Aug. 14 replace. This submit, first printed on Aug. 11, was up to date with extra particulars to the upcoming Apple occasion and revised pre-orders date.
The Apple iPhone 18 Professional will likely be introduced on Wednesday, Sept. 9, in keeping with a brand new report. Common readers will know I’ve been saying that for weeks, and even researched every single iPhone keynote date to again up my claims, however there’s now affirmation from an trade heavyweight that that is the plan. Oh, and you’ll examine when the keynote will likely be introduced here.
Apple iPhone 17 Professional
CFOTO/Future Publishing through Getty Photographs
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman wrote about it in his latest Power On newsletter on Sunday, Aug. 9. “Apple gears up for its annual September occasion — and it’s a giant one,” he started. He talked about how Apple’s preparations are actually in full swing (effectively, I might hope so), after which moved on to the date of the keynote.
Apple iPhone 18 Professional Keynote Date
That is the massive date within the calendar and units the schedule for all the things that follows.
“Traditionally, Apple has held its new iPhone launch on both the second Tuesday or Wednesday of September. That has been the case yearly since 2012 (aside from 2020, when Apple launched its new telephones in October because of the Covid-related manufacturing delays),” he mentioned.
However the important thing replace, a change from what Gurman has been saying till very not too long ago, got here subsequent.
“However there’s a twist this yr: Labor Day falls on Monday, Sept. 7. Apple doesn’t sometimes maintain occasions instantly after a weekend as a result of it desires to provide attendees a journey day. That makes Wednesday, Sept. 9, the most probably occasion date this yr,” he added.
I feel that is spot-on. It’s not simply the attendees who don’t need to journey on a public vacation. Apple is reluctant to have its employees work on the vacation as effectively (though, once more, I’m positive they are going to be participating in loads of conferences and different preparations on Tuesday, Sept. 8).
Apple iPhone 18 Professional Pre-Orders: A New Date For The Diary
Whereas Apple is usually predictable, that doesn’t imply that each merchandise on the agenda will fall into the identical schedule as final yr.
He additionally added an additional element that was information to me. I’d been predicting that pre-orders would open on the Friday after the keynote — that’s what nearly at all times occurs. However this yr, that might be Sept. 11, a date that Apple has at all times averted for keynotes.
This yr, because it’s the twenty fifth anniversary of 9/11, pre-orders would possibly begin later.
“One other wrinkle this time is the preorder begin date. Extra occasions than not, Apple opens up iPhone preorders on the Friday following its occasion. Provided that that Friday falls on the twenty fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist assaults, I discover it unlikely that Apple would decide that date. The final time such a Friday fell on Sept. 11, Apple moved preorders to the subsequent day, Saturday, Sept. 12. I’ve to imagine they’ll take an analogous strategy this yr,” Gurman mentioned.
This is sensible to me. I consider the timing would be the identical, that’s, pre-orders will open at 5 a.m. Pacific, 8 a.m. Japanese, 1 p.m. U.Okay. time.
Word that typically pre-order dates fluctuate in keeping with product. As an example, it’s attainable the Apple Watch Sequence 12 and Apple Watch Extremely 4 may see pre-orders open on the identical day because the iPhone or earlier, for example the identical day because the keynote or Thursday, Sept. 10.
I bow to Gurman’s knowledge, nevertheless, in saying that the Apple Watches received’t see pre-orders open on Friday, Sept. 11.
Some years, Apple permits prospects to place their chosen objects in on-line buying baggage the evening earlier than pre-orders open, in order that they’re able to buy on the B of the bang once they do open the subsequent day. Such a transfer permits individuals to choose the mannequin, shade and storage capability within the hope of getting their first alternative.
It doesn’t occur yearly and it’s attainable the Sept. 11 concern might imply it received’t this time round.
Apple iPhone 18 Professional: iOS 27 Common Launch
Even when pre-orders are bumped by a day, that received’t have an effect on when the subsequent cycle of iPhone software program is made accessible to customers on normal launch.
After pre-orders, the subsequent date on the calendar is when the software program which will likely be pre-installed on the brand new iPhones is made accessible to everybody.
In case your iPhone helps the present iOS 26 software program, the excellent news is it’s going to run iOS 27 as effectively. Meaning each iPhone going proper again to the iPhone 11 launched in 2019 is supported. This yr, that is fairly a giant deal: there was a hesitation at first by some customers to improve to iOS 26, not least due to combined responses to the Liquid Glass design.
Since iOS 27 permits customers to regulate the glassy impact to a extra granular stage, it could be that there will likely be a rush to iOS 27 from previous-gen holdouts.
The precise date varies nevertheless it often falls on the Monday earlier than the brand new iPhones’ onsale date. This yr, that might imply Monday, Sept. 14. Timing additionally varies: the place most iOS updates land at or round 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Japanese and 6 p.m. U.Okay., the primary launch of the brand new cycle is commonly earlier.
Look out for it from 8 a.m. Pacific, 11 a.m. Japanese and 4 p.m. U.Okay., and please observe endurance — lots of people will likely be desirous to obtain it instantly.
Apple iPhone 18 Professional: Opinions Embargo Lifts
The subsequent occasion within the calendar would be the publication of the primary opinions of the brand new iPhones and Apple Watch. Time and date listed here are much less simple to pin down.
Apple often seeds a small variety of its new merchandise to chose members of the press, typically straight after the keynote, although by no means beforehand.
Assuming the iPhone keynote is on Sept. 9, that’s a day later than standard, which supplies reviewers 24 hours much less to provide you with their verdicts — if the embargo for opinions lifts on the identical day as final yr. In 2025, opinions appeared from 5 a.m. Pacific on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
Which might imply this yr’s opinions would begin to seem on Wednesday, Sept. 16. Apple may select to bump the opinions date to the subsequent day, Thursday, Sept. 17, to permit reviewers the identical size of time to gather their ideas.
I feel that’s unlikely, as the corporate likes a few days between the opinions showing and the telephones occurring sale. And in some years opinions have appeared on the Tuesday earlier than the telephones go on sale, so it’s even attainable that Tuesday, Sept. 15 could possibly be the date to look at.
My perception is that Wednesday would be the day — it’s a timetable Apple likes. And I feel the timing would be the identical, that’s, 5 a.m. Pacific, 8 a.m. Japanese, 1 p.m. U.Okay.
Word that if any merchandise introduced on the keynote are delayed for any motive, like when the iPhone X was revealed in September 2017 however went on sale in November, opinions can even be held, till just a few days earlier than they go on sale. In fact, we’re solely speaking concerning the folding iPhone in all probability — extra on that under.
Apple iPhone 18 Professional On-Sale Date Prediction
Regardless of the actual date of the keynote, the final a part of the schedule — when the telephones hit shops — is near-certain to be on the identical day of the week, Friday.
In any occasion, the iPhone 18 Professional and iPhone 18 Professional Max will go on sale on the next Friday, Sept. 18, I consider. At the moment, there are conflicting rumors about whether or not the extremely anticipated first foldable cellphone from Apple, presumably known as the iPhone Extremely, will arrive on the identical time.
As talked about above, it could possibly be introduced on the keynote however scheduled for later launch. Wherein case the pre-orders and on-sale date will come later.
In contrast to pre-orders the place the time is identical second throughout the globe, on-sale occasions are staggered. Count on to have the ability to decide up the brand new merchandise from 8 a.m. native time, wherever you’re.
