Apple’s September event delivered some of the company’s biggest hardware announcements in years. iPhone Duo finally made Apple’s foldable iPhone a reality, while iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max arrived alongside Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5.
But Apple didn’t clear out the cupboard.
Several products we have been following throughout 2026 were nowhere to be seen during “Surprise and shine,” including some that reports suggest are already close to launch.
Not all of them were seriously expected this week. In fact, The Apple Post highlighted several products Apple probably wouldn’t announce at its September event before the keynote began. Now that the iPhone event is behind us, though, attention can turn to what Apple still has waiting in the wings.
Here are the biggest things Apple didn’t announce.
New Apple TV 4K
Apple TV 4K was one of the more obvious omissions, although its absence from an iPhone-focused event was hardly a shock.
The Apple Post reported in July that Apple was planning a new Apple TV for this fall, with the update expected to focus heavily on performance and Apple’s new generation of Siri.
The current Apple TV 4K dates back to 2022, so the hardware is now approaching four years old.
Image: Apple
Reports have suggested its replacement will use a considerably faster processor capable of supporting Apple’s latest intelligence features. Apple’s N1 networking chip has also been linked to the device, potentially bringing Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread support.
There is good reason to believe the hardware is not far away. An earlier report claimed the next Apple TV had already been finished for months and was being used internally at Apple Park.
September came and went without it, but a 2026 launch remains very much on the table.
HomePod mini 2
If any Apple product is due an update, it is HomePod mini.
Apple introduced the original HomePod mini in 2020 and, aside from new colors and software updates, the hardware has remained largely untouched ever since.
The next generation has repeatedly been linked to a much faster processor, improved audio, upgraded Ultra Wideband capabilities and more modern wireless connectivity. A new red finish has also appeared in reports.
Like Apple TV, the hardware may already be finished. Apple’s next HomePod mini was reportedly completed months ago, with Apple apparently waiting for its new Siri experience before bringing the product to market.
More recently, Apple was reported to be preparing both HomePod mini and Apple TV updates for this fall.
Neither appeared this week, making them two of the most obvious products to watch next.
A new full-size HomePod
The full-size HomePod could eventually receive some attention too.
Rumors surrounding this model have been less specific than those for HomePod mini, but updated processing hardware would make sense as Apple pushes its more capable Siri experience further into the home.
Image: Apple
Apple last gave the full-size HomePod a major hardware refresh in 2023. With the company apparently preparing a much broader smart-home push, keeping its premium speaker on older hardware indefinitely would be an odd fit.
For now, however, both HomePod models remain unchanged.
Apple’s smart home hub
This could be far more important than another HomePod.
Apple has been working on a dedicated smart home display for years, sometimes referred to unofficially as HomePad. Reports describe a roughly seven-inch screen designed to become a central control point for Apple’s Home ecosystem.
The Apple Post reported earlier this year that Apple’s HomePad hardware could already be ready to ship, with its release held back while Apple finished work on its next-generation Siri experience.
The device is expected to handle Home controls, calendars, reminders, widgets, photos, FaceTime calls and security camera feeds. Apple is believed to have experimented with a version attached to a speaker-style base and another designed to mount on a wall.
More recent reporting has suggested Apple could launch its smart home hub between October and early 2027.
There have even been clues inside Apple’s own software. References discovered in macOS suggest the HomePad could use an interface inspired by Apple Watch faces and widgets.
It didn’t make the September keynote, but this is one of Apple’s rumored products worth keeping a particularly close eye on.
Apple security camera
Apple could be about to move beyond providing the software that powers other companies’ security cameras.
The device is expected to work closely with Apple’s Home platform, HomeKit Secure Video and its upcoming smart home hub. Apple Intelligence could also give the camera a much deeper understanding of what is happening around the home.
There are signs that Apple’s ambitions go considerably further than a single camera. Apple is reportedly planning a wider home security and monitoring service for 2027.
That makes the rumored camera potentially the first part of a much bigger push rather than another standalone Apple accessory.
Camera-equipped AirPods
This one became particularly interesting in the final days before the event.
Apple has been developing AirPods equipped with cameras or visual sensors designed to give Siri and Visual Intelligence a better understanding of the wearer’s surroundings.
These would not be cameras for taking conventional photos or videos. Instead, they could allow Siri to understand what someone is looking at without requiring them to take out their iPhone.
Image: Apple
There was strong evidence that Apple had taken the idea beyond the experimental stage. A leaked macOS demo appeared to show unreleased camera-equipped AirPods working with Visual Intelligence.
They still didn’t appear.
Apple instead used AirPods 5 to improve the conventional earbud experience, with stronger Active Noise Cancellation, Live Translation, deeper Siri integration and changes to the charging case.
The more futuristic AirPods will apparently have to wait.
The regular iPhone 18
Perhaps the strangest omission would have been a huge surprise in almost any other year.
Apple held its annual September iPhone event and did not announce the regular iPhone 18.
But we knew it was probably going to happen.
Image: Apple
Reports have said Apple is moving to a staggered iPhone release schedule, with premium iPhones continuing to arrive in the fall while the regular iPhone moves into the first half of the following year.
That left iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone Duo to take the spotlight this September.
The standard iPhone 18 is now expected in 2027, potentially alongside other less expensive additions to Apple’s iPhone lineup.
New iPads
Apple didn’t touch the iPad lineup during “Surprise and shine,” but that does not mean there are no new tablets coming.
The most interesting model to watch is iPad mini.
Moving the iPad mini to OLED would be a significant display upgrade for Apple’s smallest tablet and could make it one of the company’s more interesting remaining launches of 2026.
Its rumored timing also makes the September omission much less surprising. Apple may simply have decided to keep its iPhone event focused on iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods before turning to the iPad later.
More Macs
There were no Macs at the event either.
That is nothing unusual. Apple frequently keeps the Mac away from its September iPhone presentation and has a long history of making computer announcements in October.
Apple has already updated parts of the Mac lineup this year, reducing the number of obvious machines waiting for an immediate refresh, but there are still several Mac projects in development.
The question is less whether Apple has more Macs coming and more whether any of them are intended for the remaining months of 2026.
Could there be another Apple event in October?
September’s keynote does not necessarily mark the end of Apple’s 2026 launch calendar.
Apple has repeatedly followed its September iPhone event with more announcements in October. Sometimes that has meant another full event. In other years, Apple has simply announced products through press releases and videos.
This year, there is certainly enough rumored hardware to make October interesting.
The Apple TV and HomePod mini have both been described as close to launch. An OLED iPad mini has been tipped for October. Apple’s HomePad is reportedly targeting a window beginning in October, and Apple is also believed to have additional Mac hardware in development.
There are even signs Apple is physically preparing for a bigger Home push. Apple Stores are reportedly being changed ahead of the company’s rumored smart home launches.
So while “Surprise and shine” gave us iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5, Apple may not be finished for the year.
If the reports are right, the next wave could look very different from September, with the focus shifting away from iPhone and towards the home, iPad and Mac.