Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman (opens in new tab), who has an excellent track record for reporting Apple’s plans before they become official, claims that Apple will hold its fall launch event on Wednesday, September 7. He cites “people with knowledge of the matter” as the source and also says the iPhone 14 release date is September 16.
Apple Event details
Apple typically holds its product launches on a Tuesday, but a Wednesday event would make sense given that the Labor Day holiday in the U.S. falls on Monday, Sept. 5. Apple has held iPhone events on Labor Day week in previous years, usually bumping the event to Wednesday to account for the holiday. The iPhone 6s debuted on a Wednesday in 2015, for example.
iPhone 14 release date and rumored features
The Bloomberg report also claims that products announced at this year’s Apple launch event on September 7 could hit retail shelves as Friday, September 16. Gurman notes that some Apple retail store employees are being told to prepare for a big product release on that date. That gap between the product announcement and the actual launch date is pretty typical of Apple’s iPhone rollouts. The September 7 Apple event figures to be a crowded occasion. Gurman tips the iPhone 14 to make its debut then, which is likely to mean four new models — the standard iPhone 14 along with two iPhone 14 Pro models and a brand new iPhone 14 Max. That latter device is expected to be a cheaper version of the big-screen iPhone 14 Pro Max. Rumored iPhone 14 changes sound pretty modest, with the base model and the iPhone 14 Max expected to feature the A15 Bionic chipset that currently powers the iPhone 13 Pro models. It’s the iPhone 14 Pro models that should see the bigger changes, including a new look for the front of the phones that gets rid of the notch in the display. Other rumored improvements include the A16 Bionic chipset and a 48MP main camera. See our iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro preview for more info.
Apple Watch 8
In addition to the phones, the Bloomberg report claims that new Apple Watches will debut on September 7. That likely means a new Apple Watch 8 as well as a rumored follow-up to the Apple Watch SE. That device, tentatively called the Apple Watch SE 2, would feature an upgrade chipset for Apple’s entry-level smartwatch. The Apple Watch 8, in contrast, could see a number of improvements, including new colors and a brand new Apple Watch 8 Pro model. Other rumors tip the Apple Watch 8 to feature a bigger screen, longer battery life and a new body temperature sensor.
AirPods Pro 2
There’s no word on whether the rumored AirPods Pro 2 would also arrive at this September 7 event. As a key iPhone accessory, though, the wireless earbuds would seem a likely candidate to be part of the show. Some people expect a modified design for the next version of the AirPods Pro, and other features such as adaptive active noise cancellation could be part of the mix.
Apple Event outlook
The rumored September 7 date falls in line with predictions that Apple would show off its new phones in the first half of September, though initially, September 13 seemed like a more likely date. More recently, some tipsters were pointing to September 6 as the possible launch date. We should know soon enough what Apple’s official plans are, as the company tends to send out invitations a week or two before its product launches. Bloomberg reports that this year’s iPhone launch will be a virtual one.
