• Apple launches iPhone 17 lineup including Air, Pro, and Pro Max, packed with faster chips, AI cameras, and enhanced displays.
• AirPods Pro 3 adds live translation, heart rate tracking, and improved noise cancellation, bringing fitness and productivity to a new level.
• Watch Series 11, Ultra, and SE 3 deliver thinner, durable designs, 5G, heart health, sleep tracking, and premium band options.

Apple Keynote

Apple’s September keynote is always more than a product launch. It sets the tone for global tech shifts — and consumer wallets.

iPhone 17: The Headliner

Apple’s newest iPhone 17 is the main attraction. It comes with faster chips, better cameras, and AI-powered features driving consumer upgrades. The A19 chip is faster and more efficient with an updated display performance. 

The new display made the iPhone more readable in bright light indoors and outdoors. The iPhone 17 will also come with 120 Hz to improve display quality and refresh rate. It will come with a camera with 4x the quality of the iPhone 16. It will also come with a center stage front camera with better pixels and wide view.

The biggest buzz this year centers on the “iPhone 17 Air,” slimmer than past models and echoing Apple’s MacBook Air branding. The core structure is a radically thin frame that combines lightness and durability with a mirrored finish. It is Apples’ thinnest iPhone yet with the pro features.

iPhone Air will come with the A19 pro with a faster CPU and second generation 5-core GPU. Its new innovation comes with wireless connectivity with the N1 chip to improve performance and reliability. This is to improve airdrop and personal hotspot.

Its camera is a 48 mega pixel fusion camera system which works like multiple advanced cameras in one. It will also come with dual camera use with front camera and back camera recording simultaneously.

Its new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max comes with a new design and is described as the most powerful iPhone yet. It will use the A19 pro chip supporting Apple Intelligence.  It starts with a new approach to thermal management to deliver exceptional performance without heating up.

Additionally, it will feature Apple’s most advanced camera yet with 18 mega pixel front camera and wide view and 48 mega pixel back camera with better color accuracy in all lights. Furthermore, Apple claims it has the equivalent of 8 pro cameras into one. They also brought advanced filmmaking features to the video features on the pro models.

iPhone 17 starts at USD 799, iPhone 17 Air USD 999, iPhone 17 Pro USD 1,099, and iPhone 17 Pro Max USD 1,109.

For MENA markets, the key questions are: How much will it cost? When does it launch here?

Airpods 

Apple extends on previous Airpods Pro with the next generation of Airpods Pro 3 priced at USD 249.  It doubled the active noise cancellation from the previous airpods. Moreover, its newest feature is live translation powered by Apple Intelligence using a simple gesture.

It also added a new heart rate sensor to the airpods to take fitness to the next level as it can track many types of fitness. It can track heart rate and calories burned as you work out.

Apple Watch & Wearables

Apple introduced its thinnest and most durable watch yet the Series 11 lineup. They are adding new features in heart health and sleep. This aims to alert users to possible hypertension by using data from the heart sensor. Furthermore, they added a sleep score which can also help you determine the quality of sleep. It also introduced new features like 5G and new Nike and Hermes watch bands.

Most importantly, satellite communication also comes with its most advanced Apple watch, the Ultra. Meanwhile, the SE 3 will also be released with abilities to play media directly through the watch.

The Apple Watch SE 3, starts at USD 249. Its main-line Apple Watch Series 11 starts at USD 399 and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sells for USD 799 and up.

In MENA, where health tech and wellness are growing markets, Apple’s positioning could shape consumer choices and even insurance partnerships.

Why It Matters for MENA

Apple isn’t just selling gadgets. It sets pricing benchmarks, drives telco partnerships, and fuels consumer finance demand across Egypt, Saudi, and the Gulf.

For investors and businesses, Apple’s keynote signals where consumer tech spending  and competition  are heading next.