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. We expected an event late in 2022 to announce new Macs, but that never happened, so we think Apple’s first event will be sometime in March or April.
This event could see the introduction of the M2 Pro and 2 Max MacBook Pro, an M2 Mac mini and an M2 Pro Mac mini.
What happens at an Apple Keynote?
Apple
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)
Based on Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman’s prediction, Apple may be destined to hold an event in March 2023. In a October 30, 2022 newsletter, Gurman said: “I’d expect the new Macs to be announced by the first half of March.”
So, 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 24
- 2019: Monday, March 25
What will Apple launch in spring 2023?
Apple didn’t launch any of the expected Macs at the end of 2022, so those are top of the list for product to launch in the spring of 2023. We’ve heard rumors of a potential new HomePod, too. Apple updates the Phone SE every other year, and since the latest iPhone SE model launched in 2022, we don’t expect a new iPhone SE until 2024.
- A new M2 Mac mini is a good bet, but we could also see a M2 Pro Mac mini.
- You can expect to see the M2 Pro MacBook Pro models in 14-inch and 16-inch variants.
- We could also see a new Mac Pro—indeed it’s now 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 this spring as well.
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 6-10
- WWDC 2021: June 7-11
- WWDC 2020: June 22-26
- WWDC 2019: June 3-7
- WWDC 2018: June 4-8
- WWDC 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.
If we don’t see the new Mac Pro and iMac in March, then expect them to make an appearance at WWDC.
It’s possible Apple could announce its Mixed Reality headset at WWDC. All-new hardware is sometimes is announced quite a bit before its release, both to prevent leaks from the manufacturers and supply chain and to help give developers time to prepare. 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)
Apple
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
As for what will launch:
- 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 18
- 2020: Tuesday, October 12
- 2019: No event
- 2018: Tuesday, October 30
- 2017: No event
- 2016: Thursday, October 27
- 2015: No event
- 2014: Thursday, October 16
- 2013: Tuesday, October 22
- 2012: Tuesday, October 23
- 2011: Tuesday, October 4
As for what will launch:
- Macs and iPads tend to be the most likely to make an appearance in October.
