Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max – when will the next model arrive?
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Apple’s next keynote for the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro, for example, may come sooner than I predicted, a respected industry official has said. Here are the details and why I disagree.
Predictions for the presentation date of the iPhone 18 Pro
This is a crucial date as the release usually follows like clockwork.
Apple’s next big products will be the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the company’s first foldable smartphone, possibly called the iPhone Ultra. Apple Intelligence will be one of the most anticipated updates on board. A report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests that the special event where they will be unveiled could take place on Tuesday, September 8th, rather than Wednesday, September 9th as I previously said.
In response to the question: “When will Apple announce the next iPhone?” In his recent Power On newsletter, Gurman made several points.
“Apple’s September iPhone events tend to follow a familiar pattern: They’re typically held on the first Tuesday or Wednesday after Labor Day, giving Apple plenty of time to get the new phones on sale by mid-September, book a couple of weeks of fourth-quarter earnings, and stock up on the channel ahead of the holiday season,” he said.
Analysis of Apple’s historical September tenure
The exact calendar date varies in most years.
Labor Day, as you know, falls on the first Monday in September and therefore must be between September 1st and 7th. So, you would think that some years the keynote would be on September 2nd or 3rd, for example. In fact, in the last 10 years, the keynote has never been held before September 7th, so Apple often holds the event the week after Labor Day rather than the day after.
This year, Labor Day is the latest possible date – Monday, September 7th.
“This pace is carefully planned by Apple’s marketing, finance and operations teams, and there is no reason to believe that this year will be any different,” Gurman continued. I agree that there will be a normal schedule this year.
“With that in mind, the most likely debut date for the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and foldable iPhone is September 8, with September 9 being the second. It’s hard to imagine it arriving anywhere else,” he concluded.
Why Tuesday, September 8th is not suitable for iPhone 18 Pro
Keynotes do not usually fall on the day after a public holiday.
I think Gurman has a good week – it’s still possible that Apple could hold out until Monday September 14th, for example, if something goes wrong in production, but I think it’s extremely unlikely.
But I think Tuesday, September 8th, is not suitable. Since Monday is a public holiday and Apple brings press from all over the US (and the world) to speak, the company doesn’t like to intrude on the holiday for these guests or, much less, its employees.
Thus, I would say that September 8 is not the beginning of events. The second date Gurman mentions is Wednesday, September 9th, which I believe is secretly marked on the Cupertino calendars.
Predicted sale date of Apple iPhone 18 Pro
However, when iPhones will reach consumers seems clearer than ever.
You can read the full schedule of what I expect to happen this fall here. The good news is that the iPhone 18 Pro release date will be the same either way: Friday in the week following the keynote. This year that means September 18th.