Apple has finally announced the date, time, and tagline for its annual iPhone launch event. The company said today that the “Surprise and shine” event will take place on Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. PT, and viewers will be able to watch the keynote live on YouTube, the Apple website, and Apple TV. At the event, Apple is widely expected to release the new iPhone 18 lineup, as well as a foldable smartphone, rumored to be called the iPhone Ultra.
As with past events, Apple released artwork to promote the event, which shows the text “Surprise and shine” and the Apple logo with a glowing neon effect. The image evokes the white neon glow of the Siri AI beta announced earlier this year at WWDC 2026. Apple also uploaded a livestream link for the event to its YouTube channel, and the video description reads, “Join us for a special event on September 9 at 10 a.m. PT.”
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The company declined to provide any additional information on the “special event,” and we didn’t expect them to. But we do have some idea of what Apple’s working on.
Siri AI, is that you?
Credit: Apple
Apple traditionally hosts an event in early September to announce the new iPhone lineup and other products. At last year’s September keynote, Apple announced the iPhone 17, the Apple Watch Series 12, and the AirPods Pro 3. However, we expect this year’s event to be unique in several ways, as the tagline seemingly suggests.
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First, long-time Apple CEO Tim Cook is scheduled to step aside on Sept. 1 to make way for incoming CEO John Ternus, who currently works as Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. This will be Ternus’s first keynote, and the world will be watching to see how he sets the tone for a new era at Apple Park.
Second, Apple could release the first-ever foldable iPhone, the biggest change to the iPhone in years. Apple’s smartphone competitors have been making foldable phones for years, but Apple has so far left the market to Google and Samsung. However, that’s not unusual for Apple. The company didn’t release the first smartphone or MP3 player, but when it finally entered the market, the company crushed the competition.
Finally, the Siri AI beta will take one step closer to a public release, bringing Apple into the AI era at last.
We will be very interested to see if history repeats itself with the folding iPhone, or if the device goes the way of the Vision Pro.
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