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Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16 series has been the subject of much speculation, and global consumers are increasingly interested in the timing of the new products.
On the 16th (local time), U.S. business magazine Forbes reported on the timeline for Apple’s unveiling and launch of the iPhone 16 series.
Citing the timing of the latest iPhone releases each year as an example, the publication predicted that this year’s iPhone will also appear in September.
Apple has unveiled every flagship iPhone family since the iPhone 5 in September, with the exception of 2020, when the company experienced supply disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, the iPhone 15 series was unveiled on September 12th. Pre-orders began on the 15th of the same month in “first launch countries” including the United States, followed by online and offline sales a week later on the 22nd for the official launch.
This year, Apple is expected to follow the same rule and introduce the iPhone 16 series before mid-September. However, the variable is the IFA (Internationale FunkAusstellung) 2024, which will be held in Berlin, Germany in early September.
As one of the world’s three largest and most popular IT trade shows, Apple is likely to unveil new products during a timeframe that doesn’t overlap with the high-profile event.
IFA is usually held in late August, but this year’s event will take place over five days, from September 6th to 10th.
Considering that Apple usually holds its keynote to announce new products on a Tuesday or Wednesday, this narrows down the possible dates for the iPhone 16 series to be unveiled to September 3 or 4. Forbes, however, points to Sept. 10, the day IFA 2024 closes, as the likely date.
“Apple, which is not participating in IFA, has no intention of holding its event at the same time as IFA,” Forbes explains, ”but by confirming the keynote date as soon as the curtain rises on IFA, the company seems to be hoping to draw attention to itself.”
As in previous years, the event will start at 10 a.m. Pacific Time in Cupertino, California, where Apple is headquartered.
It is extremely rare for Apple to hold a new product unveiling event in a city or region other than Cupertino. Additionally, after the unveiling of the iPhone 16 series, the new products are expected to begin shipping on September 20th.
This year’s iPhone release date is particularly close in the Korean market. In late May, it was reported that Korea’s three mobile carriers were in talks with Apple over the release date of the iPhone 16 series, and as a result, Korea was included in the first wave of iPhone releases this year.
South Korea has never been included in the first wave of iPhone launches since the iPhone began selling in 2009. This has led some to suspect that Apple is intentionally “skipping Korea.
This year, the company seems to be taking note of the steady rise in popularity of the iPhone in Northeast Asia.
Apple CEO Tim Cook even mentioned South Korea during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call last year, saying, “We sold a record number of iPhones in South Korea, the home market of our longtime rival Samsung.”
Meanwhile, Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 16 series, as well as new hardware such as the 2024 Apple Watch, iPad, and AirPods at the same time during its September keynote.
