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

iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Aiming to Release 'Breakthrough' New iPhone Accessory

Wednesday February 18, 2026 12:43 pm PST by
Apple is looking for a "breakthrough" with its push into wearable AI devices, including an "AirTag-sized pendant," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the pendant is reminiscent of the failed Humane AI Pin, but it would be an iPhone accessory rather than a standalone product. The pendant would feature an "always-on" camera and a microphone for Siri voice...
Apple Announces Special Event in New York Feature

Apple Announces Special Event in New York, London, and Shanghai on March 4

Monday February 16, 2026 6:05 am PST by
Apple today announced a "special Apple Experience" in New York, London, and Shanghai, taking place on March 4, 2026 at 9:00am ET. Apple invited select members of the media to the event in three major cities around the world. It is simply described as a "special Apple Experience," and there is no further information about what it may entail. The invitation features a 3D Apple logo design...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

iOS 26.4's New CarPlay Video Feature Shown in Action

Wednesday February 18, 2026 9:29 am PST by
Back at WWDC 2025, Apple revealed that it was planning to allow CarPlay users to watch video via AirPlay in their vehicles while they are not driving, and the first beta of iOS 26.4 suggests the feature may be nearing availability. There are several new references to CarPlay video streaming functionality within the iOS 26.4 beta's source code. The feature is not yet visible to users, but...
iphone 17 pro green

iPhone 17 Pro Max Curiously Becomes Most Traded-In Smartphone

Wednesday February 18, 2026 9:13 am PST by
New trade-in data indicates that Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max has rapidly become the single most traded-in smartphone. According to a new report from SellCell, Apple's latest flagship iPhone has quickly risen to the top of the independent trade-in market, accounting for 11.5% of all devices appearing in the top-20 trade-in rankings just months after release. The analysis is based on SellCell...
Multicolored Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature

Low-Cost MacBook Expected on March 4 in These Colors

Wednesday February 18, 2026 5:42 am PST by
Apple will announce its rumored low-cost MacBook at its event on March 4, with the device coming in a selection of bold color options, according to a known leaker. Earlier this week, Apple announced a "special Apple Experience" for the media in New York, London, and Shanghai, taking place on March 4, 2026 at 9:00am ET. Posting on Weibo, the leaker known as "Instant Digital" said that the...

Top Rated Comments

Gudi Avatar
32 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)
32 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)
32 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
32 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
32 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)
32 months ago
Exciting week with the Apple event and preorders!!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)