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An iPhone event unlike the others: Apple is betting the house on hardware to weather the AI storm

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Apple’s “Awe Dropping” event is kicking off today at 1 p.m. ET, and yes, it will be livestreamed: You can watch it on Apple’s official YouTube channel, the Apple TV app, and Apple’s Events website—but, and I say this with love, unless you’re working remotely, you might want to be careful about watching videos at work. If you get caught, that’s on you. On the other hand, your boss loves Fortune. We promise. (If they’re confused or try to protest, simply show them this article.)

Apple throwing a launch party for its new iPhones has become as synonymous with September as pumpkin spice everything, but this event is not quite like the others. Despite solid financial results, including record revenue in Q3, up 10% year-over-year, Apple’s had a mixed year in the markets as investor concerns about Apple’s AI capabilities have applied pressure on its stock. Apple, for some context, has chosen to pursue baking AI into its full software ecosystem that extends across devices rather than create a standalone app like ChatGPT or Claude or Perplexity, which you can access in dedicated apps and websites including, notably, on non-Apple devices. On top of that, Apple admitted earlier this year at its Worldwide Developers Conference that its promised Siri overhaul for this year wouldn’t arrive until 2026. That delay cost Apple roughly $75 billion in market value in a single day and prompted some analysts to question CEO Tim Cook’s leadership.

All of this to say: Wall Street is absolutely zeroed in on the AI gold rush right now and has grown impatient with Apple’s timeline on this front, so you can bet analysts will be watching this event closely and counting the number of times Apple says “AI” or “Intelligence.”

That said, unlike WWDC, Apple’s September events tend to be about new hardware. So here’s what we’re expecting.

iPhone 17 Air: The return of an ultra-thin design

Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reports that Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 Air, representing the company’s most dramatic iPhone redesign in years. The device is expected to measure approximately 5.5mm thick compared to the iPhone 16’s 7.8mm profile. Achieving this ultra-thin form factor will likely require significant engineering trade-offs, including a single 48-megapixel rear camera system and reduced battery capacity, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Multiple reports suggest the device will gain ProMotion 120Hz display technology previously exclusive to Pro models, marking the first time this feature would appear in Apple’s mid-tier lineup. Pricing is rumored to start at $949, positioning the Air between the base iPhone 17 and Pro models. Wall Street analysts expect the Air could drive upgrade cycles among users with iPhone 13 or older devices, who represent roughly 40% of Apple’s installed base.

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro: First price increases in seven years expected

Industry sources suggest Apple plans to raise iPhone prices for the first time since 2018 across most of its lineup. The base iPhone 17 is expected to maintain its $799 starting price, but the iPhone 17 Pro could increase to $1,199—a $200 jump from the current model, according to Morgan Stanley’s Erik Woodring. The price adjustment would reportedly come with doubled base storage at 256GB and improved camera systems featuring new 48-megapixel telephoto lenses with up to 8x optical zoom.

Reports from supply-chain sources indicate the Pro models may introduce aluminum backs instead of glass, reducing weight while maintaining durability. New color options are rumored to include orange and blue variants alongside traditional options. Apple’s pricing power stems from its 90% customer retention rate, providing flexibility that competitors lack. Consumer acceptance of higher prices amid economic uncertainty remains a key variable for Apple’s fiscal 2025 performance.

Apple Watch Series 11: Enhanced health-monitoring rumored

According to Bloomberg, the Apple Watch Series 11 is expected to add blood-pressure trend tracking, which would monitor patterns over time rather than providing precise medical readings. The feature could detect trends that might indicate hypertension and prompt users to consult healthcare professionals. An updated S11 chip is anticipated to enable better performance and potentially improved battery life.

WatchOS 26 is rumored to introduce new fitness features, including something called “Workout Buddy” designed to enhance exercise motivation. The Series 11 may also gain 5G RedCap connectivity from MediaTek, providing faster data speeds than current LTE-only models. These updates would represent meaningful improvements to a device that already commands roughly 50% of the global smartwatch market.

