Update: when this leak came out, we (and many other tech publications) raised many issues with it, as you can read below.
It turns out those fears were justified, because the AppleBeta2019, who published the leak, has admitted it was totally incorrect . Apparently, the article came from a source that faked the whole thing.
While that confirms this isn't news, we're going to leave this article up, because it's a reminder of how it's worth always giving leaks on upcoming phones a critical eye. There's still a lot we don't know about the iPhone 11, and people who will 'leak' incorrect information, but at TechRadar we do our best to scrutinize every new leak.
The biggest Apple leak of the year may have just emerged, as a supposedly official PDF has been shared, detailing the names and launch dates of various Apple devices, including the iPhone 11 range.
Shared by AppleBeta2019 on Twitter (an account which has accurately leaked information about Apple’s operating systems in the past), the document suggests that Apple’s upcoming handsets will be called the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. These are names we’ve heard before, though we remain unconvinced by the last one, as it feels clunky.
The new phones will apparently hit stores on September 27, but given that we know they’re going to be announced on September 10 that doesn’t quite line up with Apple’s usual release timings – we’d expect them a week earlier than that.
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It looks like somehow our leak has been leaked. Ironic right? Here is a link to the PDF. Please quote us in any mentions of the link. https://t.co/BgbibhH6TcSeptember 4, 2019
iOS 13 meanwhile will apparently launch on September 23, with iOS 13.1 landing sometime in October. Though there’s some confusion here, as the document suggests the iPhone 11 range will have iOS 13.1 on day one, but that a security patch named iOS 13.0.1 will arrive on the phones in October.
Moving on to the Apple Watch 5, this unsurprisingly is said to be announced on September 10 alongside the iPhone 11 range. Four versions carrying the model numbers A2156, A2157, A2092 and A2093 are said to land then. They will apparently run watchOS 6, with watchOS 6.1 scheduled to land in October.
The document also mentions two new iPad models, which will apparently hit stores in October, though it’s not clear whether they will be announced alongside the rest of these devices or at a later date.
They apparently carry the model numbers A2068 and A2198, with the former being entry-level while the latter is said to be a new iPad Pro, and both are to ship with iPadOS 13.
That software, along with watchOS 6, tvOS 13, macOS 10.15 Catalina and – as previously mentioned – iOS 13, is said to roll out to existing devices on September 23.
Lots of red flags
We would, however, take all of this information with a huge side of salt. Beyond our concerns above about it not matching Apple’s usual release schedule, and the iOS 13 roll-out dates not adding up, numerous other issues have been pointed out.
For example, @AppleSWUpdates notes that there are no watermarks and that – in contrast to what the document states – Apple apparently won’t release another iOS 13.1 beta. They also claim inconsistencies in the build numbers and naming.
9to5Mac has similar concerns, adding that official Apple documentation apparently always refers to the ‘developer program’, whereas this mentions the ‘development program’. The site also notes that the constant switches from product names to model numbers when talking about devices seems unusual.
So with all that said we reckon this document is probably fake, though we can’t completely rule out the possibility that it’s accurate.
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Via AppleInsider
