Apple's Awe Dropping event preview

This week's post is coming a bit late for various reasons, but I wanted to at least get something up before the upcoming Apple event. I'm happy to say that I've also got my first donations via the Buy Me A Coffee link – thank you so much!

There's not a lot to discuss this week outside of the Apple event, but I'll drop some links to stories that are on my radar and touch on where it might make sense later.

Top Stories

• AppleInsider's "What to expect" for the iPhone 17 event
• Apple's deal with Google for default search status in Safari won't be changing
• Google Gemini may be the first third-party AI integrated with Apple's Private Cloud Compute
• Apple Vision Pro has a strong enterprise presence in its initial rollout
• Apple Arcade continues to be an enigma
• Company specializing in surveillance capitalism that mingles with Nazis releases iPad app 15 years too late
• Put on a silly show with little consequence or get replaced with someone who will do more than lick boots

Apple Arcade's continued promise

Before I spill 1,500 words on the Apple event, I wanted to highlight that Apple Arcade still exists. It's an odd one considering there were a few moments where we could hope Apple might actually take gaming seriously.

Fantasian, Stardew Valley, Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Sonic Dream Team, Final Fantasy, What The Golf, 007, Balatro, and several more showed Apple had some idea of what good gaming can be on iPhone. However, those excellent titles are drowned out by the constant deluge of crummy mobile games and "+" versions of mediocre titles.

There are games for everyone in Apple Arcade, but in a way that favors children and ultra-casual players. The true hardcore games are few and far between.

The best part of Apple Arcade so far is its availability on Apple Vision Pro. Those spatial games may be some of the only ones Vision Pro owners bother trying, though there are excellent titles available to buy as well.

All that said, I still believe Apple Arcade is an excellent value, especially for families. While it's not enticing me with many of its recent titles, it is still the best place to get games for kids that don't track them, sell them things, or show them ads.

It's also great for older folks that just want a coloring book or solitaire without being bombarded with pop-up ads and timers.

So, as an add-on to Apple One, I think Apple Arcade more than earns its keep. It isn't trying to compete with Game Pass or PS+, but it's doing well in its own turf.

I just wish Apple would make a pro tier that gets select AAA titles on a limited basis or even offered discounts -- similar to how PS+ works. Charge me a few bucks a month on top of Apple One to let me download Resident Evil 4 or get exclusive items in some games.

I wonder if we'll see more services during the iPhone 17 event. It is the place to promote them, as it is Apple's most popular event each year.

Now let's get into what I think will actually happen during the event Tuesday.

Expectations for the iPhone 17 event

I talked a little bit about the iPhone 17 event last week, and there's really not much reason for me to dwell too much on it here. Every blog and Apple-focused website or podcast will tell you what the rumors are, so I'm going to keep from repeating information you already know. Feel free to read AppleInsider's event predictions for more context.

The iPhone 17 lineup will certainly be interesting this year. Between the new iPhone 17 Air and the camera bar on iPhone 17 Pro models, there's not much to discuss for the base iPhone.

Even so, most people will be buying that boring option, and that's fine. The iPhone 17 Air will show pundits that Apple still tries innovative ideas, the pro models will prove Apple is still leading the industry with processing and cameras, and the iPhone 17 will offer an entry model that outshines any Android model in the same price range or lower.

I'm particularly interested in how Apple will discuss iPhone photography at the event. This is the year we'll likely see more Apple Foundation Models involved in the photographic pipeline, but where isn't evident. It could be purely in an "AI enhance" feature shown in Photos, or it could be in how the pipeline determines Photographic Style uses via object and scene detection.

One cool thing Apple could do with its Photos app and camera is automatically generate alt text using Apple Intelligence, then include it as metadata that apps can surface. It could even be an alt text API.

The Dynamic Island, Action button, and Camera Control should get some attention. I expect we'll see Apple improve upon these features and their capabilities, like more Visual Intelligence, an Action Button feature that chooses the action based on Apple Foundation Model determinations, and a Camera Control that's much less fiddly.

The hardware has leaked almost in its entirety, so the truly interesting aspect of the event will be Apple's utilization of that hardware via software. For example, the A19 Pro processor will likely be a killer chipset, and we don't know what parts of iOS will be enhanced by it.