Apple Watch Ultra 3: Satellite connectivity expected

Industry reports suggest the Apple Watch Ultra 3 could become Apple’s first standalone satellite-enabled wearable, offering emergency SOS functionality and potentially text messaging in areas without cellular coverage. The feature would extend capabilities introduced on iPhone 14 and later models to Apple’s wearable lineup.

Additional rumored improvements include enhanced 5G connectivity through RedCap technology and faster charging that could reach 80% capacity in 30 minutes. The Ultra 3 is expected to feature the largest Apple Watch display to date with improved brightness and viewing angles. These upgrades would address previous limitations while maintaining the Ultra’s focus on outdoor and adventure applications.

AirPods Pro 3: Health sensors may enter earbuds

Apple’s third-generation AirPods Pro are rumored to introduce heart-rate monitoring through LED optical sensors that track blood flow in the ear canal. The technology, previously tested in Powerbeats Pro 2, could provide more accurate readings than wrist-based monitoring due to superior blood flow detection in ears, according to industry sources.

Temperature-monitoring capabilities may also debut, potentially offering more precise readings than Apple Watch sensors since ear canals maintain more consistent temperatures. The AirPods Pro 3 are expected to feature improved Active Noise Cancellation, enhanced audio quality through a faster H3 chip, and studio-quality microphone recording. Some features may arrive through software updates after launch, following Apple’s typical rollout strategy.

AirTag 2: Enhanced range and privacy features expected

The second-generation AirTag is rumored to address key limitations through an upgraded Ultra Wideband chip that could triple Precision Finding range from roughly 30 meters to potentially 90 meters. Privacy improvements are expected to make the speaker more difficult to remove, addressing stalking concerns that have affected the first-generation product.

The AirTag 2 is anticipated to maintain compatibility with existing accessories while adding improved battery management and low-power alerts. The device would represent Apple’s response to criticism about the original AirTag’s potential for misuse, though law enforcement data indicates such cases affect a small percentage of total units sold.

The wider implications, and what’s at stake for Apple

These expected product announcements occur as Apple manages multiple business pressures. The company faces an estimated $1.1 billion impact from tariffs in fiscal Q4 2025, adding cost pressures as it navigates component price increases. Goldman Sachs expects iPhone sales to grow 5% in fiscal 2025 and accelerate to 7% in 2026, assuming successful execution of today’s rumored product launches.

Analyst sentiment remains mixed. While Goldman maintains its buy rating with a $266 target, MoffettNathanson argues that 30 times next year’s earnings is expensive for a company with “solid but not exceptional” growth prospects. The consensus among 31 Wall Street analysts shows a moderate buy rating with an average price target of $239—roughly flat from current levels.

Apple’s strategy appears centered on hardware innovation bridging the gap until AI capabilities mature in 2026. But this approach carries inherent risks: if these products fail to drive expected upgrade cycles, the company could face continued underperformance relative to its AI-obsessed peers in Silicon Valley, many of whom are advancing their strategies and technologies more aggressively than Apple. Meta, OpenAI, Microsoft and others are pouring billions into AI facilities, and talent—and soon, hardware. Success for Apple would depend on whether consumers will accept higher prices for incremental improvements while Apple develops its next generation of software capabilities.

For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.

Fortune Global Forum returns Oct. 26–27, 2025 in Riyadh. CEOs and global leaders will gather for a dynamic, invitation-only event shaping the future of business. Apply for an invitation.



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SpaceX to offer insider shares at record-setting $800 billion valuation

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SpaceX is preparing to sell insider shares in a transaction that would value Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite maker at as much as $800 billion, people familiar with the matter said, reclaiming the title of the world’s most valuable private company. 

The details, discussed by SpaceX’s board of directors on Thursday at its Starbase hub in Texas, could change based on interest from insider sellers and buyers or other factors, said some of the people, who asked not to be identified as the information isn’t public. SpaceX is also exploring a possible initial public offering as soon as late next year, one of the people said. 

Another person briefed on the matter said that the price under discussion for the sale of some employees and investors’ shares is higher than $400 apiece, which would value SpaceX at between $750 billion and $800 billion. The company wouldn’t raise any funds though this planned sale, though a successful offering at such levels would catapult it past the record of $500 billion valuation achieved by OpenAI in October.

