize for sports, outdoor adventures, and ocean and water activities. It also feature a Night mode, which now turns on automatically in the dark thanks to the ambient light sensor.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 runs watchOS 10, which delivers redesigned apps, the new Smart Stack, new cycling experiences, features to help explore the outdoors, and the new Modular Ultra watch face. Apple Watch Ultra 2 has the same 36-hour battery life with regular use and up to 72 hours in Low Power Mode.
"This year we've made our most rugged and capable Apple Watch even better," said Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer. "Apple Watch Ultra 2 is our most advanced Apple Watch, with great performance and feature updates. It's perfect for anyone who wants our biggest, brightest display, longest battery life, and best GPS of any Apple Watch, all in a stunning design."
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 starts at $799. Customers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, the UAE, the U.K., the U.S., and more than 40 other countries and regions can order Apple Watch Ultra 2 today, with availability in stores beginning Friday, September 22.
Following the announcement of the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple today detailed a new feature coming to the smartwatch next month. Called "Double Tap," the new gesture feature lets you control the Series 9 by tapping your thumb and index finger together twice.
Users will be able to answer calls, stop alarms, open Smart Stack, play and pause Music, and more by using Double Tap. Apple said the new feature should make it easier to navigate the Apple Watch when you're one-handed, like walking your dog or holding a cup of coffee.
Double Tap will also be available on the new Apple Watch Ultra 2. The feature will be available in a software update next month for the Series 9 and Ultra 2.
Apple today unveiled the Apple Watch Series 9, featuring significantly improved performance thanks to the S9 Apple silicon chip, a "Double Tap" hand gesture for interacting with the device without touch, Precision Finding for iPhone, and more.
The Series 9 has been internally redesigned, including an entirely new Apple silicon chip. It has 60% more transistors and is 30% faster than the S8 chip. It also has a four-core neural engine for 2x faster neural tasks.
Siri requests are now processed on the Apple Watch, making them faster and more secure, and the voice assistant can also access health data for the first time. Dictation on the Series 9 is also up to 25% more accurate than the Series 8 thanks to secure on-device processing. It retains the same 18-hour all-day battery life.
With Ultra Wideband support, the Apple Watch Series 9 can use Precision Finding for an iPhone for the first time, just like the iPhone can with an AirTag. It is also more deeply integrated with the HomePod. When an Apple Watch user gets within four meters of a HomePod playing audio, Apple Watch Series 9 will automatically launch Now Playing to control the media. If nothing is playing on HomePod, media suggestions will appear at the top of the Smart Stack.
The Series 9 also features a brighter always-on Retina display that can now go up to up to 2000 nits, twice the brightness of the Apple Watch Series 8. It can also reduce to just one nit of brightness for use in theatres or at night.
The Apple Watch Series 9 can be controlled with a new hand gesture called "Double Tap," where the user taps the thumb and index finger together like with a Vision Pro headset. Using this gesture, users can interact with the device without touching the screen for tasks like answering or ending a call, stop a timer, snooze an alarm, pause of play music, bring up the Smart Stack, and more. It does this by looking for tiny changes to movement and blood flow using the accelerometer and blood oxygen sensor.
The Apple Watch Series 9 is available in a new Pink color option, alongside Starlight, Silver, Midnight, and PRODUCT(RED). The stainless steel version is available in Silver, Gold, and Graphite.
The Apple Watch Series 9 is made with more recycled materials and comes in a smaller, more environmentally friendly box. A new version of the Sport Loop band also uses 82% recycled yarn. Leather will no longer be offered on any new Apple Watch bands, but Apple is offering a range of new "FineWoven" bands, as well as bands from Hermès and Nike.
The Apple Watch Series 9 is the successor to last year's Series 8, which introduced body temperature sensing and cycle tracking, a more powerful gyroscope and high dynamic range accelerometer, and Crash Detection.
Apple's "Wonderlust" event kicks off today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, where we're expecting to see the iPhone 15 lineup, updated Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models, a USB-C case update for AirPods Pro, and perhaps some other announcements.
Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across various platforms. We will also be updating this article with live blog coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the keynote unfolds. Highlights from the event and separate news stories regarding today's announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.
Intel today announced Thunderbolt 5, the next-generation version of the connectivity standard present on all Macs and iPad Pro models, promising significant improvements in connectivity speed and bandwidth.
