This weekend, the UK celebrated (if that’s the correct word) the start of British Summer Time, while US Summer Time started a fortnight before that. In both countries this means, in theory at least, that the long dark nights of winter are behind us and spring is here. And for tech enthusiasts interested in a particular ecosystem, this time of year means one thing: an Apple event.
This year, however, we may have to do without it and accept that the Cupertino winter will continue until the start of the Cupertino summer on June 5, when WWDC kicks off. All the evidence strongly suggests that Apple has decided not to bother with a spring event in 2023.
To get started, let’s look at the dates of the last 10 Apple Spring Events, ordered by later in the year:
- March 2 (2011)
- March 6 (2008)
- March 7 (2012)
- March 8 (2022)
- March 9 (2015)
- March 21 (2016)
- March 25 (2019)
- March 27 (2018)
- April 8 (2010)
- April 20 (2021)
As you can see, this week we’re skipping the final date in March, leaving only those unusual April meetings (one held a long time ago to show off iOS 4 before it became a staple from WWDC, and the other seemingly pushed back by the pandemic) as reasons to remain hopeful. If Apple had an event tomorrow, it would already be the third last on the list. (He obviously won’t, because he has to send out invites, and that usually happens about a week in advance.) Once you add invite time, we get closer to the 2010 date; beyond that is just the very unusual outlier of 2021. Each passing day makes an Apple spring event less likely, obviously enough, but the odds are already low.
WWDC 2023 will be held the week of June 5, but will we have an Apple event before then?
Apple
And it’s not just the calendar that advises pessimism. You see, Apple To made an announcement this spring, when the yellow iPhone 14 launched on March 7. It wasn’t an event, just a low-key press release, but it was exactly the kind of reveal that normally accompanies the spring bonanza. (The iPhone 13 Pro Alpine Green was unveiled at the Peek Performance event in March 2022, and the purple iPhone 12 at Spring Loaded in April 2021.) As I’ve discussed elsewhere, if Apple were to hold an event , it stands to reason why he wouldn’t have announced the yellow iPhone 14 that way, at that time.
But the other thing to note about this list is the shortcomings. Apple spring events happen most years, but it’s no shock when they don’t: As recently as 2020, the company went through the entire month of March and April without inviting anyone at a virtual or in-person gathering. This is not a positive sign, implying a lack of revolutionary products ready to be launched, but it is not a disaster either. The company obviously doesn’t feel comfortable showing off the AR headset just yet, but it’s better than forcing it. (Members of the helmet’s design team would have a feeling any launch this year will force it, but that’s a story for another day.)
So while the ever-diminishing likelihood of an Apple event in the spring of 2023 is disappointing, there are still reasons for tech fans to be cheerful. We can still, by all accounts, look forward to the reveal of the Reality Pro headphones at some point in 2023, and the newness of the category and the importance of this product to Apple’s post-iPhone future will make this unveiling is a must. event. Sure, it would have been nice if it happened before April Fool’s Day, but it should be worth the wait.
