[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong] Apple is heading into a major product launch schedule starting in October with the foldable iPhone "iPhone Duo", IT outlet NineToFiveMac reported on Sept. 25 (local time).

Apple is preparing major releases across hardware and software in October. The first product to hit the market is the iPhone Duo. It has been confirmed that the device will be delivered to users in October, with preorders starting on Oct. 16 and first deliveries on Oct. 23. As Apple’s first foldable model, some expect initial supply could be limited. Apple, however, suggested it has set a schedule to launch the iPhone Duo "immediately in nearly 100 countries and regions" in relation to supply concerns. Apple said it would have been difficult to choose such a broad simultaneous launch if it expected supply to fall far short of demand.

October’s hardware watch points do not end with the iPhone Duo. The market expects new Macs, home products and an iPad mini upgrade to follow. Items cited as leading candidates include a premium touchscreen MacBook with OLED, an iMac with an M6 chip, an update to the 14-inch base MacBook Pro, a new Apple TV 4K, a home hub called "HomePad", HomePod mini 2, and an iPad mini with an OLED display and an A19 Pro or A20 Pro chip.

Among them, products that stand out are Apple’s first touchscreen Mac and the HomePad. The touchscreen Mac is seen as possibly launching under the MacBook Pro or Ultra brand, and the HomePad is expected to be a home hub with a built-in screen. The rest of the lineup is expected to be largely performance upgrades centered on existing products.

The software schedule is also likely to be concentrated in October. Apple confirmed the iPhone Duo will launch with iOS 27.1. Some expect iOS 27.1 may be exclusive to the iPhone Duo, but it could still be applied to other iPhones mainly as bug fixes or security updates. Major changes could instead be tailored to the foldable model.

At the same time, iOS 27.2 has already entered testing. While more features can typically be added in 27.1, this time it has been suggested that 27.2 could also be released within October. That could make iOS 27.2 a core update for all iPhone users, with iOS 27.1 positioned as a version centered on the iPhone Duo.

Changes confirmed so far for iOS 27.2 include expanding Apple TV app profile features to iPhone and iPad, dual capture for group FaceTime, and new language support for Siri AI. When announcing iOS 27, Apple said Siri AI would "expand next month to French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish." As this language expansion is included in iOS 27.2, the likelihood has increased that both 27.1 and 27.2 will be released before the end of October.

Still, not all features included in test versions are expected to enter the official release immediately. The iOS 27.2 beta also includes a completely new Health app featuring Apple Intelligence, but it has been suggested it could be removed from the official version and added back later in iOS 27.3 within the year.

Against this backdrop, Apple’s October strategy is expected to focus on pushing both a new form factor and improvements to existing product lines at the same time. Watch points for October are whether the iPhone Duo proves supply stability and early demand, and whether the touchscreen Mac and HomePad establish themselves as Apple’s next hardware pillars.