Rumors and informed speculation have pointed to the likely timing of Apple’s next media event, and the latest piece of evidence — images found by iHelpBR in today’s seventh beta release of iOS 13 — appears to confirm the date: September 10, 2019.
Labeled “hold for release,” the separate images show an iPad screen and an iPhone screen with the 10th on their Calendar apps, suggesting that the assets weren’t intended to become public until the day of the event — typically when the final version of iOS would ship to the public. Last year’s late beta releases shipped with September 12 images, correctly forecasting the event date for iOS 12 and related operating systems, as well as the Apple Watch Series 4, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max.
While Apple’s specific timing varies from year to year, it often picks the second Tuesday in September for its annual iPhone and Apple Watch announcements, followed by a launch of at least certain iPhone models on a Friday, a week and a half later. A September 20 release date has been floated as likely ever since the president of Japan’s Softbank suggested that the new iPhones would release 10 days ahead of a new smartphone-related contract regulation in Japan, scheduled for October 1.
It’s currently unclear whether Apple will use the event to reveal new iPhones, iPads, and Macs or restrict it solely to new iPhones and Apple Watches. Last year, the company held a separate event in October focused on iPads and Macs, most notably debuting the redesigned iPad Pro alongside new Mac minis. The company typically only separates September and October events when it has a major new product or redesigned iPad/Mac model worthy of an individual spotlight.
