Will the next iPhones be with us sooner than expected?
David Phelan
If you’re looking forward to buying the next iPhone, you’ll want to know when you can. Until now, a date has seemed like a joke, and it’s the date I’ve been sure of, and for good reason, but a new report claims it may have been wrong, all along. The upcoming unveiling event looks set to be a big one, almost certainly including the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, three new Apple Watch models, and AirPods Pro 2.
August 12 update below. This post was first published on Tuesday, August 9, 2022.
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So if it’s before the expected date of Tuesday, September 13, that can only be good news for those who can’t wait.
August 9 update. A new report from Bloomberg adds fresh information about the launch of the iPhone 14 series. It claims that Apple has asked its suppliers to build 90 million units of the iPhone 14.
That’s significant because it’s the same number Apple made its suppliers make last year for the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
In other words, Apple is confident that the demand for the next iPhones will at least match that of the current models, especially in the initial sales period. To me, this suggests another reason why the earlier release date discussed below has credence.
By comparison, in previous years, the initial manufacturing target was 75 million. Over the course of the year, the total is likely to be 220 million, but the first period of sales can be crucial to the success of a product.
Bloomberg’s Debby Wu says: “Apple Inc has asked suppliers to build at least as many of its next-generation iPhones this year as in 2021, counting on an affluent clientele and reduced competition to weather a global electronics slump” .
Of course, some of the issues with product manufacturing have been due to supply constraints, although it’s believed that Apple doesn’t expect them to be as tough in the coming months as they have been in the past.
There is another part of the puzzle. Reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TFI Securities recently said that no delays are expected for the new iPhones: “Although some investors have recently been concerned that the mass production and shipment schedule of the models iPhone 14 may be affected by geopolitics, my The latest survey indicates that there are currently no supply chain impacts for iPhone 14 models.”
On its own, this doesn’t prove we should expect an earlier release date, but it’s good news and hints that things are running smoothly, not to mention timely, for the manufacturing of the new iPhones.
In turn, this adds to the likelihood that the next iPhones could be ready in time for their September 16 launch. Now, back to more details on why it looks like the release date for the next iPhones will now be earlier than expected.
So when is the date?
The new rumor came, in the last few hours, from leaker and established commentator, Max Weinbach. He tweeted in response to Mark Gurman’s latest comments about Apple’s upcoming event.
Weinbach says it’s possible that Tuesday, Sept. 6, not Sept. 13, will be the big unveiling.
This change would mean that the release date will also be pushed forward. Instead of the planned on-sale date of Friday, September 23, the iPhones, watches and AirPods would be in the hands of customers on Friday, September 16.
My previous post suggested that September 6th was a possible date, but with a big condition.
Until now, it had been assumed that Apple would hold this upcoming event in person after a partial return to live in-person events with this year’s WWDC. In this case, September 6th seemed impossible, given that Apple has to bring people to Cupertino the day before, that is, Monday, September 5th. This year, this day is Labor Day, a public holiday.
What has changed?
However, according to Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter, Apple has now begun recording its next keynote, with the spectacularly high production values we’ve become accustomed to. In turn, this suggests that there won’t be an in-person event, thus eliminating the problem of flying people around the world on a public holiday.
Are you sure?
I’m glad you asked. In fact, I am skeptical that there is no presence in person. Here are Apple’s biggest products of the year, all revealed on the same day. Personally, I don’t think a pre-recorded talk means no one will be there to physically get their hands on the new hardware.
In the end, the hybrid event format for WWDC (polished recording played live for a small number of developers and press who then got to test the new MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro) worked incredibly well
Well, what does that mean, then?
Here is my guess. Either Tuesday, September 13th and Friday, September 23rd are still the right times, or things will move forward almost a week, to the week starting Monday, September 5th.
That would mean Tuesday September 6th or Wednesday September 7th for the reveal. In any case, the date of sale would be Friday, September 16.
If it’s the week before, my money’s on Wednesday 7th September as it deflects the issue of flying the press and staff on holiday.
Why would Apple want an earlier date?
good point After all, he has chosen a Tuesday near the middle of September for most of his big presentations in recent years, apart from the exceptional year of 2020 due to Covid.
But a September 16 on-sale date gives Apple one more week of sales in the quarter ending September 30. This is a definite boon for Apple’s finances.
Anything else we can deduce?
If Weinbach is right, there’s one thing we can definitely count on: rumors of an iPhone 14 Max delay are probably unfounded. It’s still possible that the special event will announce four iPhones but say one or two will come later, though I think that’s less likely.
So far, there are no reports corroborating Weinbach, and even he says it’s not 100% definitive, but it’s an attractive prospect.
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