Thunderbolt 5 delivers 80 Gbps of bi-directional bandwidth and, with Bandwidth Boost, can provide up to 120 Gbps for video-intensive usage. This enables considerably better display support, allowing for more and higher-resolution displays with higher refresh rates. Thunderbolt 4 has maximum speeds of 40 Gbps, making Thunderbolt 5 a significant improvement of at least double the bandwidth.
The latest specification also features double the PCI Express data throughput and double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt Networking. It also uses a new signaling technology, PAM-3, to increase performance with printed circuit boards, connectors, and passive cables.
Thunderbolt 5 continues to be built in industry standards such as USB4 V2, DisplayPort 2.1, and PCI Express Gen 4, enabling it to be compatible with previous version of Thunderbolt and USB. Computers and accessories that use Intel's Thunderbolt 5 controller are set to become available starting in 2024. It is highly likely that Thunderbolt 5 will come to future Apple devices.
Apple's "Wonderlust" media event kicks off at 10:00 am Pacific Time today with members of the media in attendance for what is expected to be another pre-recorded presentation. We know that some MacRumors readers who can't follow the event as it's being broadcast are interested in avoiding all of the announcements and waiting until the event video is available for on-demand viewing so as to experience it without already knowing the outcome.
For those individuals, we've posted this news story, which will be updated with a direct link to the presentation once it becomes available from Apple. No other news stories or announcements will be displayed alongside this story.
Apple's recent virtual events have been made available to view almost immediately following the conclusion of the broadcasts, and we expect similar timing for today's event.
Users waiting for the video to be posted are welcome to gather in the thread associated with this news story, and we ask that those who follow the events as they occur refrain from making any posts about Apple's announcements in this thread.
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will feature 8GB of memory and an A17 Bionic chip fabricated with TSMC's N3E process, according to Jeff Pu, a tech analyst at Hong Kong investment firm Haitong International Securities.
In a note to investors seen by MacRumors, Pu noted the significant RAM increase for the standard iPhone models next year and the switch to LPD5 memory. Apple's standard iPhone models have had 6GB of memory since 2021's iPhone 13. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are expected to continue the trend. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are expected to be the first iPhones to feature 8GB of memory, meaning that both the A17 Bionic and 8GB of memory from 2023's Pro models will trickle down to the standard models a year later.
Pu added that the A17 and A18 Bionic chips used in the iPhone 16 lineup will be fabricated with TMSC's N3E process, its enhanced 3nm node. The A17 Bionic used in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to be Apple's first chip manufactured with a 3nm fabrication process, resulting in major performance and efficiency improvements over the 5nm technique used for the A14, A15, and A16 chips.
The A17 Bionic chip used in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will reportedly be manufactured using TSMC's N3B process, but according to Pu, Apple will switch to N3E next year when the chip is used in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.
N3B is TSMC's original 3nm node created in partnership with Apple. N3E, on the other hand, is the simpler, more accessible node that most other TSMC clients will use. N3E has fewer EUV layers and lower transistor density than N3B, resulting in efficiency tradeoffs, but the process can provide better performance. N3B has also been ready for mass production for some time longer than N3E, but it has much lower yield. N3B was effectively designed as a trial node and is not compatible with TSMC's successor processes including N3P, N3X, and N3S, meaning that Apple will need to redesign its future chips to take advantage of TSMC's advancements.
Interestingly, this mirrors a rumor shared on Weibo in June. The move was said to be a cost-cutting measure that could come at the expense of reduced efficiency. At the time, it was thought unlikely that Apple would make such a drastic change to the A17 Bionic. The A15 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus is a higher binned variant with one additional GPU core than the A15 used in the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini, so some cross-generational differences despite outwardly featuring the same chip would not be unheard of, but this would be effectively retaining the same name on a fundamentally different chip.
Apple was originally believed to be planning to use the N3B for the A16 Bionic chip, but had to revert to N4 because it was not ready in time. It may be the case that Apple is using the N3B CPU and GPU core design originally designed for the A16 Bionic for the initial A17 chips, before switching to the original A17 designs with N3E later in 2024.
New iPad models are unlikely to be introduced before the end of the year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuotoday said.
Kuo did not provide any further information about Apple's upcoming tablets. While the next-generation iPad Pro models have consistently been rumored to launch in 2024 rather than this year, reports around refreshes of the iPad mini and iPad Air have been mixed.
Most recently, a reliable Weibo leaker said that the sixth-generation iPad Air should launch in October as the only iPad refresh of 2023, with "no mini and Pro this year." On the latest episode of The MacRumors Show podcast, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that there is a new iPad Air with improved specifications in the works and the device is apparently "coming soonish," likely in October. Given Kuo's latest statement, the launch of a new iPad Air in October now seems to be in doubt.
