All the ‘Surprise and Shine’ Release Dates and Features, Visualized

At today’s Surprise and Shine event, Apple announced a lot of dates. Most of the new hardware arrives on September 18, but the brand new iPhone Duo won’t launch until October. Before then, Apple’s next round of major OS updates arrives on September 14.

Here’s a rundown of the preorder, release, and rollout dates. Later today on MacStories, John and I will be sharing detailed overviews of all the major announcements from today, and you can expect our annual OS reviews to be published – as always – next week.

As a bonus, check out the calendar widget we’ve prepared to visualize all of Apple’s release notes. Stay tuned for more of these on MacStories today: we’re going to have some fun with our coverage this year.

Release Dates

Everything Apple announced today.

Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Sep 7
Sep 8
Sep 9Event

Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4AirPods 5

Sep 10
Sep 11
Sep 12

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max

Sep 13
Sep 14

iOS and iPadOS 27macOS Golden GatewatchOS 27tvOS 27visionOS 27Siri AI beta, English

Sep 15
Sep 16
Sep 17
Sep 18

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro MaxApple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4AirPods 5

Sep 19
Sep 20
Sep 21
Sep 22
Sep 23
Sep 24
Sep 25

iPhone 18 Pro in 20 more countries

Sep 26
Sep 27
2 weeks with no dates
Oct 12
Oct 13
Oct 14
Oct 15
Oct 16

iPhone Duo

Oct 17
Oct 18
Oct 19
Oct 20
Oct 21
Oct 22
Oct 23

iPhone Duo

Oct 24
Oct 25
Oct 26
Oct 27
Oct 28
Oct 29
Oct 30

iPhone Duo in 28 more countries

Oct 31
Nov 1
Pre-ordersSoftwareIn stores
From Apple’s September 9, 2026 press releases. Pre-orders open at 5:00 a.m. Pacific. Siri AI adds French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish in October, day not announced yet.

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max

Pre-Orders: Saturday, September 12, 2026, at 5:00 a.m. Pacific / 8:00 a.m. Eastern

In Stores and Deliveries: Friday, September 18, 2026

According to Apple’s announcement, the initial launch covers more than 65 countries and regions. Availability expands to 20 additional countries and regions on Friday, September 25.

iPhone Duo

Pre-Orders: Friday, October 16, 2026, at 5:00 a.m. Pacific / 8:00 a.m. Eastern

In Stores and Deliveries: Friday, October 23, 2026

iPhone Duo launches in more than 70 countries and regions, with 28 additional countries and regions following on Friday, October 30. It ships with iOS 27.1. Apple’s iPhone Duo Case and iPhone Duo Folio with Kickstand will be available to order on October 16, too.

Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4

Pre-Orders: Today, Wednesday, September 9, 2026

In Stores and Deliveries: Friday, September 18, 2026

Both Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 follow the same schedule. The new Apple Watch bands are also available to order today and arrive in stores on September 18.

AirPods 5

Pre-Orders: Today, Wednesday, September 9, 2026

In Stores: Friday, September 18, 2026

The dates apply to both AirPods 5 and AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case, launching in the U.S. and more than 65 other countries and regions.

iOS and iPadOS 27

Release Date: Monday, September 14, 2026

watchOS 27

Release Date: Monday, September 14, 2026

macOS Golden Gate

Release Date: Monday, September 14, 2026

tvOS 27

Release Date: Monday, September 14, 2026

visionOS 27

Release Date: Monday, September 14, 2026

Siri AI

Initial Beta Rollout: Monday, September 14, 2026, in English on supported devices with iOS 27 and watchOS 27

Additional Languages: French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish in October; Apple has not announced a specific day yet.

We have also prepared a widget that helps you visualize the availability of different features in multiple regions, based on what Apple revealed today (mostly in small print in footnotes of their press releases).

Feature Availability

From the footnotes in Apple’s September 9, 2026 announcements.

U.S.US
EUEU
ChinaCN
ElsewhereOther
Siri AI on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch

Beta with iOS 27 on September 14, English only. French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish in October. Not for users under 13.

Siri AI on Mac and Vision Pro

Same beta and languages. The EU exclusion names only iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS.

Apple Reference Image capture

On iPhone 18 Pro. Not in the EU at launch, and not in China for regulatory reasons.

Apple Reference Image viewing

With iOS, iPadOS, and macOS 27, including in the EU.

iPhone Handoff

Two iPhones on one number. At launch only with T-Mobile in the U.S. and Telekom in Germany.

Live Rewind on Apple Watch

Beta late in 2026, English first. Needs an Apple Intelligence iPhone 16 or later, not the 16e.

Lab tests in the Health app

Later in 2026, U.S. English first. About 2,000 Quest Diagnostics locations, over 50 biomarkers, $119.

Workout Buddy

English or Spanish. Needs a paired Apple Intelligence iPhone and Bluetooth headphones.

availablewith limitsnot availablenot stated
“Elsewhere” is every other country Apple sells in; language rules still apply there. Apple Intelligence itself supports 16 languages with the September 14 updates.

You can follow all of our September 2026 Apple event coverage through our September 2026 Apple Event hub or subscribe to the dedicated September 2026 Apple event RSS feed.

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Federico Viticci
Federico is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of MacStories, where he writes about Apple with a focus on apps, developers, iPad, and iOS productivity. He founded MacStories in April 2009 and has been writing about Apple since. Federico is also the co-host of AppStories, a weekly podcast exploring the world of apps, Unwind, a fun exploration of media and more, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about portable gaming and the handheld revolution.
@[email protected]
@viticci.macstories.net
viticci@macstories.net