iPhone 17 launch expected for week of September 8

AppleInsider

Apple's iPhone 17 launch event is expected to happen in the second week of September, continuing Apple's traditional event scheduling.

Apple CEO Tim Cook in front of the company logo - Image credit: Apple

Apple is well known to hold an event in early September to launch its newest range of iPhones. For 2025, it seems that there won't be a deviation from the usual timeline of events.

According to Mark Gurman in Sunday's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg, he reasons that Apple usually waits until the week after Labor Day to bring out new iPhones. Based on that, it's anticipated that the event will take place in the week of September 8.

As for which day, Gurman adds that Apple favors Tuesdays, with some exceptions in recent years. A Monday event on September 8 could happen, but a September 9 or 10 event is more likely.

As Apple doesn't hold events on Fridays, that rules out September 12, while it has also similarly avoided September 11 launches as a matter of respect.

True to form

Gurman has a pretty decent track record when it comes to rumors and speculation about Apple and its products. However, this is more a case of an educated guess and observing previous form, rather than needing details from an insider.

The last ten September Apple Events featuring iPhone launches occurred on:

• 2024: September 9 (Monday)


• 2023: September 12 (Tuesday)


• 2022: September 7 (Wednesday)


• 2021: September 14 (Tuesday)


• 2020: October 13 (Tuesday)


• 2019: September 10 (Tuesday)


• 2018: September 12 (Wednesday)


• 2017: September 12 (Tuesday)


• 2016: September 7 (Wednesday)


• 2015: September 9 (Wednesday)

Of the last ten years of Apple fall events for the iPhone, the vast majority take place in the second week of September. There are some exceptions, such as the two September 7 and the September 14 events, as you would have to be a little flexible as to what constitutes a week in a month.

The big exception is October 2020, with the month-later iPhone event delayed by production issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Even so, Apple still managed to schedule it in the second week of the month, and on a Tuesday.

The belief of a Tuesday event is also fairly strong, with five of the last ten iPhone fall events occurring on that day of the week. Aside from 2024's Monday event, the rest are Wednesday launches, which seems like a good secondary candidate.

While there is no official explanation for why Apple tends to hold its events on a Tuesday or Wednesday, it is probably to allow attendees visiting the event to travel in advance, so they can try out the new devices.

The iPhone 17 range is not the only hardware Apple could launch during the event. It often uses the presentation to introduce complementary hardware, with the Apple Watch Series 11, AirPods updates, and other products likely to make an appearance.

An October event tends to follow for Mac launches, but current speculation is for the main MacBook Pro changes to arrive in early 2026 instead.

Rumor Score: Likely

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charlesn

Mark Gurman is now reporting on the usabilty/legibility issues that have forced Apple to really scale back the Liquid Glass appearance in iOS 26 beta 3. I haven't been using the betas, so I don't have a personal opinion, but with reports that the interface now looks like a frosted or diluted glass look, this is starting to sound like a half-assed UI appearance that isn't going to make anyone happy. smh. How are we 8 weeks from launch and JUST realizing that the splashy new look headlined at WWDC a month ago has serious usability/legibility issues? Isn't that the kind of UI 101 problem that should have been recognized long ago in alpha testing? 

edited July 13

chasm

Admittedly I only get my news from sites like this and YouTube testers, so I haven't had any hands-on time with iOS et al 26 ... but I didn't see any issue with the initial video from Apple showcasing the look, and it is my understanding from developer friends that there has always been a slider there to control the transparency, since some people have vision issues that would make the pure-transparent look hard for them to deal with.

In the video from Apple, they showed off a "pure transparent" icon look I thought was kinda cool, but they also showed in that same video both light and dark icons with little or no transparency, so clearly those options have been there all along. I remember when dark mode was introduced and all the hullabaloo about that!

This is much ado about nothing, I'd hazard to guess, and just fodder for the "I'm afraid of anything actually new" crowd, which are a vocal but not sizeable segment of iPhone buyers.

edited July 13

bobolicious

Dear Santa (TimApple™),
All I want for Christmas is a sharp edge to edge UWA lens...
If it needs to be less 13mm wide that is fine for me...
15mm? 18mm? A persistent crop setting?
Thanks...!

nubus

charlesn said:

Mark Gurman is now reporting on the usabilty/legibility issues that have forced Apple to really scale back the Liquid Glass appearance in iOS 26 beta 3. I haven't been using the betas, so I don't have a personal opinion, but with reports that the interface now looks like a frosted or diluted glass look, this is starting to sound like a half-assed UI appearance that isn't going to make anyone happy.

App UX'ers at work were not happy with beta 2. I'm too lazy/old to try every beta, but they showed me the bottom toolbar on iOS. It was ineligible, probably wouldn't pass accessibility requirements (EU), and the UX was attention craving on scroll. With beta 3 the glass is gone for this very visible UX element. It does indeed look flat.

Taking the concept from AVP (a platform with less scroll) to iOS might need generations of adjustments.

edited July 14

danox

I haven’t tried the beta, but what is the problem if Apple has included multiple ways to adjust the look and feel to your personal liking what is the problem? 

cheesefreeze

charlesn said:

Mark Gurman is now reporting on the usabilty/legibility issues that have forced Apple to really scale back the Liquid Glass appearance in iOS 26 beta 3. I haven't been using the betas, so I don't have a personal opinion, but with reports that the interface now looks like a frosted or diluted glass look, this is starting to sound like a half-assed UI appearance that isn't going to make anyone happy. smh. How are we 8 weeks from launch and JUST realizing that the splashy new look headlined at WWDC a month ago has serious usability/legibility issues? Isn't that the kind of UI 101 problem that should have been recognized long ago in alpha testing? 

Agreed.

What’s key is that this wasn’t a full redesign like VisionOS or the Apple Watch UI. Those platforms had the advantage of starting from scratch, and it shows. They feel fresh and deliberate. By contrast, iOS and macOS are burdened with decades of legacy and constraints, and the Liquid Glass changes come across more like a superficial reskin than a thoughtful evolution.

My theory is that this wasn’t just rushed. I think it was introduced relatively late as a way to change the narrative. The Apple Intelligence rollout didn’t land as strongly as they hoped. The name felt overbranded, most features are offloaded to OpenAI or require M-series chips, and overall it felt more like Apple catching up than breaking new ground. They had nothing to show for at this year’s WWDC and I think they cobbled together this idea of liquid glass 4-5 months prior using existing R&D and a marketing plan. The result? Zero mentioning of Apple Intelligence, all “Liquid Glass”.

Launching a bold new visual style was something shiny for media and influencers to focus on while drawing attention away from a relatively thin AI story.

But because Liquid Glass was so poorly executed - with low contrast, inconsistent application, and usability regressions - it now feels like a double failure. It’s not a meaningful redesign, and it’s already being rolled back. 

What we’re left with is a messy mix of changes that seem driven by marketing, not by user experience.

blackwhitepanda

danox said:

I haven’t tried the beta, but what is the problem if Apple has included multiple ways to adjust the look and feel to your personal liking what is the problem? 

Because it has nothing to do with liquid glass at the end.

williamlondon

Blackwhitepanda said:

danox said:

I haven’t tried the beta, but what is the problem if Apple has included multiple ways to adjust the look and feel to your personal liking what is the problem? 

Because it has nothing to do with liquid glass at the end.

This makes no sense whatsoever.