DigiTimes: Apple Planning Multiple Apple Events for September

Apple is planning to hold multiple product events in September, rather than its strategy from last year to break up its fall product launches into three separate events split across September, October, and November, according to sources who spoke to DigiTimes.

In a new paywalled report today, the publication states that Apple will “host a series of product launch conferences in September,” with a highlight of one of the events being the ninth generation baseline iPad.

Apple has multiple new products in store for release this fall, ranging from the iPhone 13, Apple Watch Series 7, third-generation AirPods, an updated iPad mini, a new baseline iPad, and of course, the highly anticipated redesigned 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros.

Last fall, Apple released a similar lineup of products, and due to the global health crisis, all of the company’s events since have been digitally rather than in-person. The digital form of the events has allowed Apple to more carefully plan out the releases of its products, given in-person events are more expensive and challenging to plan.

Apple’s first fall event in 2020 was on September 15, where Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch Series SE, the eighth generation ‌iPad‌, and the redesigned iPad Air. Rumors at the time were conflicted on whether the flagship iPhones, which have historically been released in September, would be announced at the event.

Apple decided to instead dedicate its entire September event to the Apple Watch, its impact on users’ health, and the ‌iPad‌. The iPhone 12 series, alongside the HomePod mini, were announced at the company’s second event less than a month later, on October 13. Less than a month following that event, Apple held its Apple silicon-focused event on November 10.

The scenario DigiTimes is reporting, where Apple will hold multiple events in a single month is not entirely impossible, but may be unlikely. By having multiple events spread out across various months, Apple is better equipped to ensure that every new device gets highlighted thoroughly and adequately.

Alternatively, Apple may be taking into consideration the back-to-school season, where the majority of students will return to either digital or in-person learning in September. Some upcoming products, such as the baseline ‌iPad‌, updated ‌iPad mini‌, and the redesigned MacBook Pros, may be popular with students, and Apple may feel it wants to target some of its new products to students going back to school.

Additionally, today’s report from DigiTimes lines up with a previous report by the publication, stating the redesigned 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros would be released in September. The laptops just recently entered mass production.

While not explicitly stating the timeframe of Apple’s events this fall, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has reported that Apple will not release all of its new products in a single event but instead split them into multiple online events.