Apple doesn’t often participate in big industry-wide events like CES or E3. The most valuable company in the world holds its own events, thank you very much. Several times a year, Apple invites the press and industry professionals out to a theater (or a computer screen) to hear all about its latest products and services. Apple calls these “Special Events,” and streams them online to its millions of fans.
Even in years like 2020 and 2021, nothing stops Apple from creating and launching new products at a series of events. In 2022 there were three such events: a spring event on March 8, WWDC on June 6, the iPhone launch event on September 7. An additional event was expected in October or November, but never materialized.
In 2023, we expect at least three Apple events, possibly four—one of which might be the debut of a whole new category of products from Apple, a VR/AR Mixed Reality headset.
Read on to find out what events and new product launches Apple might have in store for 2023.
When is Apple’s next event?
Apple hasn’t officially announced its next Apple event yet. Apple could be planning a spring event for sometime in March or April–the company has held spring events in the past few years (or at least announced a new product in that time frame as it did in 2020).
However, we had expected that the spring event would see the introduction of the M2 Pro and 2 Max MacBook Pro, an M2 Mac mini and an M2 Pro Mac mini. Now that those new products have been introduced, a spring event is looking less likely.
There is still a possibility that Apple could hold a special event in the spring to present the VR/AR Mixed Reality headset, but we think that WWDC is a more likely venue for that.
If the next Apple Event isn’t until WWDC that is likely to happen on June 5.
What happens at an Apple Keynote?
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Apple used to hold live events at which the company would unveil its latest products and plans during a keynote address in front of a large crowd.
Following the pandemic, Apple doesn’t tend to invite people to events, but it makes no less of an impact by inviting everyone to join it in an online broadcast.
Apple usually holds four such events a year, but some years there will be no spring event and other years Apple will skip the October event. Based on previous years, you can expect Apple’s year to look something like this:
March/April (often includes iPads, iPhone SE)June (WWDC – mostly software, sometimes high-end/pro hardware)September (iPhones and Apple Watches)October (iPads, consumer-focused Macs, and other products)
What time will the next Apple event start?
Apple’s events usually start at 10 am at Apple’s HQ in California, which is 1 pm ET and 6 pm UK time.
Here’s what that translates to in the countries where most of our readers live:
US: at 10am (PST/PDT), 11 am (MST/MDT), noon (CST/CDT), 1 pm (EST/EDT)Canada: as above, and 2 pm (AST/ADT)UK: at 6pm (GMT/BST)Europe: at 7pm (CET/CEST)India: at 10.30pm (IST)Australia: next day at 1am (AWST/AWDT), 2.30am (ACST/ACDT), 3am (AEST/AEDT)New Zealand: next day at 5 am (NZST/NZDT)
Apple events usually last between one and two hours.
Spring 2023 event – March 7 or 14, 2023 (predicted)
While we are less certain now that Apple will hold a spring event in 2023, due to Apple having updated the Mac mini and MacBook Pro in January, there is still a possibility of a spring event.
As for when that would take place, on the basis of Apple holding the event on a Tuesday (which tends to be its preferred day), we could be sitting down for an Apple event on Tuesday 7 or 14 March.
For contest, here’s when the spring events have taken place for the last ten years:
2022: Tuesday, March 8 (virtual event)2021: Tuesday, April 20 (virtual event)2020: No spring event due to COVID-19 lockdown, but iPhone SE launched on April 242019: Monday, March 25
What will Apple launch in spring 2023?
Apple has now introduced the Macs we had been waiting for (M2 Mac mini, M2 Pro Mac mini and M2 Pro MacBook Pro), so that doesn’t leave a lot of new products to come in the first part of 2023. We’ve heard rumors of a potential new HomePod with a screen, which is a possibility, as is the AR headset that everyone seems to be talking about. Another possibility is the Phone SE, but since the latest iPhone SE model launched in 2022, we don’t expect a new iPhone SE until 2024, if at all.
WWDC 2023 event – June 5-9, 2023 (predicted)
It’s a safe bet that WWDC23 will happen at the beginning of June 2023. With the exception of 2020, the conference has been held in the first week of June, with few exceptions. Here are the dates at which WWDC has kicked off in previous years. The event is a week long and the keynote is always on Monday.
Here’s when the last ten WWDC events have happened:
WWDC 2022: June 6-10WWDC 2021: June 7-11WWDC 2020: June 22-26WWDC 2019: June 3-7WWDC 2018: June 4-8WWDC 2017: June 5-9
What will Apple launch at WWDC23?
Apple always reveals its new operating systems at WWDC, so that means: iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 14, watchOS 10, and tvOS 17.
New hardware sometimes makes an appearance at WWDC as well, and it’s usually the stuff that developers want, namely “Pro” model Macs. It was new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models that were announced at WWDC 2022.
We could also see a new Mac Pro—indeed it’s now a lot more than two years since Apple announced its “two-year transition” away from Intel processors.There is no 27-inch iMac model (at least for now) but there are plenty of rumors that a new iMac Pro is coming. A 24in iMac update is, with an M2 processor, could come at WWDC as well.That long rumored VR/AR Mixed Reality headset might finally get unveiled. We don’t expect the device itself to go on sale to the general public until at least September, though.
September 2023 event – September 12, 2023 (predicted)
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Who knows what autumn 2023 could bring, but Apple has launched a new iPhone in the September of practically every year in the past decade, so a new iPhone seems almost certain for September.
2020 was an exception to that rule – with the iPhone launch in October, but the company still held a September event. Apple clearly likes to hold September events.
On that basis, if you want to pencil in a potential date for an iPhone launch based on the dates Apple has held previous September events took place on, we predict Tuesday September 12, 2023, but it could be a week earlier on September 5 or 6.
2022: Wednesday, September 7
2021: Tuesday, September 14
2020: Tuesday, September 15 (Not an iPhone event)
2019: Tuesday, September 10
2018: Wednesday, September 12
2017: Tuesday, September 12
What will Apple launch in September 2023?
As for what will launch at the “iPhone event”:
The iPhone 15 seems like a safe bet. In 2022 the lineup consisted of two medium size iPhones and two large iPhones.Apple Watch 9 is also likely to launch. Maybe in 2023 we see an Apple Watch redesign – as was rumored back in 2021, but never appeared. Read: Why Apple Watch 7 didn’t match the leaks: Prosser’s conspiracy theory.If the AR/VR headset doesn’t launch earlier, you can bet it will be a big “one more thing” reveal in September.
October 2023 event
There was no event in October 2022; instead Apple issued press releases about a new iPad and iPad Pro models. Apple doesn’t hold an October event every year, but if you look at the list of years below you will see that they do have an October event more often than not.
The October events of the past have (or haven’t) taken place on the following dates.
2022: No event 2021: Monday, October 182020: Tuesday, October 122019: No event2018: Tuesday, October 302017: No event2016: Thursday, October 272015: No event2014: Thursday, October 162013: Tuesday, October 222012: Tuesday, October 232011: Tuesday, October 4
What will Apple launch in October 2023?
Macs and iPads tend to be the most likely to make an appearance in October.
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