Apple's Awe Dropping event is scheduled for later today (September 9), highlighted by a whole smorgasbord of new products such as the iPhone 17 series. And while we're expecting more than half-a-dozen new gadgets to make their debut, a few long-rumored devices have little to no hope of making an appearance — not even as a teaser of what the future might hold.
Whether we're talking about devices we won't see until the far future, like a follow-up to the Apple Vision Pro or stuff that might appear within the next 12 months like an iPhone Fold, there are plenty of rumors about what Apple is working on behind the scenes. And it's extremely unlikely that we'll hear anything about them until they're ready to be released.
So don't expect these 7 products at Apple's Awe Dropping event later today.
iPhone Fold
There's been plenty of talk about the iPhone Fold in recent months, but we shouldn't expect to see or hear anything about the new foldable just yet. Why? Because word is that the phone is going to be released next year, with early production only just getting started now.
That means we are way too early to be getting any official news about the device. Even just a confirmation that it's happening would be very out of character for Apple, which typically keeps future announcements very close to its chest especially the bigger devices like iPhones and what new generations may have to offer.
Apple Vision Pro 2
It's a similar story with the future of Apple's Vision series. We know that work is being done to develop future iterations of Apple's headset behind the scenes, alongside Apple Glasses, but we don't have much concrete information on what the future holds.
Had the Vision Pro been a roaring success, we likely would have heard a lot more over the past couple of years. But with lukewarm sales for the original headset, Apple's plans were reportedly put on hold. We may hear something a few years down the line, don't expect anything more than a recolored Vision Pro at the iPhone 17 event.
HomePod with Display
I say this tentatively, because there's always a chance Apple could reveal the HomePod with Display (or HomePad) during the iPhone 17 launch. Smart displays are not new, and it's rather strange that it's taken Apple this long to actually release one. But we at Tom's Guide aren't so sure it'll actually arrive — and it's all because of Siri.
Reports from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg point to Siri being a major part of how the HomePad's software works. Unfortunately, since the revamped Siri update is now expected to arrive in Spring 2026, it doesn't make a lot of sense for Apple to release a Siri-centric product before the voice assistant has gotten its AI-powered makeover.
M5 Macs
While there are people who are eagerly awaiting the next wave of Apple's Macs, and the M5 chip, the iPhone launch event is not the place we're going to see them. We are due a new generation of Apple silicon, since the first M4-powered Macs were released last May, but the word right now is that the M5 chip won't be arriving until some point early next year.
On top of that, even if the M5 chip hadn't been delayed, Apple typically releases new computing hardware at a different event from the iPhone launch — sometimes in October, sometimes even later. So don't expect any Mac news at Awe Dropping.
iPads
In the past iPhones and iPads did share a lot of the spotlight, even if iPhones were arguably a lot more important. But the past several years has seen Apple change tack, and we're more likely to see iPads launch alongside new Macs than we are to see them trailing behind the new iPhone.
There have been rumors that the iPad Pro M5 could launch as early as October, but that's assuming the M5 chip is ready to go. Other models aren't going to be arriving nearly as soon — if only because we already had new iPad Air and entry-level models go on sale this year.
AirPods Max 2
AirPods Max have been in a tricky situation for years. While still commanding a premium price tag, they haven't had any significant update beyond a switch to USB-C last year. Evidently Apple is stuck in something of a Catch-22 with them, because the headphones are simultaneously popular, but also not.
According to reports the AirPods Max haven't been selling well enough to warrant the release of an AirPods Max 2. But they're also selling well enough that Apple thinks they're worth keeping around a little while longer. That dilemma likely means we're not going to see a follow-up anytime soon — not without Beats branding, anyway.
iPhone 17e
While Awe Dropping may well be the iPhone 17 launch event, that doesn't mean we'll be seeing every single iPhone 17 model. There's a very good chance that a slightly cheaper iPhone 17, which we've been calling the iPhone 17e, will be coming at some point in the near future.
Don't expect that to happen this year, though. The iPhone 16e came out at the end of February, five whole months after the rest of the iPhone 16 series. Similarly the low cost iPhone SE series typically arrived in Spring. Which means the iPhone 17e should be following that lead — possibly May.
All of which means Apple will be keeping it far away from today's event.
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More from Tom's Guide
- iPhone 17 Pro Max — 14 new features confirmed right before Apple event
- Apple Event live updates — iPhone 17, AirPods Pro 3, Apple Watch 11 and last-minute rumors
- iPhone 17 rumors — everything we know ahead of Apple's September 9 event
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