What not to expect from Apple’s ‘Glowtime’ Event on September 9

Apple is holding its annual fall event on September 9 – an unusual Monday for the company’s major announcements instead of comfortable Tuesdays. Traditionally, Apple does not say what it plans to launch at its events when teasing them a few days earlier. The upcoming event is no exception. However, rumours are rife that the event will be dedicated to the unveiling of Apple’s next-generation iPhone devices and, more importantly, its artificial intelligence features packaged under “Apple Intelligence.” Some other products – mostly accessories like a new Apple Watch – are also expected, but several Apple products from the rumour mill are unlikely to see the light of day on September 9.

The Apple’s ‘It’s Glowtime’ Event will kick off at 10 AM PT (10.30 PM IST) on September 9 with the company’s chief executive officer Tim Cook taking the centre-stage to announce a slew of products. The lineup could include four iPhone models, namely, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max; Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, Apple AirPods 4, and Apple AirPods Max 2. But Apple is unlikely to launch the following highly anticipated products:

M4-powered Macs

Bloomberg recently reported that Apple is working on the new Macs, including two MacBook Pros and one iMac that will use the company’s next-generation M4 chipset. The chipset will be based on TSMC’s second-generation 3nm fabrication process and house a new display engine to offer better performance and power efficiency than the Apple M3 chip. The report also mentioned that Apple is planning to launch these computers later this year, but they are unlikely to tag along with the iPhone 16 series.

iPhone SE 4

Apple’s affordable iPhone lineup is due for a refresh, but the upcoming September 9 event may not be the time when the next iPhone SE will arrive. While multiple reports have said the fourth-generation iPhone SE, also called the iPhone SE 4, will share the design with the iPhone 14 and key features with the iPhone 16, it may take some time to debut. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said the launch could happen sometime in the beginning of 2025.

HomePod mini 2

The HomePod mini is also due for a refresh as it debuted back in 2020. While Gurman claimed that Apple was working on a successor back in 2022, the company has not revealed the HomePod mini 2 so far. Gurman was also skeptical about what features Apple could offer with the second-generation HomePod mini since the latest HomePod already offers everything that is available on the first-generation HomePod mini.

Apple AirPods Pro 3

While Apple may launch the next-generation AirPods at the September 9 event, it might skip the successor to the AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3, however, may arrive sometime in 2025, according to Gurman, with better audio quality, a new chip, and a redesign.