Apple’s 2019 event calendar
Jason Cross reports on what we know about Apple’s plans for 2019
Apple doesn’t often participate in big industrywide events such as CES or E3. The most valuable company in the world holds its own events, thank you very much. Several times a year, Apple invites the press and industry professionals out to a theatre to hear all about its latest products and services. Apple calls these ‘Special Events’, and streams them online to its millions of fans.
There’s also WWDC, Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference, a multi-day event in the middle of the year focused on sessions for developers, helping them make the most out of the latest Apple tools and products. It kicks off with a big keynote that serves to announce
new products (typically the latest versions of iOS and macOS, as well as a few hardware products).
Apple usually announces the exact dates of its special events only a couple weeks in advance, but it tends to hold events at similar times from one year to the next. Here’s a list of the events we expect Apple to hold in 2019, and what we expect it to announce there.
The next Apple Event: March 2019?
Last year, Apple held an education-themed event on 27 March at the Lane Tech College Prep School in Chicago, where it announced the new 9.7in iPad. There was no event in March of 2017, but Apple held one in March of 2016 and 2015, with a number of new products and software updates at each.
Reports suggest that a slew of new products are coming soon. AirPower, second-generation AirPods, a new iPad mini and 9.7in iPad, and a new iPod Touch (see page 42) are all due for release ‘soon’, if the rumour mill is to be believed.
Then there are the old rumours that just won’t die: That Apple is working on a new iPhone SE (see page 42) and high-end over-the-ear noise cancelling headphones.
Our guess is that it will hold an event this March, with a focus on entertainment. That means games, Apple Music, improvements to Apple TV software, and Apple’s own TV streaming service (which remains unannounced, though the Hollywood press has revealed dozens of shows in production).
Any of the aforementioned rumoured products could be revealed at this event. The iPads and iPod touch
are Apple’s affordable entry points into its ecosystem, perfect for an entertainment focused event.
WWDC: June 2019
Apple always holds its big annual developer conference over several days on the first or second week of June. The event lasts for several days of developer sessions, but all major new products, services, and software updates are announced during the opening keynote.
Apple normally takes the wraps off its new version of iOS and macOS at WWDC, giving everyone a sneak peek at what’s coming in the autumn and opening up beta testing for developers. It’s also typically the venue for
Apple to introduce new MacBook Pro laptops, and Mac desktop computers. If Apple is going to release the new Mac Pro this year, WWDC is the event where it makes the most sense to do it.
iPhone Special Event: September 2019
For the past six years or so, Apple has announced the new iPhones at an event in the first half of September. The new iPhones typically go up for preorder shortly after, and ship to stores and customers in late September or early October.
Since its introduction in 2014, Apple has always revealed the new Apple Watch at its September event, too. The first Apple Watch was available the following year (2015), but every other model went on sale in the September in which it was announced.
There are no reliable rumours that would lead us to believe that Apple would stray from this pattern in 2019. So expect new iPhones and a new Apple Watch at an event in the first two weeks of September.
Final event of the year: October 2019?
Apple often, but not always, holds one last event for the year in the second half of October.
It’s an opportunity for the company to reveal a few products that will ship before the holidays without crowding them into the September event or WWDC, both of which tend to be packed.
The products announced in October can be anything. In 2018, it was a new MacBook Air, a new Mac mini, and a new iPad Pro. In 2016, it was a MacBook Pro. In 2014, we got several new iPads and the 5K iMac.