Apple is preparing its first major showcase under new Chief Executive Officer John Ternus, and the September 9th “Surprise and Shine” event is expected to mark more than another annual iPhone refresh. According to Bloomberg News’ Mark Gurman, the keynote will introduce the latest iPhones and Apple Watches — and kick off what he describes as the company’s biggest run of new devices in years.
For much of the past decade and a half, Apple has spent more energy refining existing lines and expanding services than inventing new categories. Gurman’s reporting frames next week as the start of a different stretch: new form factors and entirely new product areas arriving across 2026, 2027 and beyond, with Ternus taking the stage as the public face of that shift.
The centerpiece is expected to be Apple’s first foldable iPhone, widely rumored to carry an Ultra-style name. Reporting tied to Gurman and other briefings describes a book-style device rather than a clamshell: a cover display around 5.5 inches and an inner screen near 7.8 inches, closer to an iPad mini when opened. The hinge and pocketability have reportedly impressed people who have handled prototypes. Trade-offs are also part of the story — a two-lens rear camera without a dedicated telephoto, and Touch ID on the side button instead of a conventional Face ID system because of how thin the folded body is. Pricing is expected to start above $2,000.
Alongside the foldable, Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The standard iPhone 18, a cheaper 18e model and a follow-on iPhone Air are widely expected to wait until 2027. Memory and component costs have already pushed rivals higher; Gurman has indicated Apple is likely to raise Pro pricing as well, with the 18 Pro discussed in the neighborhood of $1,199 before taxes and configurations. Camera upgrades, including talk of a variable-aperture main lens, are among the features watchers will look for on the conventional Pros.
New watches are also on the agenda. The Apple Watch Series 12 is expected to be a relatively modest update, while the Apple Watch Ultra 4 is rumored to take a larger design step. AirPods 5 could appear as well, though camera-equipped AirPods and several home products sit further out on the roadmap Gurman has sketched in recent months.
That longer map is the other half of the Sept. 9 story. Gurman has written that Ternus inherits a pipeline far larger than the handful of new categories launched during Tim Cook’s tenure. A touch-screen MacBook is among the follow-on products flagged in the Bloomberg piece’s own framing. Smart-home displays, more ambitious wearables and other experiments have been discussed as 2027–2028 possibilities, even as some larger foldable tablet or Mac concepts have been reported as delayed or canceled.
MacDailyNews Take: The event is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 10 a.m. Pacific at Apple Park, livestreamed on Apple’s site, the Apple TV app, and YouTube. Pre-orders for the new iPhones could follow within a day or two if Apple sticks to its usual cadence, though early foldable supply may be tight. Whether “Surprise and Shine” delivers a true surprise or simply the first official look at products the rumor mill has already mapped in detail, Ternus’s debut as CEO will be judged on whether Apple can turn a foldable iPhone and a more active product calendar into the kind of growth it has not seen from hardware in years.
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He’s just riding on Cook’s coat tails.