The Apple September event is due to take place next week, where we expect the new iPhone 15 to launch along with a bunch of other new Apple products. Normally new iPhones are available for pre-order a few days after the launch event, typically the end of the same week — which would be September 15 in this case. But will that happen this year?
According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, Apple Stores will be doing updates on the night of September 12. That suggests there may be some immediate availability of products that are announced that afternoon. The question is whether the iPhone 15 will be among them, or if Apple will stick to its iPhone 15 pre-order schedule.
Apple retail stores will be doing updates the night of September 12th, after the event. This implies that some new products could see near-immediate availability — or that they’ll simply be quickly putting up new marketing materials. https://t.co/SIlfWXOPhPSeptember 5, 2023
It’s not unusual for phone companies to announce a phone and open up pre-orders right away. Strike while the hype is hot, so to speak. Plus there’s already been some speculation that the iPhone 15 is launching when it is to get in as many sales as possible before the end of Apple’s fiscal year. Bringing the pre-order date forwards, even by three days, could help stack up those sales in the current fiscal year rather than the next.
Apple event pre-orders: Beyond the new iPhone
At the same time, the iPhone 15 series isn’t the only thing we expect Apple to unveil during its September 12 event. There’s also word that we may see the Apple Watch Series 9, new AirPods with a USB-C port and maybe an iPad Mini 7. Our money is on one or more of these devices to go on sale right away, while the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro will likely stick to the usual Friday pre-order date.
There had been speculation that new MacBooks may make an appearance, but recent rumors have downplayed that. These products are bound to arrive eventually, but it’s likely Apple will hold a separate launch event as it has done in the past
It’s possible that some of Apple’s new non-iPhone products could go on sale right after the event. That’s what happened with the Apple Watch Series 8 last year, and there's less reason to hold back on the smaller products.
Then again, as Gurman speculates, it may just Apple updating with new marketing material as soon as possible. Which it will certainly be doing regardless of whatever else happens.
We’re just going to have to wait and see. It’s not like Apple to deviate from its usual habits, but this wouldn’t be the first time the company has decided to switch things up.
In the meantime, you can check out our Apple September Event page for all the latest news and updates, as well as our iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, Apple Watch 9 and iPad mini 7 hubs to hear everything we know about those devices so far.
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