A brief history of the iPhone event: Every keynote invite and the secrets they revealed

Macworld

If you’re an Apple fan, the annual iPhone launch event is one of the best days of the year. It’s when we finally get to see what Apple has been working on for the previous 12 months and decide if it’s worth upgrading. From the day the invitation arrives until the keynote begins, Apple gets an enormous amount of scrutiny and over-analysis as fans eagerly investigate what clues Apple has (or, just as often, hasn’t) hidden inside its show posters.

In the run-up to Apple’s iPhone 17 launch event, we’ve taken a look back at every one of the company’s past iPhone shows, casting our beady eye over the slogans, invites, and products that defined the shows.




On January 1, 2007, this image appeared on the homepage of Apple.com.Apple

2007: Just the beginning (original iPhone)

The Macworld San Francisco Expo took place in January 2007, and it was here that the first-ever iPhone made its appearance. After introducing the iPhone as three devices in one (a “widescreen iPod with touch controls,” a “revolutionary mobile phone,” and a “breakthrough internet communicator”), Apple went on to launch the device that would upend the entire cell phone industry.

Launching what may be fairly described as the most important product in Apple’s history required a suitably momentous invite, and that’s just what we got. Depicting the sun dawning over a huge Apple logo, the invite was clear that this was the start of a new era. If that wasn’t explicit enough, the slogan truly rammed it home: “The first 30 years were just the beginning. Welcome to 2007.”




The 2008 WWDC invite features twin Golden Gate Bridges.
Apple

2008: A landmark event (iPhone 3G)

Apple switched the iPhone stage from Macworld to WWDC with the arrival of the iPhone 3G. Apple tagged it as “A landmark event. In more ways than one,” with a photo of not one but two Golden Gate Bridges adorning the invites.

This was perhaps a reference to the iPhone 3G, which brought with it much faster internet connectivity than its predecessor, and the introduction of the iPhone SDK at the show, which included the Core Location API. Or perhaps it was a signal that the iPhone was changing the way we see the world. Or maybe it was something else entirely–this is far from the only time people have scratched their heads and wondered what Apple’s invites were all about. But it was definitely a landmark event.




The 2009 WWDC invite emphasized the new App Store.Apple

2009: Make your mark here (iPhone 3GS)

At WWDC 2009, Apple announced the iPhone 3GS, the first in a long line of “S” devices. Its invite showed an iPhone with a four-by-four grid of squares spelling out various phrases (“Make your mark here,” “Don’t lose your spot,” “Make this your year”), with the implicit idea being that these squares represented apps.

Accordingly, Apple announced the iPhone 3GS by saying it could access over 50,000 apps in the company’s App Store. While that number might seem quaint today, it was a big deal back then, prompting Apple to design its event invite around the concept.




Apple

2010: Center of the app universe (iPhone 4)

The next year, Apple returned to the app theme with WWDC 2010’s tagline of “The center of the app universe.” By this point, over 225,000 apps were available on the iPhone, and more than five billion of them had been downloaded by users.

The iPhone 4 that launched at WWDC 2010 came with a new design, the first-ever Retina display, a 5MP camera, and more, cementing its reputation as the place to go for a top-tier smartphone experience.




The 2011 iPhone event was the first for Tim Cook.Apple

2011: Let’s talk iPhone (iPhone 4s)

By 2011, Apple had moved its iPhone event to September, settling into the routine that it has stuck to ever since. This time, Apple didn’t leave much to the imagination with its invite: This show was going to be all about the iPhone, without the peripheral distractions of a Macworld Expo or WWDC.

The iPhone 4s that arrived at this event brought Siri, and it may have been this new feature that the event’s “Let’s talk iPhone” slogan referred to. This was also the first iPhone introduced by Tim Cook, after Steve Jobs’s resignation from the Apple leadership earlier in the year. Jobs sadly passed away just one day after the iPhone 4s was unveiled.




Look closely at the shadow.
Apple

2012: It’s almost here (iPhone 5)

Before Apple announced the iPhone 4s in 2011, there was fevered speculation that the next iPhone would actually be called iPhone 5, leading to disappointment in some quarters that 2011’s device was only an “S” upgrade. Apple seemed to address those critics with its 2012 iPhone event invite, which teased “It’s almost here,” with a prominent number five shadow underneath the 12 that represented the event’s date.

The iPhone 5 came with a thinner and lighter design and a larger display, a faster chip, and a new Lightning port that replaced the old 30-pin connector.




