When is the 2018 Apple iPhone event? Sept. 12
Called it: Here's how we did it and what we expect.
This morning Apple issued an official invite to the lucky few who will head its Apple Park campus on Wednesday, Sept. 12. Below the invite is our original story showing how we predicted the date. Be sure to also check out everything we expect Apple to announce at the event, from new iPhones to a new Apple Watch model and release dates for iOS 12 and MacOS Mojave. And has anyone heard anything about AirPower? Here's hoping we see that finally.
Another day has passed with no sign of an Apple event invite where the company is expected to announce its next series of iPhones (including followups to the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X), but that doesn't mean the event isn't happening. Considering our original guess of Sept.12, we still expect an invite to pop up in our inboxes tomorrow. Cutting it close to Labor Day is pretty normal for Apple; last year's invites were sent on the same Thursday day.
While we have no confirmation or knowledge of when the exact unveiling and release dates will occur (Apple didn't reply for a request to comment), examining the dates that Apple picked over the past few years offers a rather consistent schedule to extrapolate some strong possibilities for the 2018 dates.
In the US, the Labor Day holiday falls on the first Monday in September. Looking at the past six years, when Labor Day landed on the 3rd or earlier, Apple announced its iPhone the following week. When Labor Day occurred on the 5th or later, it announced the iPhone the following Wednesday (two days after Labor Day), as it did in 2015 and 2016.
For 2018, Labor Day falls on Monday, September 3. So, if Apple follows its recent pattern, the company would announce its new iPhones the following Tuesday or Wednesday: Sept. 11 and Sept. 12. These dates fit well with the expected iPhone in-store release dates too, which are usually a week-and-a-half after Apple makes its announcements (save for specialty iPhones like the iPhone X and iPhone SE). For the last six years, you could begin purchasing the latest iPhone on a Friday, around the third week of September. Check out the chart below:
Apple iPhone release and announcement dates (2012-2017)
| iPhone model and year | Announcement date | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 8/8 Plus (2017) | Tuesday, Sept. 12 | Friday, Sept. 22 |
| iPhone 7/7 Plus (2016) | Wednesday, Sept. 7 | Friday, Sept. 16 |
| iPhone 6S/6S Plus (2015) | Wednesday, Sept. 9 | Friday, Sept. 25 |
| iPhone 6/6 Plus (2014) | Tuesday, Sept. 9 | Friday, Sept. 19 |
| iPhone 5S (2013) | Tuesday, Sept. 10 | Friday, Sept. 20 |
| iPhone 5 (2012) | Wednesday, Sept. 12 | Friday, Sept. 21 |
If we anticipate Friday, Sept. 21 as the in-store launch, then Sept. 11 and 12 still work. And if I had to choose between the two dates, I'd go with Sept. 12. That's because it was on that exact date when Apple unveiled its iPhones in 2017 and its iPhone 5 in 2012. And the news cycle on Sept. 11 is best avoided for obvious reasons.
So there you go -- if I had to put money on it, I'd say the new 2018 iPhones will be announced on Wednesday, Sept. 12 and released on Friday, Sept. 21. If I end up being wrong, so it goes. But if I'm right, someone owes me a can of Coke.
This piece was originally published July 31 and someone definitely owes me a coke now.