The big news in Apple Land today was the company’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference, but one little barely-noticed report slipped through the cracks on Monday, and it could turn out to be just as big as anything Apple announced at the Moscone Center. It turns out that a wireless carrier may have accidentally spilled the beans on just when we can expect to see the next generation of Apple’s bestselling iPhone, the iPhone 6s.
The news comes by way of Mobile News [ h/t : BGR ] , which says it got its hands on an internal Vodafone email regarding the iPhone 6s. Inside that email, Mobile News says, was information on the pre-launch, pre-order, and launch period for Apple’s iPhone 6s.
Notably, the alleged internal email does not exactly call the next iPhone the “iPhone 6s.” Instead, the email describes Apple’s next flagship as the “New iPhone,” meaning that Apple could again be trying to step away from the numbering system that has typified its iOS devices. The last time Apple did so was with the New iPad, though Apple moved away from that naming convention the next year.
Be it the New iPhone, the iPhone 6s, or the iPhone 7, Apple is reportedly planning to open up pre-orders for the next iPhone on September 18, with the official iPhone launch coming on September 25.
Those dates are pretty much in keeping with what Apple has done with previous iPhone models. For years now, Apple has launched iPhones in September, with an update to the iPad coming a month or so later.
The supposed Vodafone leak isn’t too far outside the realm of possibility. With September – and the traditional iPhone launch window – just months away, it makes sense that Apple would have already begun sending out information to its carrier partners on when they should expect the iPhone 6s. In fact, a similar leak occurred around this time last year with the iPhone 6. In late May of last year, German carrier Deutsche Telekom began telling customers that they could expect the iPhone 6 in mid- to late-September. That prediction did indeed pan out, so maybe Apple fans should start getting in line right now to secure their spots for the iPhone 6s on September 25.
Just what can Apple fans expect from the New iPhone/iPhone 6s/iPhone 7? Apple is, of course, keeping mum on the next iPhone’s features, but well-connected observers believe Apple will pack more RAM into the next generation of iPhone, making for a speedier device. Apple may also put the Force Touch technology seen in the Apple Watch and MacBook Pro to use in the iPhone 6s. That would give iPhone users a wider range of potential interactions with their device.
[Photo by Adam Berry / Getty Images]