iPhone 16 Release: Apple Confirms Special Event, On A Surprise New Date

Updated August 26 with confirmed date for the keynote and commentary on the invite.

The iPhone 16 series release date is nearly here. And now Apple has confirmed the date and time. Intriguingly, it’s not the date most people were expecting. In the last few minutes, Apple has sent out invites for the keynote event which will reveal the iPhone 16 series, we think, together with new Apple Watch models and AirPods. It’s Monday, September 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific, with an in-person press event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple’s Cupertino HQ.

As usual, the invite doesn’t give much more away than that but we’ll get to the details of what is revealed in a moment.

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The Surprise Date

What’s interesting is that, as you’ll see below, almost everybody had thought it would be Tuesday, September 10. Actually, if you read on, you’ll see that I have been favoring September 9 for some time, but I absolutely get why it had popular acclamation as the right day.

For a start, Apple has never unveiled an iPhone on a Monday—even the very first iPhone, announced on January 9, 2007, debuted on a Tuesday.

The inkling I had that things might be different this year was partly from the fact that Apple seemed to be ahead of the game, eager to launch as soon as possible and explain Apple Intelligence again as early as it could.

Then Mark Gurman at Bloomberg revealed that retail store staff meetings, which usually take place on the Sunday after a launch, had been scheduled for Thursday, September 12 or Friday, September 13. Again, this suggested to me that Apple wanted to fire the starting gun earlier.

And then there was the small matter of the first televised debate between Presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. That’s a big deal, and Apple wouldn’t want to get in the way of it, I figured, or risk having its news drowned out. Going 24 hours earlier makes a lot of sense.

The surprise date also fits with the fact that Apple never likes to be predictable, and making this change, and keeping it secret, is a mark of how nimble it can be.

And it doesn’t change the expectation of the other dates in the prospective calendar: I still think pre-orders are likely to start on Friday, September 13 and the iPhones, Apple Watches and AirPods will land in stores and in customers’ hands from the following Friday, September 20.

The Invite

As ever with these invites, there’s not much more to be gleaned beyond the date and time. The date and time are pretty clear, the location is as expected and invitations aren’t transferable. So far, so usual.

And the only other information with the swirly Apple logo dancing before your eyes is the legend, “It’s Glowtime.” Colors are always important but there are too many here to tell us exactly what hues the new iPhones will come in. The glow may refer to the eye-popping capabilities that Apple Intelligence will bring. For now, though, that’s all we know.

Here’s what I was saying previously, by the way.

I’ve written already that I’m convinced the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will go on sale on Friday, September 20. “Apple Inc. is planning to hold its biggest product launch event of the year on Sept. 10, when the company will unveil the latest iPhones, watches and AirPods, according to people familiar with the situation,” says Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

That seems probable, but I think other dates are still in play. And Gurman has since posted on X with comments that lead me to believe September 10 isn’t set in stone. Alarm bells started ringing for me when I realized that there would be a clash with the first televised Presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Frankly, that’s bound to dominate the news cycle all day long and into the next day. Might Apple want to reschedule? And if so, to when?

Given that September 11 is a date Apple has always avoided, there are two other possible days that week: Monday, September 9 and Thursday, September 12.

Apple reserves Monday keynotes for just one time of the year, WWDC in June. Could the debate mean it’ll make an exception for this year?

As for the Thursday, Gurman has just said on X, “Apple has scheduled an unusual and mandatory meeting for employees at all Apple retail stores for the evening of Sept 12 or morning of Sept 13. This would be ahead of the iPhone 16 release a week later — but pre launch meetings are typically held on Sundays not during the week.”

To my mind, that makes September 12 seem too tight a fit for the keynote to take place as well. In fact, because Apple is bringing the staff meeting forward, it suggests to me it could bring the keynote forward, too. I’m inclining towards Monday, September 9 as a strong possibility—though I realize I’m on my own here.

Gurman goes on, “Though the timing hasn’t yet been announced, the company is making preparations for that date, which falls on a Tuesday, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private. The unveiling will be followed by the phones going on sale Sept. 20, in line with Apple’s typical approach in recent years.”

I’d just add that in talks with Apple across the years I’ve heard the company say how it hates to be predictable. Several reports suggest Apple is bang on schedule, or even ahead, with iPhone production, which also suggests it’s possible things could go sooner this year.

And I keep coming back to that big televised Presidential debate scheduled for Tuesday, September 10 and how Apple might want to avoid a clash with that.

I don’t think the previous Tuesday, September 3, is on the cards but I wouldn’t rule out Monday, September 9. Could this mean an onsale date of Friday, September 13? That may be wishful thinking on my part.

My best guess: Gurman could be spot-on and the keynote will be at 10 a.m. Pacific on Tuesday, September 10 at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, but Monday, September 9 is a possibility. The Presidential debate will likely influence Apple’s decisions. Either way, pre-orders will likely go live on Friday, September 13 and iPhones will be in customers’ hands on Friday, September 20.

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