Apple’s “Surprise and Shine” event has officially wrapped, and all of the answers for the CNET Group’s Big Guessing Game are in.
The contest was held across CNET, Lifehacker, Mashable, PCMag and ZDNET. In three rounds, readers predicted what Apple would unveil this year. Each correct answer earned one chance in a drawing to win the latest Apple Watch. Here’s a rundown of all the answers we learned on Wednesday and a recap of the first and second rounds.
Tim Cook and John Ternus didn’t appear at the ‘Surprise and Shine’ event together
Most (71%) contest participants expected Apple’s new CEO John Ternus and former CEO Tim Cook to appear together at the event, but they didn’t.
Instead, Cook opened the event with the introductory video shot on an iPhone, then passed the scene to Ternus saying, “That’s your guy. That’s your opener.” Then Ternus appeared and kicked off the event.
Wednesday marked Ternus’ first Apple event as the company’s CEO. Cook has become the company’s executive chair.
Apple unveiled two new iPhone models
Half of CNET’s respondents (50%) expected three new iPhone models, but Apple unveiled two — the iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max and the foldable iPhone Duo.
That lineup indicates the possibility of a split launch, where we see more models in the iPhone 18 series lineup announced in the coming months and early 2027, when we could see the iPhone 18 base model.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and the 18 Pro Max at $1,299. Both are available for preorder starting today.
The new foldable iPhone costs $2,000
CNET readers’ guesses about the price of Apple’s foldable iPhone, officially named the iPhone Duo, would cost an average of $1,847.
The iPhone Duo costs $1,999.99. So if you answered $1,999 or $2,000, you’re correct. The iPhone Duo stands out with no crease when open and a lightweight thin design. But the four-figure price tag is still more than what US adults are willing to spend — CNET’s survey found that US adults interested in the phone are only willing to spend an average of $781.
New Apple Watch Ultra 4 is in the fall lineup
Close to 3 in 4 (74%) contestants expected to see an Apple Watch Ultra 4 this week, and sure enough, Apple released the latest model at Wednesday’s event. The Ultra 4 starts at $800. It has new Audio Intelligence features to hear the previous 15 seconds of a conversation when you press a button and low-battery modes to track workouts.
Apple also announced the Apple Watch Series 12, which costs half as much ($400) as the Ultra 4 and has increased processing power with a new S11 chip, as well as a new bronze finish. Both new watches are available for preorder.
Apple’s ‘One More Thing’ moment was the iPhone Duo
As expected, Apple brought back “One More Thing” as a way to reveal one final product that would wow us. Most CNET readers seem fairly certain that the foldable iPhone would be it, and they were right.
The guesses were closely followed by a new Home hub (14%), but Apple didn’t announce one at the September event. Some CNET readers also expected smart glasses (8%), but those will likely be unveiled later in 2027 due to rumors of “bumps” in development. And even though Apple announced the AirPods 5, it wasn’t the tech company’s final ah-ha moment.
Looking back at rounds one and two
The CNET Big Guessing Game had two previous rounds, in May 2026 and July 2026, when we asked readers to make predictions about Apple software and devices, respectively.
Most of our round one questions about software were answered at Apple’s WWDC event in early June, and now we can resolve the final one.
- New CEO John Ternus did not make an appearance at WWDC.
- The nickname for MacOS 27 is “Golden Gate.” (Only one person answered correctly.)
- “Apple Intelligence” was mentioned 52 times at WWDC.
- The public beta of iOS 27 was released on July 13, 2026.
The only remaining round one question left to answer at the September Apple event was whether or not the Apple Watch would add a dedicated AI health coach. Although the new Health app for the Watch has plenty of coaching features, we determined that the final answer was no.
Most of the round two questions, which focused on Apple devices, weren’t settled until Wednesday’s event.
The final question of round two was a freebie (any reasonable answer was marked correct) about what you’d like to see change about the iPhone. Readers’ most popular request — a lower price — hit a blocker on Wednesday as Apple announced it was boosting the price of its latest Pro and Pro Max iPhones by $100.
We will be contacting our grand-prize winner via email this week, so please keep an eye on your mailbox if you entered the contest. While you’re waiting, now’s the time to catch up on everything Apple released on Wednesday, rewatch the event and stay tuned to see if you won the CNET Group’s Big Guessing Game.
Read the full article here