new CEO John Ternus
new CEO John Ternus

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple is unveiling its latest generation of iPhones Wednesday, widely expected to include the company's first foldable model, at an event headlined by new CEO John Ternus, who officially took over from Tim Cook on Sept. 1. Here are five things to watch for as the presentation unfolds.

  1. Whether Apple can turn a niche category into a mainstream one. Many of Apple's biggest rivals, including Samsung, Motorola and Google, have already released foldable smartphones, some for several years. Apple has instead followed its typical pattern of waiting until a technology has matured before entering a category, according to Forrester analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee.
  1. How steep the price increase turns out to be. Compared with earlier generations, the new iPhone lineup is expected to cost more, driven in part by an ongoing global memory chip shortage that has raised component costs across the smartphone industry. The current iPhone 17 lineup ranges in price from $799 to $1,999 depending on the specific model, and analysts widely expect Wednesday's announcements, particularly for the standard Pro-tier models, to carry meaningfully higher starting prices than that existing range, even before accounting for the foldable device, which is expected to command a price well above $2,000.
  2. What Ternus's presentation style and priorities reveal about Apple's direction under new leadership. Wednesday's keynote marks Ternus's first major public event since formally succeeding Cook as chief executive, and Chatterjee said the presentation will help set the tone for how Ternus intends to lead the company going forward.
  1. How Apple's AI push continues to evolve. Earlier this year, Apple unveiled a series of artificial intelligence advances, including significant upgrades to its Siri voice assistant, emphasizing a focus on privacy and practical, day-to-day usefulness as the company works to close the gap with rivals that have moved more aggressively into generative AI features. Wednesday's event is expected to build further on that AI push, with analysts and consumers watching closely for any additional details on how Apple Intelligence and the redesigned Siri will function across the newly announced devices, including whether the foldable's larger display enables any AI-specific features not available on Apple's standard iPhone models.
  2. Whether Apple can replicate the success of last year's iPhone 17 lineup. The iPhone 17 generation, which introduced a new ultra-thin model marketed under the "Air" name Apple had previously used for its sleekest iPad and Mac computers, has continued selling well since its release. That commercial success sets a meaningful benchmark for Wednesday's new lineup, with investors and analysts watching to see whether the addition of Apple's first foldable device, alongside updated Pro models, can generate a similar or even stronger upgrade cycle among existing iPhone owners heading into the holiday shopping season.

Given Apple's substantial weighting within major stock indexes, any significant market reaction to Wednesday's announcements, whether from investor enthusiasm over the foldable device or concern over steeper pricing across the broader lineup, carries the potential to meaningfully influence trading in the shares over the coming days as analysts and consumers digest the full scope of what Ternus and his team unveil.

Beyond the core iPhone announcements, Wednesday's event is also expected to include updates across several other product categories, including new Apple Watch models and updated AirPods, continuing Apple's practice of using its September keynote to refresh a broad swath of its hardware lineup simultaneously rather than staggering individual product announcements throughout the year.

With the presentation now underway, the coming hours are expected to provide the clearest and most definitive picture yet of Apple's product strategy under its new chief executive, offering both consumers and Wall Street analysts concrete details on pricing, specifications and availability that have, until now, remained the subject of extensive speculation based on supply chain leaks and analyst projections rather than official confirmation from the company itself.

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