Elon Musk on Saturday denied that SpaceX is raising money at a $800 billion valuation without addressing Bloomberg’s reporting on the planned offering of insiders’ shares. 

“SpaceX has been cash flow positive for many years and does periodic stock buybacks twice a year to provide liquidity for employees and investors,” Musk said in a post on his social media platform X. 

The share sale price under discussion would be a substantial increase from the $212 a share set in July, when the company raised money and sold shares at a valuation of $400 billion. The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times earlier reported the $800 billion valuation target.

News of SpaceX’s valuation sent shares of EchoStar Corp., a satellite TV and wireless company, up as much as 18%. Last month, EchoStar had agreed to sell spectrum licenses to SpaceX for $2.6 billion, adding to an earlier agreement to sell about $17 billion in wireless spectrum to Musk’s company.

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The world’s most prolific rocket launcher, SpaceX dominates the space industry with its Falcon 9 rocket that lifts satellites and people to orbit.

SpaceX is also the industry leader in providing internet services from low-Earth orbit through Starlink, a system of more than 9,000 satellites that is far ahead of competitors including Amazon.com Inc.’s Amazon Leo.

Elite Group

SpaceX is among an elite group of companies that have the ability to raise funds at $100 billion-plus valuations while delaying or denying they have any plan to go public. 

An IPO of the company at an $800 billion value would vault SpaceX into another rarefied group — the 20 largest public companies, a few notches below Musk’s Tesla Inc. 

If SpaceX sold 5% of the company at that valuation, it would have to sell $40 billion of stock — making it the biggest IPO of all time, well above Saudi Aramco’s $29 billion listing in 2019. The firm sold just 1.5% of the company in that offering, a much smaller slice than the majority of publicly traded firms make available.

A listing would also subject SpaceX to the volatility of being a public company, versus private firms whose valuations are closely guarded secrets. Space and defense company IPOs have had a mixed reception in 2025. Karman Holdings Inc.’s stock has nearly tripled since its debut, while Firefly Aerospace Inc. and Voyager Technologies Inc. have plunged by double-digit percentages since their debuts.

SpaceX executives have repeatedly floated the idea of spinning off SpaceX’s Starlink business into a separate, publicly traded company — a concept President Gwynne Shotwell first suggested in 2020. 

However, Musk cast doubt on the prospect publicly over the years and Chief Financial Officer Bret Johnsen said in 2024 that a Starlink IPO would be something that would take place more likely “in the years to come.”

The Information, citing people familiar with the discussions, separately reported on Friday that SpaceX has told investors and financial institution representatives that it’s aiming for an IPO of the entire company in the second half of next year.

Read More: How to Buy SpaceX: A Guide for the Eager, Pre-IPO

A so-called tender or secondary offering, through which employees and some early shareholders can sell shares, provides investors in closely held companies such as SpaceX a way to generate liquidity.

SpaceX is working to develop its new Starship vehicle, advertised as the most powerful rocket ever developed to loft huge numbers of Starlink satellites as well as carry cargo and people to moon and, eventually, Mars.



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National Park Service drops free admission on MLK Day and Juneteenth while adding Trump’s birthday

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The National Park Service will offer free admission to U.S. residents on President Donald Trump’s birthday next year — which also happens to be Flag Day — but is eliminating the benefit for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth.

The new list of free admission days for Americans is the latest example of the Trump administration downplaying America’s civil rights history while also promoting the president’s image, name and legacy.

Last year, the list of free days included Martin Luther King Jr Day and Juneteenth — which is June 19 — but not June 14, Trump’s birthday.

The new free-admission policy takes effect Jan. 1 and was one of several changes announced by the Park Service late last month, including higher admission fees for international visitors.

The other days of free park admission in 2026 are Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Constitution Day, Veterans Day, President Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday (Oct. 27) and the anniversary of the creation of the Park Service (Aug. 25).

Eliminating Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, which commemorates the day in 1865 when the last enslaved Americans were emancipated, removes two of the nation’s most prominent civil rights holidays.

