As usual, September has been a very busy month for Apple. The company released the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 8, and a new Apple Watch SE last week, followed by the Apple Watch Ultra and new AirPods Pro this week. On the software side, Apple released iOS 16, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16.
All attention now turns to October and beyond, with rumors suggesting that Apple still has a lot on its schedule through the end of 2022. Below, we have put together a list of some of the bigger announcements to expect from Apple later this year.
iPhone 14 Plus Launch
While the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max launched on September 16, the iPhone 14 Plus is available starting October 7. Apple did not provide a reason for the staggered release, but the iPhone 14 Plus is a brand new option in the lineup and will become the first non-Pro model with a large 6.7-inch display ever sold.
Key new features of the iPhone 14 Plus include car crash detection, upcoming support for emergency texting via satellite in the U.S. and Canada, longer battery life, improved cameras, and a more repairable design with a removable back glass panel. The device is powered by the same A15 Bionic chip with a five-core GPU as in the iPhone 13 Pro.
The only differences between the iPhone 14 Plus and the smaller 6.1-inch iPhone 14 relate to display size, battery life, weight, and price.
iOS 16.1 With Live Activities and More
Apple said iOS 16.1 will be released later this year. The software update will include several new features for the iPhone, such as Live Activities support in third-party apps, a Clean Energy Charging option in the United States, support for Matter accessories in the Home app, Apple Fitness+ workouts without an Apple Watch, and more.
It's not yet clear if iOS 16.1 will include features like iCloud Shared Photo Library and the new Freeform digital whiteboard app that Apple says will be available later this year. iOS 16.2 will likely be released in December with any remaining features promised.
Apple Event in October
Apple often holds an October event to announce new iPad and Mac models, and this year will likely be no exception. Given how early the September event was this year, the next event could be held in early October, but timing remains to be seen.
For the October event, rumors suggest that Apple plans to announce new iPad Pro models with the M2 chip, a redesigned 10th-generation entry-level iPad, and at least a few more Macs powered by the M2 series of chips. A new Mac Pro is almost certain by the end of 2022, while new MacBook Pro and Mac mini models are also possible.
iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura Release Dates
Apple says iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura will be released to the general public in October. Apple will likely announce exact release dates for the software updates either during its October event or immediately afterwards.
iPadOS 16 was expected to be released in September alongside iOS 16, but Apple delayed the software update until October, likely to focus on making improvements to Stage Manager after some users criticized the feature's various shortcomings. Apple said the software update will be labeled iPadOS 16.1 instead of iPadOS 16.0.
Apple Music Classical
In August 2021, Apple announced the acquisition of classical music service Primephonic. At the time, Apple said it planned to launch a dedicated classical music app in 2022 that combined Primephonic's user interface with additional features.
Few details are known about the dedicated Apple Music Classical app or when it might launch, but it should be coming soon as 2022 draws to a close.
