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All eyes on today’s iPhone 6S/iPad/Apple TV announcements as Apple reportedly not holding October event this year

9to5Mac has been saying for a while that Apple’s Hey Siri event today will be a product blitz of announcements, with at least three major new products set to be shown off: the new iPhone 6S, the new larger iPad Pro and a revamped Apple TV with a new remote. There’s also likely to be a new iPad mini and some updates for Apple Watch — you can read it all in our roundup.

Some people were confused about why Apple is stuffing so many announcements into one event. Having called a single event “not logical” earlier in the day, Daring Fireball’s John Gruber now agrees with our prior reports: breaking tradition, there won’t be an October event this year.

After claiming a single event would be “inexplicable” earlier in the day, Gruber followed up with a small piece on his blog last night, saying that sources (“birdies”) claim Apple will only be holding one event in the fall this year, the event today.

Lot of little birdies out tonight in San Francisco. The consensus is that there’s only going to be one Apple event this fall, and it’s tomorrow. So if there’s an iPad Pro, it’s coming tomorrow, no matter how much or how little sense that makes.

This means that Apple will break tradition of the last several years and not have another event in 2015 after today. Although it isn’t clear why Apple has made this decision to cram everything into one event, especially when some product announcements are not set to be released until October, it does give some justification.

There’s another implication: usually the October event shows off iPads and Macs. With iPads featuring today, it seems like new Macs may not have an event at all. Instead, these products will likely appear on Apple’s online store one day accompanied by a press release announcing the new items.

The same applies for the software side — the new release of Mac OS X is typically announced at the October event. Whilst we still believe El Capitan will be released next month, Gruber’s sources indicate it will happen with a lot less fanfare than previous years.

Catch full coverage of Apple’s September event here live on 9to5Mac from 10 AM PT.

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Comments

  1. usmansaghir - 9 years ago

    Apple typically holds 2 main events that announce products and and a 3rd for WWDC. If rumours are true and Apple breaks its tradition it could mean Apple change things around by pushing its iPhone and iPad into 1 event and maybe do another before WWDC announcing 2nd gen Apple watch and iMac. All will be revealed tonight 😃

    • Ilko Sarafski - 9 years ago

      That makes a lot of sense. To have 1 Spring device(s) event, 1 Summer presentation event and 1 Autumn device(s) event. Rather than 2 in the Autumn. So maybe that’s the new cycle here. Actually, it doesn’t really matter. What matters more is what we’ll see on these events. Not as much as WHEN we’ll… :)

    • Stetson - 9 years ago

      Yep, we’ve already used up 2 of our 3 event quota for the year.

  2. taoprophet420 - 9 years ago

    Can’t see 4K 21″ iMac not being announced at an event this year. With iPad Pri and Apple TV previews today and Ivtober and November release dates I just don’t see Aplle not having an October event. Showing polished TV and iPad Pro apps, going back over OS X, showing iOS 10.1 features and updating macs should been done in October. 2 month lead time with no event to go back over features would be very very unusual for Apple.

    • PMZanetti - 9 years ago

      None of that justifies an October event.

      4k iMac may be a big deal to you, but its less of a big deal than the 5k iMac announced last year. And without the iPad Pro to share an event with, there is no reason for an event in October at all.

      • taoprophet420 - 9 years ago

        They can show Apple TV and iPad Pro again. Show apps and features. With 2-3 months lead for both devices I can’t see Apple releasing them without event. Even if they do one of the Apple headquarters streaming event.

  3. ilyasyurdaon - 9 years ago

    The word “reportedly” is being abused.

    • strawbis - 9 years ago

      I agree! The word “rumoured” would be a better fit.

  4. mahmudf2014 - 9 years ago

    Sometimes i feel like it’s hard to understand what Apple is doing. They used to have lots of separate events and now it’s only one. Back in 2010, they had events for iOS 4, WWDC, iPad, iPods and now they all gone. I had loved the idea of separate events because they were creating excitement for the products that would be introduced that day. And they had more show lights on them, they could talk more on a product. Nowadays it seems like Apple is focusing only on iPhone and not much else. Shame on you, Apple, you broke the tradition.

  5. Leonardo Maracino - 9 years ago

    Isn’t this a huge change of strategy?
    In the past for important announcements Apple would create separate events. Now it looks like everything is together.
    I’m afraid that putting all together will increase the momentum, but decrease the focus and excitement for the single things that will be presented.

  6. Apple has changed their events schedule many times. iOS hardware is pretty much tied to the software releases (each major iOS version brings us new iPhones and iPads). It makes sense to sync the hardware and software releases into one keynote. Watch and TV related updates could be addressed in the same keynote.

    But the Mac should really get some attention in a Mac-focussed keynote. The line-up is huge, and still just as important as many years ago.

    • rogifan - 9 years ago

      Seems to me this means Apple isn’t ready to announce new Skylake Macs. So having an event just for a 4K iMac and El Cap is not enough to warrant an event. Even if you throw in the iPad pro it still seems like a thin event.

  7. It’s tempting to view this as a new strategy for Apple to focus on fewer events (a software event in the spring, WWDC, accompanied by a hardware event in the fall) but I think the more likely scenario is that new Macs simply aren’t ready and that Apple felt an October event with two new iPads and a few Mac updates wasn’t enough to justify a separate event. Rather, I think we will see a bigger Mac event in February or March along with whatever else Apple has in store pre-WWDC16.

  8. bellevueboy - 9 years ago

    Things change. The iPhone was launched at Macworld. New OS’ are typically launched around sept 20th. The simple reason might be Apple doesn’t want people to taper buying anything in the October-December quarter. Announce things after Labor Day….dominate the news cycle…get over any bumps…suck the money out of the premium market, especially the holiday dollars.

    • vandiced - 9 years ago

      Or the simple reason is that iPads no longer justify an event just for them? They sell less and less every year. There are no more events to announce iPods (as primary reason for the event, even though other products could’ve been announced along with them).

  9. strawbis - 9 years ago

    What gives… Tim Cook got so many social events to attend he can’t find time for the company that made him?

Author

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.