Updated August 25th with new reporting from Mark Gurman.
We all know that the iPhone 16 series is coming soon. But when exactly? What everyone is looking at is the date of the keynote speech at the Apple Special Event that the company will hold at the Steve Jobs Theater in one of Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California. And the latest report seems to confirm that date. Or is it true? I have my doubts.
The iPhone 15 is set to be replaced by the iPhone 16. But when exactly?
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
As we’ve written before, we’re pretty sure the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be available on Friday, September 20. “Apple is planning to hold its biggest product launch event of the year on September 10, unveiling its latest iPhones, watches, and AirPods, according to people familiar with the matter,” Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says.
That seems likely, but I think other dates are still under consideration. And Gurman has since posted comments on X that make it seem like September 10th isn’t set in stone. When I realized it would coincide with the first televised presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, alarm bells started ringing for me. Frankly, that debate will dominate the news cycle all day and into the next day. I wonder if Apple wants to change the date? If so, when?
Considering that September 11th is a date Apple has always avoided, there are two other possible dates that week: Monday, September 9th and Thursday, September 12th.
Apple limits its Monday keynotes to just one per year, at WWDC in June, so does this discussion mean the company will make an exception just this year?
As for Thursday, Gurman told X, “Apple has scheduled an unusual mandatory meeting for all Apple Store employees for the evening of September 12th or the morning of the 13th. This comes ahead of the iPhone 16 launch a week later, although pre-launch meetings are typically held on a Sunday instead of a weekday.”
In my opinion, September 12th seems too tight for the keynote date. In fact, since Apple is moving up staff meetings, I think the keynote may move up too. I think Monday, September 9th is a strong candidate, but I’m just digging my own hole.
“No date has been announced yet, but the company is gearing up for that date, which is Tuesday,” Gurman added, saying the people asked not to be identified because the plans are private. The announcement will be followed by a Sept. 20 release of the phone, in line with a typical approach for Apple in recent years.
I’ll add that in my conversations with Apple over the years, I’ve heard the company say it hates predictability. Several reports suggest that Apple is on schedule or ahead of schedule when it comes to iPhone production, and may even be ahead of schedule this year.
And I kept coming back to the big presidential debate scheduled for Tuesday, September 10th, and how Apple might want to avoid any conflict with it.
The previous Tuesday, September 3rd, seems unlikely, but I wouldn’t rule out Monday, September 9th. Does this mean the release date will be Friday, September 13th? That may be wishful thinking on my part.
My guess is that Gurman’s prediction is correct and the keynote will take place at 10am PST on Tuesday, September 10th at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, but it could also be on Monday, September 9th. The presidential debate will likely influence Apple’s decision. Either way, preorders will open on Friday, September 13th, with the iPhones in customers’ hands on Friday, September 20th.
There are many more.