Last week, Kuo said that Apple likely no longer plans to release any new MacBook models with M3-series chips this year. All in all, following its "Wonderlust" event to unveil the iPhone 15 lineup, Apple's potential releases for the remainder of 2023 may be dwindling.
Samsung appears to have secured a monopoly in the supply of iPhone 15 displays this year, after Chinese-based BOE once again failed to get formal approval from Apple to mass produce the required OLED panels.
BOE, which was supposed to be supplying OLED displays for the standard iPhone 15 and larger iPhone 15 Plus, was awaiting conditional approval from Apple in March, but it was delayed after the manufacturer experienced problems with light leakage around the portion of the OLED display where the pill and hole cutouts secure the space necessary for the TrueDepth camera and Face ID.
However, the issues appear to have been so entrenched that Apple ended up dropping the order, leading BOE to miss its chance to become one of the initial suppliers. According to Korea's ETNews, the amount originally allocated to BOE has been transferred to Samsung Display.
LG Display, which is supplying OLED panels for both iPhone 15 Pro models, has received conditional approval only for the smaller iPhone 15 Pro, with formal approval for the iPhone 15 Pro Max still expected this month. That leaves Samsung as the only current supplier of OLED panels for all four iPhone 15 models, with its production volume a lot bigger than originally planned.
As a result, Samsung is said to be increasing orders for related materials and parts, placing 20% more orders for September and October than it did in August alone.
Samsung is supplying low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) thin-film transistor (TFT) panels for the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models, suggesting that the more affordable devices will continue to lack ProMotion support and an always-on display option like Apple's Pro models have.
Meanwhile, the higher-tier iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models are using low-temperature polycrystalline (LTPO) TFT OLED panels. The LPTO panels feature 120Hz ProMotion support and a 1Hz refresh rate capability that enables an idle Lock Screen to stay visible without significantly impacting battery.
Along with the Dynamic Island coming to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, one rumor in February suggested that all iPhone 15 models could be equipped with a more power-efficient OLED display driver chip manufactured on a 28nm process, allowing for reduced power consumption that could ultimately lead to improved battery life across the board.
While iPhone 15 Pro models are still expected to feature improved battery life thanks to the inclusion of a faster A17 chip built on the new 3-nanometer production process, it is not known whether a new display driver is contributing to the Pro models' improved power efficiency.
As for BOE, an unnamed official in the display industry told ETNews it remained uncertain whether the manufacturer's quality approval will be made in 2023, and even if it was approved, very few quantities would be allocated this year, given Samsung's supply dominance in this area.
Apple's online store is now down ahead of the company's annual September event, which begins at 10 a.m. Pacific Time today. The store is routinely taken offline ahead of major Apple hardware events, primarily as a marketing tactic for the company.
At today's event, Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 15 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 9, a second-generation Apple Watch Ultra, a USB-C charging case for the AirPods Pro, and an assortment of more eco-friendly iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands.
Four new iPhone 15 models are expected — all with a USB-C port and the Dynamic Island. Additional features are rumored for the two Pro models, including a lightweight titanium frame, customizable Action button, faster A17 chip, thinner bezels around the screen, Wi-Fi 6E support, up to 6x optical zoom for the Pro Max, increased RAM, and more.
Apple should also provide a release date for the iOS 17 software update, compatible with the iPhone XS and newer.
MacRumors video producer Dan Barbera will be attending the event live at Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. Stay tuned for in-depth coverage of Apple's announcements.
In a departure from leather, Apple is expected to unveil an all-new line of FineWoven Apple Watch bands made from artificial materials, and these images are said to be our first look at what one of the official bands look like.
Sourced by prototype device collector and leaker Kosutami, the images allegedly show one of Apple's official bands, which are described as being lightweight, thin, and smooth.
The bands are allegedly made from recycled nylon and polyester, with a twill weave pattern. Apple may have chosen these materials in an effort to appear eco-friendly, while simultaneously reducing their carbon footprint through the use of fabric-based leather substitutes.
According to Kosutami, the bands are also set to feature a splash-resistant coating, although the bands themselves are not fully waterproof.
According to the leaker, Apple created six color options for the FineWoven watch bands, but is only set to announce three of them during the special event today. The exact colors remain unknown at the time of writing.
Kosutami also clarified that the FineWoven bands would be made by the same manufacturer that makes bands for the AppleWatch Ultra, with the materials allegedly being sourced from Japan.
