iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch and AirPods 5: What Apple’s September 11 Newsroom Post Actually Says

Apple iPhone 18 Pro 2up
Image: Apple

On September 11, Apple published a Newsroom post titled “Get ready to experience iPhone 18 Pro, the new Apple Watch lineup, and AirPods 5,” restating pre-order timing and adding detail not printed anywhere else: named Today at Apple sessions, a Mac Studio leasing figure, and a prep deadline that had already passed by the time the post went live. Here is what the post states, in Apple’s own words.

Apple iPhone 18 Pro 2up
Apple's September 11 post restated iPhone 18 Pro pre-order guidance issued days earlier. Image: Apple

The prep deadline that had already passed

The post’s own guidance reads: “The quickest way to secure iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max is to prepare today. Customers have until 9 a.m. PT on Friday, September 11, to bypass the morning rush by selecting their model, pairing accessories, securing leasing or financing pre-approval, and setting up their trade-in.” Apple’s own newsroom feed timestamps this post at 9:00 a.m. PT on September 11, meaning the stated deadline and the post’s publication sit at the same minute. That is reported here exactly as printed, without guessing whether it was intended differently.

DetailWhat the September 11 post states
Post title“Get ready to experience iPhone 18 Pro, the new Apple Watch lineup, and AirPods 5”
Prep deadline text9 a.m. PT, Friday, September 11
Today at Apple sessions named“Say Hello to iPhone 18 Pro,” “Tips: What’s New on iOS 27”
Mac Studio lease$48.99 per month, 36-month term
Apple One offerThree months free, starting September 17
Apple Unveils New Mac Studio With M5 Max and M5 Ultra, Up to 512GB RAM
Mac Studio's Apple Upgrade lease works out to $48.99 a month over 36 months, Apple says.

Today at Apple names two iPhone and iOS sessions

The post names two in-store sessions, “Say Hello to iPhone 18 Pro” and “Tips: What’s New on iOS 27,” without giving dates, times or a list of participating stores. Both fit the pattern Apple uses around a launch week, introducing the new iPhone 18 Pro hardware alongside the iOS 27 software arriving the same week, but the scheduling detail a shopper would need to attend one is not in this post.

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Apple Watch Series 12 2up
Apple Watch Series 12 leasing was restated in the same September 11 post at $11.99 a month. Image: Apple

Mac Studio’s leasing math, printed for the first time

Buried in the same financing section as iPhone and Apple Watch leasing, the post states: “Mac Studio with a purchase price of $2,499 (excluding taxes and any trade-in credit), the typical monthly payment is $48.99 (excluding taxes and any trade-in credit) for a 36-month lease term.” That is an Apple Upgrade lease, the Klarna-financed program that replaced the old iPhone Upgrade Program and excludes AppleCare, applied here to a Mac rather than a phone or watch for the first time in this post. The same section restates iPhone leasing from $34.99 a month over 24 months and Apple Watch from $11.99 a month over 24 months.

ProductLease payment Apple statesTerm
iPhoneFrom $34.99 per month24 months
Apple WatchFrom $11.99 per month24 months
Mac Studio$48.99 per month, on a $2,499 unit36 months

The Apple One offer folded into the same post

The same post is also where Apple first stated that a free three months of Apple One “is available in select countries and regions with eligible new iPhone, iPad, or Mac devices beginning September 17,” for “new and qualified returning subscribers” who buy iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max. It names no countries and no expiration for the offer window.

What Apple has not said

Apple has not published dates, times or locations for either Today at Apple session, has not explained why the prep deadline coincided with the post’s own publish time, and has not listed which countries qualify for the Apple One offer or the Mac Studio lease figure alongside comparable numbers for Apple Watch Ultra 4 or AirPods 5.

Shoppers wanting the session schedule should check a local Apple Store’s own page or the Apple Store app, since the September 11 post itself, still live on Apple’s newsroom as of this weekend, gives names but not times. Apple’s full event recap remains the fuller record of what was announced on stage.