Everything Apple didn’t announce at its iPhone 15 event

Apple's September 2023 event Tim Cook — Apple

Yesterday’s iPhone 15 event revolved solely around the iPhone 15/iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max, and Apple Watch Series 9 (along with Apple Watch Ultra 2). As a result, no new iPads, Macs, or audio products were announced. This news isn’t surprising, and the omissions suggest another Apple event may occur before the year’s end, although this has yet to be confirmed and may not happen for a few weeks.

Contents

New iPads
AirPods
M3 Macs
A black Apple Watch Ultra 2
Apple TV
Another event?

There are a lot of would-be Apple products that could make appearances in the coming weeks or months — but weren’t shown at today’s event.

New iPads

Apple’s “Wonderlust” event came without the announcement of a new iPad. This isn’t the first time Apple has decided not to unveil a new tablet at its September event. The last time one did launch was in 2021 when the iPad mini 6 was announced at the iPhone 13 event.

However, there is still hope for those waiting for a new iPad to arrive before the end of the year. The current iPad Pro lineup and iPad (10th generation) were unveiled in October 2022, while the iPad Air (5th generation) has been available in stores since March 2022. Additionally, the iPad mini 6 is now two years old, so it’s likely that we’ll see at least a new iPad Air or iPad mini launch before the calendar turns to January.

An 11th-generation iPad could also be in the works, but since Apple just launched a new version last year, that seems to be less likely.

One iPad that isn’t expected to appear fresh in 2023 is the iPad Pro. Apple isn’t likely to reveal new iPad Pro models until next year.

AirPods

Apple AirPods are among the most popular audio products in the world. However, they are not updated frequently. Though Apple launched the second-generation AirPods Pro a year ago, there has been no update on the regular AirPods front for almost two years. And it has been nearly three years since the AirPods Max were unveiled. All of these are prime candidates for significant updates, and none of that happened during the iPhone 15 event.

What was announced is a new USB-C charging case for the AirPods Pro 2 (see above). The case arrives alongside the new iPhone 15 series on Friday, September 22.

M3 Macs

It’s not unusual for Apple to keep new Mac releases separate from their annual September iPhone events. Similarly, the latest event didn’t include any announcements for new Macs. However, when Apple does release new Macs, it’s expected that the long-awaited “M3” chip will finally make its debut. It’s most likely that this new chipset will first be seen in a next-generation 13-inch MacBook Air, which was last updated in June 2022.

We won’t see any M3 Pro, M3 Max, or M3 Ultra chips until the M3 chip itself is released. The 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro were updated with the M2 Pro and M2 Max in January, so it’s unlikely that there will be another update for these models this year.

A black Apple Watch Ultra 2

During Apple’s iPhone 15 event, the company announced the release of the second generation of its Apple Watch Ultra. The new device boasts an improved appearance and updated internals. However, something was missing from the announcement. The rumor mill suggested that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 would be unveiled in a sleek dark titanium finish, but that did not materialize. Instead, this year’s model looks remarkably similar to last year’s with its light titanium finish.

What happened? It’s possible that the rumors were simply incorrect this time around. Alternatively, it’s also possible that Apple wasn’t ready to reveal a darker titanium finish just yet and may do so later.

Apple TV

The latest Apple TV launched in November 2022, so there was no reason we’d see a new one pop up at the iPhone 15 event. And yet, it was entirely possible that something on the entertainment front could have still been announced. However, with much of Hollywood shut down due to strikes, announcing anything entertainment-related would have been in bad taste.

Is anyone still holding out hope for Apple to release a Fire TV streaming stick-like device? Anyone?

Another event?

Apple held only one fall press event in 2022, to introduce the iPhone 14 series, whereas multiple events were once common. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, there were three fall events, and one year later, two events were held, one in September and another in October.

It is possible that Apple may hold another event or even two before the end of the year. If this happens, we can expect to receive some announcements in the coming weeks. Any such event is highly likely to focus on new audio products, and a new iPad may also be introduced. However, it is unlikely that a new Mac will be launched in the remainder of 2023. If one were to be launched, it would likely be another 13-inch MacBook Air. If not, we probably won’t see any new Macs until early next year.

Perhaps Apple plans to hold another event in 2023, specifically for the release of Apple Vision Pro in 2024. If so, all bets are off on what else could be announced. Stay tuned.