Apple appears set to shake up its familiar September rollout schedule, according to industry reports circulating ahead of the company’s anticipated hardware event. The tech giant is expected to unveil its newest lineup on Wednesday, September 9, but the days that typically follow — when eager buyers rush to place pre-orders — may look different this time around.
Under Apple’s usual pattern, pre-orders open on the Friday immediately after a launch event. This year, however, that Friday falls on September 11, the 25th anniversary of the attacks that struck the United States in 2001. According to Macworld, a reliable source informed its sister publication, Macwelt, that Apple will sidestep that date, pushing pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro to Saturday, September 12, instead.
This wouldn’t be uncharted territory for the company. Apple has previously rescheduled a pre-order launch specifically to avoid landing on September 11, which lends credibility to reports that history could repeat itself this year.
Beyond simply shifting the day, Apple may also be rethinking the hour. The company has long opened its online ordering window at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time, forcing early risers on the West Coast to set alarms. The report now points to a midnight Pacific Time start instead, meaning customers could begin placing orders late Friday night rather than waking before dawn on Saturday.
The adjusted timeline reportedly won’t be limited to phones. Apple’s rumored wearables, the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, are expected to follow the same Saturday pre-order window as the iPhone 18 Pro. Notably absent from that schedule, though, is Apple’s long-rumored foldable iPhone, which sources suggest could arrive on its own separate timetable later in the month.
As with any pre-launch reporting drawn from leaks and unnamed sources, these dates deserve a healthy dose of skepticism. Apple’s release predictions have missed the mark before, occasionally by weeks, and unannounced products are especially prone to shifting timelines. Nothing will be certain until Apple takes the stage on September 9, when the company is expected to lay out the full picture: pricing, availability, shipping windows, and, of course, exactly when pre-orders will go live. Until then, would-be buyers are left waiting on confirmation rather than rumor.
