Apple fans have long debated the return of live in-person product launches, following the switch to pre-recorded live streams as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, in 2020.

Mark Gurman’s recent post on X has helped stir up this debate again, as Apple prepares for its first event under new CEO, John Ternus. So, are in-person keynotes coming back, or will Apple continue in its current direction of highly produced, pre-recorded announcements?

Yesterday evening, Mark Gurman posted on X that Apple was preparing for an ”in-person iPhone event”, for the first half of September.

His post has gone viral, with 1.3 million views and has resulted in many Apple news and fan accounts on X reporting that live events are returning.

One X user said:

”> gets promoted to CEO > immediately brings back in-person events”, referencing Ternus’ upcoming transition to CEO on the 1st September.

Another user, @AnxiousHolly, initially posted that the Apple Event will be in-person, before adding that the event might not be in person, saying that Gurman’s wording ”is very strange”.

Whilst Gurman is technically correct, as Apple hosts an in-person event for the media every year at Apple Park, his post has been interpreted the wrong way. As a result, many accounts have spread the word that Apple will hold a live keynote next month, gaining tens of thousands of views.

If you read the linked Bloomberg article, Gurman clarifies that the September in-person event will be the usual live screening of the pre-recorded event, that is attended each year by members of the press, media and content creators.

The retail employee lottery that the report references, is Apple’s way of increasing the amount of staff that will be present at Apple Park, to help guide the hundreds of attendees who will watch the keynote from the Steve Jobs theatre.

Could Ternus Shake Things Up?

John Ternus on stage at MacBook Neo launch Image Credit: Yuka Ohishi

In March, Apple held media events in the United States, United Kingdom and China, to mark the unveiling and launch of MacBook Neo.

At the US launch, John Ternus appeared on stage to officially unveil the new product, with a few words to attendees before playing the pre-recorded introductory video. Though, Ternus did not have the physical product with him.

Many believed this could show he has a preference for live keynotes, and once he was confirmed as CEO in late April, some people believed pre-recorded keynotes were behind them.

Despite this, there does not appear to be any plans to change the Apple Event format in the near future, especially as Apple continues to push its continuity narrative between both CEOs. This includes their appearance last week at the Ted Lasso Season 4, Premiere, where they both wore matching clothes.

What Can We Expect From Apple’s September Keynote?

iPhone 17 Pro stand in an Apple Store

Apple is expected to unveil its next generation pro iPhones, including iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, featuring the same design as the 17 pro lineup, with a potentially smaller dynamic island and camera improvements.

We are also expecting Apple’s first-ever foldable iPhone, which would mark one of the biggest changes to the iPhone, since it was first introduced in 2007.

As John Ternus is a ‘product guy’, spending the last 25 years as a hardware engineer at Apple, we could expect a more hands-on-approach from the CEO, potentially unveiling the device himself.

Final Thoughts

This years September event is set to be a big one. It will be the first Apple keynote without Tim Cook’s famous good morning, and could have a ‘One more thing’ moment, with the iPhone fold.

Despite this change, do not expect a live-keynote, as the company is likely to continue with a pre-recorded event. In fact, bringing back live on-stage presentations during a year which has already seen so much change would be unusual for Apple, as the company prefers to slowly evolve over time.