The omission isn’t a surprise, but it’s still unusual. For a company that built its brand on innovation, Apple has become pretty predictable. Every fall it announces its latest iPhones. The company has announced new iPhones every September since 2012. The year prior, in 2011, the iPhone 4s was announced in October.
However, Apple has delayed the release of its phones before, most recently the iPhone X, which wasn’t in stores until November.
When is the iPhone 12 coming?
Analysts expect the new phones to be announced in October at the earliest. Apple confirmed that the iPhone would be late on an earnings call back in July, when Luca Maestri, the company’s chief financial officer, said iPhone supply was going to be available a few weeks later than usual.
A month might not seem like a big deal, but Apple wants all its new products released and in stock ahead of the holiday rush. That should be especially true if that rush could be dampened by fewer people shopping in stores and families not having holiday gatherings because of the novel coronavirus.
A month seems long. What am I even waiting for?
Apple is expected to release four new iPhone models, ranging in size from 5.4 to 6.7 inches. If they follow Apple’s most recent naming conventions — and the overused trend of slapping “Max” and “Pro” on the end of every product name — we could get an iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Max, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Minor upgrades could include tweaks to the exterior design and better cameras, including a depth-sensing back camera. As for design, the new iPad Air that Apple announced Tuesday has flat edges, which could be a sign of what’s to come on any new iPhones.