Previous rumors have suggested that Apple will be removing leather options from its assortment of iPhone cases. Similar to the rumored FIneWoven Apple Watch bands, rumors claim that Apple also plans to release iPhone cases made from an artificial leather material under the same "FineWoven" moniker.
Information on the iPhone cases originated from DuanRui, a leaker who sources information from Chinese social media platforms.
Kosutami previously told MacRumors that Apple plans to discontinue all silicione accessories, and now claims that Apple intends to replace most of its leather accessories with ones made from more eco-friendly materials.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurmanrecently said that Apple began offering Hermes leather accessories to its employees at discounts of up to 90% last month in an attempt to clear remaining inventory. He also added that he expects Apple to move away from leather on its Apple Watch bands, in addition to phone cases.
For more on what else Apple is expected to reveal at its "Wonderlust" event in a few hours, be sure to check out our latest roundup.
Hitting the Like button causes the logo to disperse into pieces, before changing back into the typical love heart. The brief animation reflects the Apple logo graphics used to promote the Apple event – a the multi-colored Apple logo made up of metallic particles – possibly being a subtle nod to the upcoming titanium frame on the iPhone 15 Pro. The colors used for the Apple logo also match the expected color options for the 15 Pro, with varying shades of silver, gray, black and dark blue.
Apple began using unique Twitter "like" animations to promote its events three years ago, with the first occasion being for 2020's September "Time Flies" event.
Once again, Apple has also used a custom Twitter hashtag with its logo for the "Wonderlust" event, just as it did for WWDC in June.
The event is expected to headline the iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9, a second-generation Apple Watch Ultra, and possibly other products. MacRumors will have in-depth coverage of Apple's event, including a live blog on our website and tweets via @MacRumorsLive on Twitter.
Apple's upcoming iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models will introduce a new Action button that will replace the traditional Ring/Silent switch – a staple of the iPhone since it launched in 2007. Here's what you can expect to do with it.
Like the Action button on the Apple Watch Ultra, the new Action button that will be exclusive to Apple's premium iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models is expected to be a mechanical push button giving users with the ability to manually enable one of several customizable functions.
Based on code found in the iOS 17 beta by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser, the Action button will be able to turn on the following options, which users can customize in Settings and assign to different actions.
Accessibility: Access to various accessibility settings, such as VoiceOver, Zoom, AssistiveTouch, and more.
Shortcuts: Run a shortcut created in or downloaded from the Shortcuts app, such as sending a message, playing a playlist, or controlling smart home devices.
Silent Mode: Like the Ring/Silent switch on existing iPhone models, toggle silent mode on or off, which will mute or unmute the ringer and alerts.
Camera: Launch the Camera app and/or take a photo or video with a single press of the Action button.
Flashlight: Turn on or off the flashlight on the back of the device.
Focus: Activate or deactivate a Focus mode.
Magnifier: Activate the Magnifier app to use the iPhone's camera as a magnifying glass to zoom in on small text or objects.
Translate: Launch the Translate app and start a conversation or text translation with a single press of the Action button.
Voice Memos: Start or stop recording a voice memo with the Voice Memos app.
The standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models are expected to keep the traditional Ring/Silent switch, making the "Action" button one of the key differentiating features of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max that will also make the new models stand out from their predecessors.
Apple's unveiling of the iPhone 15 lineup is just hours away. The company's "Wonderlust" event begins Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Alongside the iPhone 15 series, Apple is expected to announce Apple Watch Series 9, a second-generation Apple Watch Ultra, and potentially other products during the event.
For more details on what to expect, check out our rumor roundup pages for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, and stay tuned for our in-depth coverage of Apple's announcements throughout the week.
YouTube Music may soon be available directly on the HomePod and the HomePod mini through Siri integration, according to code hidden in the YouTube Music app that was discovered by software miner @aaronp613.
There is a section in the YouTube Music app that is labeled "Connect With HomePod," which suggests that integration could be coming at some point in the future. Apple has supported a handful of third-party music services on HomePod for the last couple of years, so this functionality is already available with Pandora, iHeartRadio, Deezer, and TuneIn Radio.
Music services like Spotify have not adopted this option even though Apple made the SiriKit Media feature available in iOS 14, so it remains limited in scope. With the direct play function, users can set a third-party service as a default music option, and when Siri on HomePod is asked to play content, Siri will play music from the selected service.
If YouTube Music does indeed add support for playing music directly on the HomePod, it could make the streaming service more appealing to Apple users.
