Top Stories: Apple Event Recap With iPhone 15, New Apple Watches, and More

What a week! Things are finally beginning to settle down after a flurry of announcements at Tuesday's event involving the usual suspects of iPhone and Apple Watch. All of the new hardware is now available to order, with launches happening next Friday.

top stories 16sep2023 1
Don't forget about Apple's software updates, with iOS 17, watchOS 10, and tvOS 17 all coming on Monday and macOS Sonoma debuting on September 26. Read on below for all the details on the biggest announcements from this week's event!

Everything Announced at Apple's Event in Six Minutes

Apple hosted its annual iPhone event this week, and it was packed with announcements as usual. New products unveiled include the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and USB-C AirPods Pro.

Everything Announced at Apples Wonderlust Event Thumb
There are also new iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands with a "FineWoven" material instead of leather, wired EarPods with a USB-C connector, and several other new accessories, so be sure to check out our recap of everything announced at Apple's event to learn more.

Apple Announces iPhone 15 Pro With Titanium Design, Action Button, A17 Pro Chip, and More

As widely expected, the iPhone 15 Pro models are equipped with a USB-C port instead of Lightning, providing users with a more universal charging standard and faster data transfer speeds up to 10 Gbps.

iPhone 15 Pro Lineup Feature
Other new features for the Pro models include a lightweight titanium frame, the A17 Pro chip, a customizable Action button, slimmer bezels around the screen, Wi-Fi 6E support, increased RAM, and more.

Apple Announces iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus With USB-C Port, Dynamic Island, and More

The lower-end iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models also feature a USB-C port, and the Dynamic Island first added to iPhone 14 Pro models last year.

iPhone 15 Colors pink
Other new features for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus include an upgraded 48-megapixel main camera lens with a new 2x Telephoto zoom option, the A16 Bionic chip, a frosted glass back, brighter displays, a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, and more.

Apple Watch Series 9 Unveiled With S9 Chip, 'Double Tap' Gesture, and More

The next-generation Apple Watch Series 9 is official, with new features including a faster S9 chip, a "Double Tap" gesture for interacting with the watch without touching the screen, an increased 64GB of storage, a pink color option for the aluminum case, a brighter display, faster on-device Siri, Precision Finding for iPhone, and more.

Apple Watch Series 9
For the first time, Apple said customers can choose a carbon-neutral variant of any Apple Watch.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 Features Faster S9 Chip, Brighter Display, and More

Apple Watch Ultra 2 is here, with a handful of new features added, including the same S9 chip and Double Tap gesture from the Series 9, a brighter display with peak brightness of 3,000 nits, expanded altitude range, and more.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 hero feature white
Unfortunately, the rumor that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 would be available in a new Black Titanium finish was incorrect, with only Natural Titanium offered.

Apple Introduces Updated AirPods Pro and EarPods With USB-C and More

In addition to the iPhone 15 models getting a USB-C port, Apple announced that the second-generation AirPods Pro are now available to order with a USB-C charging case for $249, and the wired EarPods headphones now come in a USB-C version as well.

AirPods USB C Port Purple Triad
On an accessory-related note, Apple discontinued the MagSafe Battery Pack and MagSafe Duo Charger, both of which used Lightning, following the iPhone 15 event.

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!

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
homepod mini colors

New HomePod Mini Coming Soon With These Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting. The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Announces Launch of U.S. Passport Feature in iPhone's Wallet App

Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport. To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need: An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on An Apple Account ...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
iphone air thinness

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information. Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen. Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...

Top Rated Comments

Gudi Avatar
28 months ago
I actually have a hard time to remember what was new about the watches? A new processor and new watch faces and bands, but in terms of new features. Ah yeah, double-tap − okay − what else. ?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ned1 Avatar
28 months ago
I’ve just received my Evergreen FineWoven iPhone 15 pro case (£59.00 in the UK) - what an absolute disappointment, especially when Apple are hawking it at the same price as the now discontinued premium leather iPhone case. I will be returning it and hunting for something that will actually complement the 15 pro.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogi Avatar
28 months ago

I’ve just received my Evergreen FineWoven iPhone 15 pro case (£59.00 in the UK) - what an absolute disappointment, especially when Apple are hawking it at the same price as the now discontinued premium leather iPhone case. I will be returning it and hunting for something that will actually complement the 15 pro.
Looks terrible on reviews.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ProfessionalFan Avatar
28 months ago

I’ve just received my Evergreen FineWoven iPhone 15 pro case (£59.00 in the UK) - what an absolute disappointment, especially when Apple are hawking it at the same price as the now discontinued premium leather iPhone case. I will be returning it and hunting for something that will actually complement the 15 pro.
It's the worst phone case I've ever tried and I tried some cheap crap over the years. Huge miss for Apple on this one.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kulfon Avatar
28 months ago
As a standalone product, iPhone 15 Pro is a very solid device, but I have to admit that it the least interesting update over previous generation (year ago, iPhone 14 Pro).
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
t0rqx Avatar
28 months ago
Watched it. To be honest nothing impressive. 10% improvement for iPhones over 14-series with 3nm. Double tap with fingers on Series 9, but that was already possible in Series 8 and older. Lot of marketing gimmick. Apple knows it, even trying to say the Watch Ultra 2 has 72-hours standby. Mind you by even disabling MORE features to reach that number, which they only mention in the small print. Is this the Apple we knew and loved?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)