It’s that time of year again. The air is getting crisp, the days are getting shorter, and Apple has officially summoned the tech world to its annual September gathering. This year’s event, ominously titled “Awe Dropping,” is scheduled for Tuesday, September 9, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. While Apple’s marketing department clearly wants us to prepare for our jaws to literally hit the floor, we’re here to cut through the hype. This isn’t just another year of minor spec bumps; we’re on the verge of some of the first major redesigns and truly new features we’ve seen in a long time.
So, what exactly is on the docket? The rumour mill has been working overtime, and we’ve managed to piece together a pretty clear picture of the main attractions. Here’s the cheat sheet for what’s coming:
- An impossibly thin, redesigned iPhone 17.
- Satellite connectivity for the Apple Watch Ultra 3.
- AirPods Pro with built-in heart rate monitoring.
- A beastly new camera system for the iPhone 17 Pro.
- A fresh batch of colours, cases, and… lanyards?
Let’s break down what each of these actually means for you and your wallet.
An Impossibly Thin iPhone
The star of the show is rumoured to be a completely redesigned iPhone, likely to be christened the “iPhone 17 Air.” The headline feature is its shocking thinness, clocking in at a rumoured 5.5mm. For context, that’s barely thicker than the USB-C port on the bottom. This is a pure design flex from Apple, an attempt to create a device that feels impossibly futuristic and feather-light in the hand, recapturing some of that “wow” factor from the early days of the smartphone wars.
But this supermodel figure comes with some serious compromises. To achieve this thinness, Apple is reportedly cutting back to a single-lens camera, a feature that feels almost archaic in 2025. More concerning is the potential impact on battery life. A smaller chassis means less room for a battery, and a phone that’s dead by 3 p.m. isn’t awe-dropping, it’s just annoying. The iPhone 17 Air is shaping up to be a classic case of form over function, forcing users to decide if they value runway looks over all-day usability.
Satellite for the Wrist
For the adventurers and anyone who’s ever gotten lost on a hike, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is getting a feature that sounds like it was pulled from a spy thriller: satellite connectivity. This isn’t for browsing the web from the wilderness; it’s a dedicated emergency tool that will allow wearers to send an SOS signal from remote locations completely devoid of Wi-Fi or cellular service. It’s a genuinely practical and potentially life-saving upgrade that firmly establishes the Ultra as the top dog for serious athletes and outdoorsy types.
Of course, this is Apple, so there’s a catch. This incredible safety feature is rumoured to be exclusive to the top-tier, and most expensive, Apple Watch Ultra 3. Anyone picking up the standard Apple Watch Series 11 will be left without a lifeline. It’s a classic example of Apple’s feature-gating strategy, reserving the best and most critical innovations for those willing to pay the highest premium.
AirPods That Know Your Heart
The AirPods Pro are finally getting a much-needed refresh, and the updates are more than skin deep. Alongside the expected boosts to Active Noise Cancellation and overall sound quality, the big news is the integration of in-ear heart rate tracking. This turns the earbuds into a legitimate fitness device, perfect for anyone who wants to monitor their workout intensity without wearing a watch or a cumbersome chest strap. It’s a smart addition that further blurs the line between a casual listening device and a dedicated piece of health tech. This move, similar to what we’ve seen in products like the Powerbeats Pro 2, makes the AirPods Pro an even more indispensable part of the Apple ecosystem for fitness enthusiasts.
The iPhone 17 Pro Camera Goes Full Beast Mode
While the Air gets thin, the iPhone 17 Pro gets mean. The camera system is receiving a monstrous upgrade, reportedly headlined by a 48-megapixel Telephoto lens with an incredible 8x optical zoom. That’s not the blurry, pixelated digital zoom you’re used to; this is true optical magnification that could genuinely challenge dedicated point-and-shoot cameras for clarity and range. It’s a massive leap forward for mobile photography and a clear signal that Apple is targeting professional creators and photography enthusiasts.
This new power is housed in a redesigned, pill-shaped camera bump that is said to be much larger than before, so get ready for some next-level table-wobble. To compensate, the back of the Pro models is apparently shifting to a more durable build that uses more aluminium instead of glass. And to make sure everyone knows you have the latest and greatest, it’s rumoured to be coming in a brand-new, eye-catching orange/copper colour that steps away from Apple’s traditionally muted Pro palette.
Colors, Cases, and… Lanyards?
Finally, we have the accessories, which are always a weird and wonderful part of any Apple launch. The iPhone 17 Air is expected in a light blue, but the real story is with the cases. After the unmitigated disaster that was the FineWoven material – a fabric that seemed to disintegrate if you looked at it too hard – Apple is introducing a new “TechWoven” fabric. Whether this is a durable successor or just FineWoven 2.0 remains to be seen.
But the most bizarre rumour is the return of the lanyard loop. The new cases will allegedly feature small cutouts to support straps and lanyards, a trend most of us happily left behind in 2004 with our flip phones. It’s a strange nostalgic swing for a company so focused on the future, and we’re not entirely sure who was asking for a way to dangle their $1,500 phone from their wrist like a Tamagotchi. It’s a weird, slightly goofy end to a list of otherwise powerful and serious upgrades.
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