By the way, I want this prediction documented somewhere in case I'm right. I'm still not sure I buy that Apple is shifting back to a fully aluminum frame for iPhone 17 Pro. Instead, I think the rim will be titanium, the back plate will be aluminum, then the MagSafe area will be glass.

We'll see.

Apple Watch

Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 are going to be quite interesting this year. I expect the Apple Watch Series 11 will be something of a snooze fest outside of the new chipset and possibly one new health metric.

So, Apple Watch Ultra 3 will need to be the one that wows. As I discussed on the AppleInsider Podcast, Apple should introduce two sizes of Apple Watch Ultra that pack the rugged design into something for smaller wrists.

The larger model should hopefully get a slightly larger display and perhaps a thinner, lighter case. It'll still be durable and rugged, but Apple can probably fit a lot of the same tech in a smaller space now that we're years past the original release.

I fully expect Apple Watch Ultra 3 will be more of a surprise than we're expecting it to be. It's likely the Apple Watch I'll be buying this year, and I may keep the Series 10 so I can swap between them as needed.

AirPods Pro 3

Then there's AirPods Pro 3. These will likely retain the same design as the previous model, but I expect Apple will debut a new H-series processor that provides some interesting features.

I expect more battery life, faster and further device connection, near-instant ability to communicate to iPhone's on-device AI, and additional features when paired with Apple Watch as well. There may even be an automatic language translation feature.

We can pontificate on possibilities all day, but my biggest question about AirPods Pro 3 is how Apple discusses them as a product. These are increasingly "AR for your ears" and I wonder if we're finally crossing the threshold for all-day wear.

And I suppose the bigger question will be whether people, and society, will even want such a product. People leaving AirPods in during conversation is becoming more normalized, especially with hearing aid functionality, so with AI increasingly a thing, I wonder if Apple will encourage keeping at least one earbud in all the time.

I basically already do this today, but the battery life and feature set could be better. Clearly, the AirPods shine when you can wear both and use Adaptive mode for noise cancellation or amplification.

Other hardware

There's the tiniest chance we'll see the updated base iPad, an Apple TV 4K, and new HomePods. I wouldn't expect the M5, new Macs, or other iPads either -- those are later in the fall.

That said, I'd love if M5 could debut at this event in an Apple Vision Pro update. My visionOS 26 review will be out next week, and the main topic I chose was highlighting how improved hardware is increasingly necessary.

Especially since Apple Intelligence is only going to get more prevalent.

Apple Intelligence will appear on Tuesday

I remember WWDC came and went in June and everyone was saying "wow, Apple basically forgot about Apple Intelligence," which wasn't the case at all. It wasn't emphasized, but much of what they announced, including the Apple Foundations Model third-party integrations, haven't been available during the beta period.

I fully expect Apple will lean heavily into Apple Intelligence during the Awe Dropping event. It's going to show off new features "only possible on iPhone 17" and possibly even preview "what's next for Apple Intelligence, coming in 2026."

Yes, Apple made a mistake with the iPhone 16 event by showing something that wasn't past its early testing phase. The product was finalized and ready to ship in the spring of 2025, but at the last possible minute, Apple's executives pulled the plug. They decided to take a completely different route for Siri.

Instead of simply stapling on an AI mode that had access to app intents, Apple wanted to rebuild Siri's backend as an LLM powered by Apple Foundation Models.

I believe that new version is already running internally since we've seen iOS 26.4 identifiers appearing online. Apple's work with Gemini has also advanced to the point that they've got a version running via Private Cloud Compute.

Apple won't acknowledge the previous delay except to say "we wanted to make sure the feature was perfect before we shipped it to customers." Then they'll show the new model running. I wonder if Bella Ramsey will reprise her role in the AI genius ads.

Stay tuned

Whatever Apple reveals Tuesday, expect Apple Intelligence to play a part. Also expect some publications to repeat their "too little too late" and "Apple is behind" nonsense.

But if you're reading me here and on AppleInsider, know that you're better equipped with the knowledge of what Apple is planning. We're not letting the doomsayers spoil the fun.

The AI bubble is about to pop, other companies are bleeding money and talent, there's no sign of artificial superintelligence, and newer models are increasingly dumber. Now is the perfect time for Apple to step in and show the world a thoughtful use of AI.

It's going to be a good tool, a better hammer, and one that when wielded by a human can get useful things done.

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See you all on the other side of this iPhone event.