Some civil rights leaders voiced opposition to the change after news about it began spreading over the weekend.

“The raw & rank racism here stinks to high heaven,” Harvard Kennedy School professor Cornell William Brooks, a former president of the NAACP, wrote on social media about the new policy.

Kristen Brengel, a spokesperson for the National Parks Conservation Association, said that while presidential administrations have tweaked the free days in the past, the elimination of Martin Luther King Jr. Day is particularly concerning. For one, the day has become a popular day of service for community groups that use the free day to perform volunteer projects at parks.

That will now be much more expensive, said Brengel, whose organization is a nonprofit that advocates for the park system.

“Not only does it recognize an American hero, it’s also a day when people go into parks to clean them up,” Brengel said. “Martin Luther King Jr. deserves a day of recognition … For some reason, Black history has repeatedly been targeted by this administration, and it shouldn’t be.”

Some Democratic lawmakers also weighed in to object to the new policy.

“The President didn’t just add his own birthday to the list, he removed both of these holidays that mark Black Americans’ struggle for civil rights and freedom,” said Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. “Our country deserves better.”

A spokesperson for the National Park Service did not immediately respond to questions on Saturday seeking information about the reasons behind the changes.

Since taking office, Trump has sought to eliminate programs seen as promoting diversity across the federal government, actions that have erased or downplayed America’s history of racism as well as the civil rights victories of Black Americans.

Self-promotion is an old habit of the president’s and one he has continued in his second term. He unsuccessfully put himself forwardfor the Nobel Peace Prize, renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace after himself, sought to put his name on the planned NFL stadium in the nation’s capital and had a new children’s savings program named after him.

Some Republican lawmakers have suggested putting his visage on Mount Rushmore and the $100 bill.



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JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says Europe has a ‘real problem’

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JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon called out slow bureaucracy in Europe in a warning that a “weak” continent poses a major economic risk to the US.

“Europe has a real problem,” Dimon said Saturday at the Reagan National Defense Forum. “They do some wonderful things on their safety nets. But they’ve driven business out, they’ve driven investment out, they’ve driven innovation out. It’s kind of coming back.”

While he praised some European leaders who he said were aware of the issues, he cautioned politics is “really hard.” 

Dimon, leader of the biggest US bank, has long said that the risk of a fragmented Europe is among the major challenges facing the world. In his letter to shareholders released earlier this year, he said that Europe has “some serious issues to fix.”

On Saturday, he praised the creation of the euro and Europe’s push for peace. But he warned that a reduction in military efforts and challenges trying to reach agreement within the European Union are threatening the continent.

“If they fragment, then you can say that America first will not be around anymore,” Dimon said. “It will hurt us more than anybody else because they are a major ally in every single way, including common values, which are really important.”

He said the US should help.

“We need a long-term strategy to help them become strong,” Dimon said. “A weak Europe is bad for us.”

The administration of President Donald Trump issued a new national security strategy that directed US interests toward the Western Hemisphere and protection of the homeland while dismissing Europe as a continent headed toward “civilizational erasure.”

Read More: Trump’s National Security Strategy Veers Inward in Telling Shift

JPMorgan has been ramping up its push to spur more investments in the national defense sector. In October, the bank announced that it would funnel $1.5 trillion into industries that bolster US economic security and resiliency over the next 10 years — as much as $500 billion more than what it would’ve provided anyway. 

Dimon said in the statement that it’s “painfully clear that the United States has allowed itself to become too reliant on unreliable sources of critical minerals, products and manufacturing.”

Investment banker Jay Horine oversees the effort, which Dimon called “100% commercial.” It will focus on four areas: supply chain and advanced manufacturing; defense and aerospace; energy independence and resilience; and frontier and strategic technologies. 

The bank will also invest as much as $10 billion of its own capital to help certain companies expand, innovate or accelerate strategic manufacturing.

Separately on Saturday, Dimon praised Trump for finding ways to roll back bureaucracy in the government.

“There is no question that this administration is trying to bring an axe to some of the bureaucracy that held back America,” Dimon said. “That is a good thing and we can do it and still keep the world safe, for safe food and safe banks and all the stuff like that.”



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