Farewell, iPhone release events. You will never be the same again, and I will miss you dearly
My mind keeps wandering to another piece of news that recently came out, something that transcends simple design changes. According to reports from German telecoms, Apple is shuffling its release schedule for the iPhone, and the iconic flagship release events will never be the same again. This is my farewell to an event I genuinely look forward to with excitement each year. An event that may very well be the last of its kind next month.
The iPhone 18 event won't be what we're used to. | Image credit — PhoneArena Just to catch you up to speed, Apple has apparently decided that it is going to stagger the releases of its flagship smartphones, starting next year with the iPhone 18. Apple users will not be able to buy the base model of the iPhone 18 series in 2026, and will instead have to wait till 2027.This is because, according to the new schedule, the iconic September event will now only serve as the launching point for the Air, Pro, Pro Max, and the foldable iPhone models. The base model — the Plus models are being discontinued — will now come out in the spring of the year following the release of the higher-end models.Why this is being done isn't clear yet. Theories range from somehow improving sales, to Apple trying to ease the load on the supply chain to ensure timely production each year. All good, so why am I bummed?
It was always a treat seeing the Pro models roll out. | Image credit — PhoneArena Each iPhone release event, Apple started off with the little things: software improvements, AirPods, the Apple Watch, etc. Then, we would get to the meat of the event, the iPhone. Shortly after seeing how the new iPhone was designed, we would get to see the crème de la crème: the Pro and Pro Max models. The best of what Apple had to offer that year.These events always built up to this moment, and it has always been a treat to witness. Slowly climbing the ladder of that year's surprises until reaching the top, and seeing the highest-end iPhone models in all their glory. I am, of course, being sentimental here. The iPhone has never really been the best phone released in a year, but its launch has always been a highly anticipated event nevertheless. Apple, for all its faults and shortcomings, always creates an undeniable spark of excitement as WWDC or the September events get closer.
The company may have its reasons for staggering the launch of its phones, and they're probably very good reasons, too. That doesn't mean that I'm not bummed, because these iconic events may never be the same again. Now, we will simply jump into the best of the best, and the base model iPhone will be forgotten.
Please don't stagger the launch of the Galaxy S26 phones, Samsung. | Image credit — PhoneArena Annoyingly, Apple has a habit of setting trends in the smartphone industry. Trends that are often a downgrade. For example, the company popularized the notch, the removal of the headphone jack, and the lack of accessories in the box of a brand-new phone. Sure, it may not have been the first company to do these things, but you bet that everyone followed suit when Apple did something.And, because of this annoying trend, I'm afraid that Samsung and Google may start doing this too. I do not want either of these companies to stagger the launch of their phones each year, keeping us hanging after an event until we're able to see everything coming out that generation.
We just had an excellent Pixel 10 launch, and I would very much like to see that continue, please. In fact, Apple should take a page out of Google's book, and perhaps inject a little more personality in its next event.
Unfortunately, if anyone's copying anyone here, I think we all know who's going to be doing what.
Good news everyone! Over the past year we've been working on an exciting passion project of ours and we're thrilled to announce it will be ready to release in just a few short months.
"Iconic Phones: Revolution at Your Fingertips" is a must-have coffee table book for every tech-head that will bring you on a journey to relive the greatest technological revolution of the 21st century. For more details, simply follow the link below!
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