Top Stories: iPhone 15 Event Date, Apple Watch and Mac Rumors, and More

If rumors are to believed, we're now exactly one month away from Apple's big September event where we're expecting to see several product announcements led by the iPhone 15 lineup.

top stories 12aug2023
In addition to iPhone 15 rumors, this week also saw fresh claims about the upcoming Apple Watch Series 9, while we're seeing more details about the M3 family of chips coming to next-generation Mac models. Apple should also be winding down work on iOS 17 ahead of a release next month, though the company is continuing to fix bugs and make tweaks, so be sure to read on below for all the details on this week's top stories!

Apple's iPhone 15 Event Likely to Be Held on September 12

Apple's annual iPhone event is pretty much always held in the first two weeks of September, but with just about a month to go it appears the exact date for 2023 is getting pinned down.

iPhone 15 Pro Blue Front Perspective Feature
Initial reports indicated the event was likely to take place on either Tuesday, September 12, or Wednesday, September 13, but it looks like things are firming up for the September 12 date and we're once again expecting it to be a pre-recorded video even for in-person attendees.

Following the usual pattern, pre-orders for the new iPhones should begin a few days later on Friday, September 15, with a launch following a week later on September 22. It is possible, however, that some models may see tight initial supplies or slightly delayed launch dates depending on how early production is going.

Images of Alleged iPhone 15 USB-C Connector Parts Leak Online

The iPhone 15 lineup is all but confirmed to be switching from Lightning to USB-C, but this week saw some photographic evidence in the form of alleged USB-C ports from the various models.

iPhone 15 Blue USB C Feature
This week also saw a claim that the Pro models will have storage options up to 2TB, while code included in tvOS 17 betas suggests Apple will continue this year's pattern of using a new A17 chip for the iPhone 15 Pro models while the regular iPhone 15 models use an A16 chip.

And finally, another rumor claims that A17 chip in the Pro models will be paired with 6GB of RAM as on iPhone 14 Pro models, despite other reports saying RAM will be bumped to 8GB this year.

Apple Watch Series 9 'Basically Unchanged' Other Than Performance Boost From S9 Chip

Alongside the iPhone 15 lineup, we're also expecting to see new Apple Watch models at the September event. Rumors suggest we'll be seeing a nice performance boost with a new S9 chip, but otherwise the Apple Watch Series 9 is said to be "basically unchanged."

Apple Watch Woven Magnet Strap Mock Feature
One rumor suggests we may see a new band option alongside the Series 9, a woven fabric one with a magnetic buckle priced at $99 when purchased on its own.

Everything New in iOS 17 Beta 5

Apple seeded a fifth developer beta and third public beta of iOS 17 this week, alongside related beta updates such as macOS Sonoma and watchOS 10.

General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple
There were a number of tweaks in the latest iOS 17 beta, which we've rounded up in an article. We're also continuing our deeper dives into iOS 17 changes for various features, with our latest guides covering AirDrop, AirPlay, AirPods, and Siri and Spotlight.

Apple Testing M3 Max Chip With 16-Core CPU and 40-Core GPU

We're continuing to learn more about the upcoming M3 family of chips for the Mac, thanks to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman digging into third-party app developer logs.

m3 feature black
Those logs indicate that the next-generation M3 Max chip for higher end machines like the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro will include up to 16 CPU cores and 40 GPU cores. Built using a new 3nm process, the chip should include significant speed and efficiency improvements even beyond the increased core counts.

There's also a new Mac model with the base M3 chip that recently showed up in logs, and it's presumably an updated version of the Mac mini. That chip is also expected to appear in updated iMac, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air models.

10 Hidden Easter Eggs in macOS

This week, we took a fun look at a number of Easter eggs hidden in macOS, ranging from the infamous "Blue Screen of Death" on Windows and Clarus the dogcow to Steve Jobs' eyeglasses and the iconic "Here's to the crazy ones" poem from Apple's "Think Different" marketing campaign.

10 Hidden Easter Eggs in macOS 3
Check out our full list and let us know what other Easter eggs you're aware of in Apple's operating systems

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

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Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
15 months ago
Hard to believe but we are only one month away, (30 days) from today to be exact to see the new iPhone 15 lineup and Apple Watch Ultra 2. ?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
15 months ago

How are you liking Watch Ultra so far, what improvements are you hoping to see on that front?

Also, I really…really want a periscope lens on an iPhone. Even 10X that is of useable/above average quality would be an excellent addition to the camera toolkit.
Love Apple Watch Ultra. Zero regrets! The screen brightness nits are amazing. The battery life is insane (you can easily get 3-4 days of battery life on a single charge. 0-100% ?) I love the industrial design of the watch. It is durable yet elegant.

This year I’m ready for Apple to introduce an updated Apple Watch Ultra 2. I’ll even be happy with the new black titanium edition. However, we are getting a new CPU so that's always good. Improvements in performance speed will be made. Battery life will be improved. Overall, a solid purchase!



Periscope camera in the iPhone Pro lineup will be amazing. Can't wait for it.

Attachment Image
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vegetassj4 Avatar
15 months ago
What kind of roman numeral is IXIII? I don't think that is correct. XII perhaps?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Fan 2008 Avatar
15 months ago

What kind of roman numeral is IXIII? I don't think that is correct. XII perhaps?
I think it’s supposed to be IX and III, 9 and 3
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Davelfc Avatar
15 months ago
One good thing to come from the similar style, small incremental improvements is that people could hold on to their phones a little longer. Not so good for Apple but good for your pocket and the environment.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChrisA Avatar
15 months ago

What kind of roman numeral is IXIII? I don't think that is correct. XII perhaps?
Here is my translation to Arabic numbers

12
9. 3
6

Kind of what you might expect on a watch face
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)