Apple iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro Release Date: New Report Reveals Extraordinary Strategy
Updated on August 5 with additional reports confirming the release date and suggesting the pricing for the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
When will Apple unveil the iPhone 16 series, launch pre-orders, and start sales? You can read my detailed breakdown here, but now, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has shared his insights on Apple’s plans and the expected announcement date. It’s an intriguing theory. Shortly after Gurman’s input, another source also suggested the reveal date would be Tuesday, September 10. According to Tom’s Guide, another report indicated that Apple will make the announcement on the same day.
This date is critical as it initiates the entire process, leading to the likely pre-order date of Friday, September 13, and the on-sale date probably being the following Friday, September 20. The new report also mentions that the next iPhone 16 Pro Max will be priced the same as the current iPhone 15 Pro Max, starting at $1,199.
The leak from CNMO News isn’t as reliable as Mark Gurman, so if it pointed to a different date, I’d be skeptical. However, the fact that it suggests the same date is encouraging.
apple iphone 16 pro photos leak design changes new iphone 16
Apple iPhone 16 Pro To Gain Most From Powerful Upgrade New Leak Says
Meanwhile, 9to5Mac has its own theories, also pointing to the same date. So, the date is starting to look solid, but Mark Gurman has introduced a new idea regarding Apple’s strategy. Apple has emphasized that Apple Intelligence will be a significant selling point for the next iPhone series. The issue is, it seems it won’t be ready for Apple’s preferred September release date. So, what will Apple do? Delay the release so the marquee feature can launch with the iPhone 16 series? Not according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter.
Instead, Gurman says, Apple is taking a radically different approach this time around, compared to 2011, when it was about to launch the iPhone 4s. “The rationale: iCloud and Siri—a pair of new online services—wouldn’t be ready until the fall. Other than those enhancements, the iPhone 4S wouldn’t have a lot of fresh features. So rather than launch the iPhone 4S in June and give people Siri and iCloud via software upgrades a few months later, it decided to hold off and launch everything together at the end of the year,” Gurman explains.
Since then, September has been Apple’s preferred month for iPhone launches. But this year, it has a similar problem as Apple Intelligence “won’t be ready until October.” However, Apple is not going to delay the release of the phones. “Apple is taking a different tack and won’t hold back the new hardware until the services are ready,” says Gurman.
So, when will the release be? My guess was that the announcement would take place on Tuesday, September 10, with the on-sale date being Friday, September 20.
Gurman adds, “I’m told that the iPhone launch will occur around the same time as last year—a quick look at the calendar makes September 10 a probable date—and users will need to upgrade their new hardware to iOS 18.1 in October to start using Apple Intelligence.”
Gurman is slightly cautious in his prediction, but I’ll go further: I’m confident that Tuesday, September 10 is the reveal date. Things could still change, but I’d bet on this.
