Apple Saves Several Expected Product Launches for Upcoming Events
While Apple reveals new iPhones and a larger iPad, it holds back highly anticipated accessories and devices. Missing items like the Apple Tag suggest a shorter keynote and a potential October event.
Apple unveils the iPhone 11 lineup, Apple Watch Series 5, and a 10.2-inch iPad at its September event, but the company leaves out several anticipated products. The noticeably short hour-and-forty-minute presentation suggests that Apple cuts announcements at the last minute or strategically saves them for a later date. The official fall release window extends to December 21, giving Apple plenty of time to stagger its hardware launches.
The most notable omission is the Apple Tag, a Tile-like item tracker that works seamlessly with the new Find My app in iOS 13. The new iPhones include a U1 chip to support the tracker's Ultra Wideband technology, but Apple barely mentions this feature during the keynote. The absence of a dedicated U1 accessory strongly indicates that the company pulls the Apple Tag reveal from the presentation shortly before it begins.
Other missing products include potential stereo AR applications and an AR headset, though Apple offers no guarantee that these items arrive this year. Interestingly, competing tracker maker Tile sends out media reminders right before the September event, showing that the industry fully expects an Apple tracker announcement. Tech observers now predict that the missing twenty minutes of presentation time reappear at a dedicated October event.