Good news: There will be a yellow iPhone 14. Bad news: This probably means that Apple has given up on the idea of an event in the spring of 2023.
We’ve suspected it for a long time, actually. Apple originally planned to focus on its long-awaited AR headset at this year’s spring event, but the latest round of rumored delays means that won’t happen. (I say “latest,” but that’s not true: even the more reported delays mean the headset may not appear until the fall.) Without the headliner, there’s always a strong possibility that the full that Apple will capture the event.
The launch of a new iPhone color, however, raises the theory of no event from “strong possibility” to “near certainty.” The last two spring events saw similar announcements: the Alpine Green iPhone 13 Pro was unveiled at the Peek Performance event in March 2022, while the purple iPhone 12 made its debut at the Spring Loaded event in April 2021. If Apple still plans to hold an event in spring 2023, it will happen sure wait until it has the attention of the world to reveal the yellow iPhone 14. The only possible reason to launch it now is to fool the pundits into thinking that there is no event … that is not a impossible The theory given by Apple that wants to harm the leakers but can not.
After all, spring events don’t happen every year. Sure, there was one last year and the year before, but not in 2020 (although the onset of the Covid pandemic may have upset Apple’s plans for an event introducing the iPhone SE, 4th-gen iPad Pro, and Magic Keyboard). There will be spring events in 2018 and 2019, but not in 2017. We’re used to routines, but that doesn’t mean they’re set in stone. And aside from the logistical hassle, create an event when you don’t have anything earth-shattering to discuss the risks of reducing your audience’s interest the next time you send out invitations.
Remember, there is a wild card that could be the reason for this whole theory. It is believed that Apple has something interesting up its sleeve which may come as early as April. The “surprise” of the spring, if you can use that term for a product that has been leaked as much as this one, was the arrival of the 15-inch MacBook Air and the early arrival of the M3 chip, which is expected in late 2023 or earlier. 2024 but it is possible to see in April.
Just as the announcement of the yellow iPhone means there probably won’t be a spring event, maybe the lack of a spring event means the MacBook Air isn’t coming yet. Or it’s a bigger model and not as exciting as we hoped. Or Apple is just messing with us.
But assuming our calculations are correct, you’ll probably want to start watching WWDC for your next keynote fix. See you in June, everyone.