Apple employees (in green) cheer as they welcome customers during the opening of Apple’s first … [+]
We know when Apple will launch the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, but when will Tim Cook and his team let the faithful hold the new phones in their hands? Thanks to the opening of a brand new Apple Store in Sweden, Apple has all but confirmed the retail release date of the new AI-infused smartphone.
The iPhone launch will occur during next week’s Glowtime event, alongside the long-awaited public release of Apple’s generative AI software suite. And that has caught the attention of the community.
When Apple confirmed the time and date for the Glowtime event, and by extension, the iPhone 16 family’s launch, nothing has yet been said about the date for the handsets to go on sale to the public. While pre-orders will likely begin as the Glowtime event comes to a close, there’s no indication when the iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro will be available to the public.
Tim Cook’s Apple is a company of habit, with the second week of September noted as the iPhone launch date for as long as the internet is willing to remember. That said, this year Cook brought the launch forward 24 hours from the traditional Tuesday to the more radical Monday—given the Presidential debate has been scheduled on the Tuesday for some time, Apple likely chose to win the news cycle on Monday rather than fight the reaction to the nominees.
Previously, Apple’s timetable has seen the iPhone reveal take place on a Tuesday, pre-orders opening the Friday of that week, and the handsets available for delivery or pick-up in-store the Friday after.
Perhaps Apple could bring back the pre-order and retail days to a Thursday, but it’s more likely that Friday will remain the day.
Which brings us back to the new Apple Store in Stockholm. It’s scheduled to open on Friday September 20th. With no other Apple Store in the Swedish capital, the new Apple Mall of Scandinavia will be the only in-store location for pick-up of the new iPhone. I can’t see Apple wanting to delay the Swedish public to walk out of a new Apple Store with a new iPhone 24 hours after the rest of the world has had the same opportunity.
Friday September 20th it is, then.