Apple's usual specialty is timing every product reveal down to the wire, dripping out hints before each keynote to control the narrative. This time, though, it's Apple's own operating system that spilled the beans first—developers combing through the macOS Tahoe 27.6 release candidate code have uncovered over a dozen device identifiers spanning the iPhone, Mac, and smart home lineups, just weeks ahead of the traditional September event.
The most attention-grabbing find is the full iPhone 18 lineup: identifiers for the standard, Pro, and Pro Max models all confirm Apple is sticking with its staggered rollout strategy. But the one worth a double-take is codename "V68," widely linked to the long-rumored iPhone Ultra—believed to be Apple's first foldable phone. The code also flags an iPhone Air 2, hinting the model will arrive later in the product cycle.
Getting even less attention than the phones is a camera hidden in a pair of earbuds. A built-in demo video found in the files shows Siri guiding users to capture and save real-world objects using a "Visual Intelligence sensor camera built into the earbud stem"—in other words, AirPods are about to start "seeing" things. Alongside it sits a codename "J490" Home Hub smart display, a 7-inch desktop-sized device reportedly running a brand-new system called homeOS, with an interface said to borrow heavily from the iPhone's StandBy mode.
Updates to the computer lineup are more straightforward. The code flags an OLED iPad mini running the A19 Pro chip, along with several identifiers pointing to an M6 MacBook Pro and a new iMac desktop. Placeholder product codenames showing up in developer betas isn't unusual, but finding them in an official release candidate is—it usually signals that retail launch and the official announcement are already on the countdown.
