In a matter of weeks, the new iPhones will be on sale. Before that day, Apple will reveal what they’ll look like and how much they’ll cost. That’ll be in the eagerly-awaited keynote. Which means the first date to mark on the calendar is when the keynote will be revealed. Read on.
The Special Event Date
To know when the keynote will be announced, we need to know when it will take place and count backwards. There have been plenty of rumors, most focusing on one date: Tuesday, September 10. Is that right?
I’m not sure. It’s a strong possibility, but Apple likes to surprise, so it could be earlier or later. There’s no way it could be on Wednesday, September 11, but I think Monday, September 9 or Thursday, September 12 are also in the frame. Tuesday is Apple’s usually-favored date of the week, but it could be different this year, not least because a big event is happening on the same day: the first Presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Apple may want to avoid this.
All of those dates will lead to the release date of the iPhone 16 series on Friday, September 20.
Apple’s announcement of the keynote is an event in itself, prompting speculation about what the gnomic references in the invite really mean—my guess is it will focus on Apple Intelligence this year.
The Keynote Made Public
It can be revealed anything from one to two weeks before the special event. That means some time between Monday, August 26 and Thursday, September 5, depending on the keynote. Let’s narrow it down.
Apple never announces the keynote (or anything else, really) on a Friday as it wants the most effective impact on the news cycle. Weekends are out for the same reason.
In recent years, Apple has revealed the keynote earlier rather than later: last year’s September 12 keynote was confirmed on Tuesday, August 29. All the rumors so far suggest Apple is on schedule or even ahead of it, so I believe an early confirmation is likely this year. It also avoids clashing with the huge German tech trade show which starts in the first week of September.
Which Means…
We could know the date of the keynote as early as this Tuesday, August 27. I think that’s a likely contender, though just as possible are Monday, August 26 and Wednesday, August 28.
The second it’s announced, I’ll report it, so please check back from Monday onwards.
