Earlier this week, Bloomberg’s resident Apple analyst, Mark Gurman, weighed in on recent iPhone 15 release date rumors by predicting that Apple will indeed debut its next crop of iPhones in the second full week of September.
Now, in a follow-up post to that initial claim, Gurman has narrowed his release date prediction to just one day: Tuesday, September 12. “Signs are increasingly pointing to September 12 as the iPhone 15 event date,” the analyst wrote on X, “but obviously things can still theoretically change.”
We’re using ‘release date’ in this context to mean the day that Apple holds its annual September launch event, which is expected to play host to the unveiling of the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max this year.
Apple typically opens pre-orders for its new iPhones just a few days after their official announcement, with actual shipping following around a week later. So, if Gurman’s September 12 prediction rings true, we’d expect pre-orders to begin for the entire iPhone 15 line on Friday, September 15, with the devices shipping on Friday, September 22.
Signs are increasingly pointing to Sept. 12 as the iPhone 15 event date, but obviously things can still theoretically change. https://t.co/hVKgjJGMc1August 8, 2023
Of course, these dates remain speculative for now – Gurman clarifies as much in his post (see above) – but other sources have pointed towards the second full week of September being the iPhone 15 release window in recent weeks.
9to5Mac, for instance, recently reported that Apple has asked employees to refrain from taking time off on Wednesday, September 13 in anticipation of a "major smartphone announcement. Evidently, September 13 isn’t the same date as September 12, but it’s pretty darn close, suggesting that the intelligence leaking out of Apple HQ is consistent.
For our money, Gurman’s Tuesday, September 12 prediction is the most likely iPhone 15 release date at this point. Apple usually opts to host its annual iPhone launches on a Tuesday, except in weeks that coincide with Labor Day Monday in the United States (the iPhone 14 line, for instance, debuted on Wednesday, September 7 last year).
Labor Day is happening on Monday, September 4 this year, so there’s theoretically no need for Apple to push its iPhone 15 launch from Tuesday to Wednesday the following week.
There is, however, still a chance that the company holds its September 2023 event on Wednesday, September 6 (i.e. two days after Labor Day Monday). That would be the same calendar day (not date) as last year’s event – but Gurman and co. seem adamant that the following week is the more likely release window.
In any case, we’ll know for sure in a matter of days. Apply usually shares save-the-date invites for its September events a few weeks ahead of time, so we’re expecting our invite in the post very soon (hint, hint, Apple).
