At 10 am in Cupertino, the Apple event livestream will turn attention to Apple Park and a phone that might finally fold. Apple has scheduled its September 9 showcase under the name Surprise and shine, with broadcasts across its website, Apple TV, and YouTube, according to The Verge. The biggest hardware expectations remain rumors. Where will the presentation stream, and which rumored devices might actually reach the stage? [1]
Apple Event Livestream: Times and Platforms
The presentation starts on Wednesday, September 9, at 10 am Pacific, 1 pm Eastern, and 6 pm in the UK, according to The Verge and WIRED. Apple Park in Cupertino, California, hosts the event. The Apple event livestream has three reported viewing routes: Apple’s website, its YouTube channel, and the Apple TV app, so following the announcements does not depend on owning an Apple television box. [1, 2]
WIRED gives a practical route for television viewing: open YouTube on the TV and find Apple’s channel, or open the Apple TV app on a compatible streaming device. No paid subscription is necessary. According to its guide, the Apple TV app should display the event prominently near the top, including for people who do not subscribe to Apple’s streaming service. A laptop can then carry written coverage alongside the broadcast. [2]
WIRED plans to start its live updates around 9:30 am Pacific, half an hour before Apple’s presentation, with two reporters at Apple Park and a wider team contributing. Its live blog also carries the video. The product list still comes from advance reporting, with several publications expecting Apple to concentrate on its more expensive phones. The presentation itself will establish which devices make the cut. [2]
A Foldable Takes the Spotlight
A folding iPhone leads the expectations. WIRED anticipates a debut at today’s event and reports Silicon Valley talk of an iPhone Ultra costing more than $2,000, while The Verge uses the rumored names iPhone Duo and iPhone Ultra Duo. Apple has not confirmed those details in these reports. Even the name remains unsettled. The Apple event livestream should provide an opportunity to compare those competing expectations with whatever Apple actually presents. [1, 2]
The Verge describes leaked images of an apparent dummy model (a physical mock-up rather than a working retail phone) with a passport-style shape, drawing a comparison with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8. The images suggest a direction. They do not establish the finished device’s specifications, its retail name, or the price Apple might charge. WIRED expects the folding phone and new Pro models to reach stores later in September, but that timing also remains a forecast ahead of the presentation. [1, 2]
Apple could introduce a new phone shape while leaving a familiar part of its lineup waiting. Both The Verge and WIRED report that the standard iPhone 18 may arrive early next year instead of appearing alongside the premium models this September. What would that leave for the regular autumn iPhone launch? The advance reports put the Pro phones next in line, with camera changes and a possible price increase still awaiting confirmation. [1, 2]
Pro Phones, With Questions Attached
The Verge expects Apple to introduce the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, and lists several rumored changes: larger batteries, a smaller Dynamic Island (the display area around the front camera), and a variable-aperture camera. None is a launch specification yet. Leaked photographs that reportedly show dummy units also point to black, silver, light blue, and dark cherry purple finishes, although The Verge presents those colors as possibilities rather than Apple’s final selection. [1]
Prices could rise too. The Verge raises the prospect of a Pro price increase after reporting earlier increases across other Apple products, but offers no confirmed new iPhone price in its preview. WIRED’s figure above $2,000 concerns the rumored foldable; it should not become a starting price for the Pro lineup. The Apple event livestream will matter for those distinctions as much as for the hardware demonstrations, especially if Apple presents several premium models together. [1, 2]
The cheaper phones may follow later. The Verge reports that Apple could pair the base iPhone 18 with an iPhone 18E and an updated iPhone Air early next year. WIRED discusses manufacturing costs and memory shortages as possible explanations for a delay, alongside the opportunity to promote premium handsets more heavily. Those are the publication’s proposed explanations. Apple has not supplied a reason for that prospective schedule in these reports, and neither preview establishes a release date for the lower-priced models. [1, 2]
An Unavailable Watch Adds Intrigue
Apple’s store has already supplied one concrete wrinkle. On September 8, 9to5Mac reported that every Apple Watch SE 3 configuration showed as unavailable, affecting delivery and local store pickup alike. MacRumors first spotted the change, according to the report. No purchase option remained at the end of configuration. The observation concerns the existing watch; it does not establish that Apple will announce a replacement. [3]
9to5Mac says an SE 4 had not featured in the rumors leading into the event, which instead centered on the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4. The publication raises two possibilities for the missing stock: a temporary system problem or an unexpected successor. Neither explanation has confirmation in the report. An unavailable checkout button gives the watch announcements an extra question to answer, but cannot settle the product lineup before Apple speaks. [3]
For Series 12 and Ultra 4, 9to5Mac relays Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman’s expectation of faster chips, a returning ceramic case option, and potentially an always-on heart-rate sensor. Design reports diverge. Digitimes predicts a major Ultra 4 redesign and more sensors, while Gurman expects substantial design changes to wait until at least next year. The Apple event livestream could resolve that disagreement. Until then, the sensor and case details remain expectations attributed to those publications. [4]
AirPods Rumors Pull Apart
AirPods could also appear. The Verge suggests an AirPods 5 update might bring a new chip and health sensors, while attributing a later, 2027 arrival for camera-equipped earbuds to Gurman. WIRED leaves more room for an earlier appearance: it says the camera version could arrive today or at another event later in September or October. The publications disagree on timing. Neither account establishes that Apple will announce camera-equipped AirPods on September 9. [1, 2]
WIRED also expects Apple to discuss Siri AI across new iPhones and watches, including chips, secure computing, battery optimization, and on-device AI (AI processing on the device itself). Its writers describe their experience with the assistant’s beta version positively, while acknowledging limits to its everyday usefulness; that assessment comes from WIRED’s testing and does not confirm which features Apple will ship with each new product. The same preview expects rumored HomePod and other smart-home hardware to miss today’s event, potentially arriving at a subsequent presentation. Apple still has to attach actual products and availability details to those expectations when the show begins. [2]
The Apple event livestream begins at 10 am Pacific. WIRED’s written coverage is scheduled to start half an hour earlier. [1, 2]
- ONLINE NEWS Bonifield, S. (2026, September 4). How to watch Apple’s September 9th launch event. The Verge. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS WIRED. (2026, September 9). Apple event live blog: Here comes the folding iPhone. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Christoffel, R. (2026, September 8). Apple Watch SE 3 is now unavailable ahead of launch event. 9to5Mac. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Christoffel, R. (2026, September 8). New Apple Watch models launch this week, here’s what’s coming. 9to5Mac. [Article Link]