Apple released the iPhone 5c in an array of colors.Apple

2013: Brighten everyone’s day (iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c)

These days, the iPhone 5c might seem like an odd flash in the pan, and it was the only time Apple released a whole range of iPhones in bright, playful colors–we’ve had gaudy iPhones in the years since, but none quite like these. Such a radical departure from the iPhone’s past black and silver tones required an invite that was as bold as the device, and that’s just what we got. The invitation featured colorful bubbles and the tagline “This should brighten everyone’s day.” That it did.

Aside from the iPhone 5c, we also got the iPhone 5s, which packed in its first 64-bit chip, an 8MP camera, and the first instance of Touch ID in an iPhone.




By “more,” Apple meant the iPhone 6 Plus.Apple

2014: Wish we could say more (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus)

Apple likes to remain tight-lipped about its future products, and 2014’s iPhone event invite seemed to poke a little fun at its secrecy: “Wish we could say more,” it lamented. Except, with a bit of hindsight, you can see that it did spill some saucy secrets.

That’s because that year was the first time we got a “Plus” iPhone, and it came in the form of the iPhone 6 Plus, which launched alongside the iPhone 6. With a bigger iPhone on offer, Apple really was giving us more after all.




Siri took the spotlight for the 2015 iPhone event.Apple

2015: Give us a hint (iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus)

The invite for the iPhone event in 2015 was pretty transparent: Siri would take center stage. And it did, with the announcement that the A9 chip inside the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus allowed more features to run at lower power, including “Hey Siri” requests. As a result, you no longer needed to have your iPhone plugged in to use Siri.




Apple’s original campus is at One Infinite Loop in Cupertino, Calif.Apple

March 2016: Let us loop you in (iPhone SE)

The first iPhone SE was put on show in 2016, with Apple asking attendees at the show to “Let us loop you in.” This was a nod towards the event’s location, which was Apple’s Infinite Loop campus. Also on display at the event was the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, a new Apple Watch, and updates to Apple’s software offerings, including tvOS, CareKit, HealthKit, and ResearchKit.




The invite for the iPhone 7 event.Apple

September 2016: See you on the 7th (iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus)

Sometimes, Apple event invites are simple without much deeper meaning. That seems to have been the case with the 2016 iPhone show, which used the phrase “See you on the 7th.” Not only was the event held on September 7, but it also brought with it the iPhone 7 line-up. Seems straightforward, right?

If you want to look for something more, Apple promoted the significantly upgraded camera system in the iPhone 7 range. The out-of-focus lights that created the top of the Apple logo was a clear reference to the introduction of portrait mode on the iPhone 7 Plus, a feature that would quickly change the way we snapped photos on our phones.




The first media event at Apple Park.Apple

2017: Let’s meet at our place (iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus)

By 2017, Apple had finally completed its monumental Apple Park office space, a process that had begun some 11 years earlier. It was therefore understandably eager to host an iPhone event there, and it did so in 2017 by inviting people to “meet at our place.”

The first iPhone show in the Apple Park era was suitably significant, as it was where the iPhone X was revealed to the world. Apple’s all-new, all-screen iPhone has set the blueprint for almost every iPhone since, and starting this new age in a new location must have felt fitting to Tim Cook and friends.




Apple Park was the focus of the 2018 invite. Apple

2018: Gather round (iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, iPhone XR)

In case you were living under a rock in 2018 and didn’t realize Apple had moved to a new campus, the company drove the point home with its 2018 iPhone XS event invite, which bade people to “gather round.” The invite was decorated with an aerial representation of Apple Park. Pretty subtle, if you ask us.




The Pro and Pro Max iPhones debuted at this event.Apple

2019: By innovation only (iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max)

It’s an ongoing meme that Apple doesn’t innovate anymore, but Apple was keen to prove its doubters wrong at its 2019 iPhone event. Titled “By innovation only,” it saw the iPhone line divided into regular models and high-end Pro offerings for the first time, which is where Apple concentrated most of its inventive energies. You can almost hear Apple’s crack marketing team declaring, “If this doesn’t convince them that we can innovate, nothing will.”




Apple

2020: Hi, Speed (iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max)

By 2020, Apple’s iPhone chips had long had the beating of their Android rivals, but things were much closer in the mobile connectivity sphere. At that year’s iPhone event, Apple brought out its trump card: 5G. This blazing-fast network upgrade was hinted at in the event invite, which used the slogan “Hi, Speed.” High speed, indeed.




This was the first pre-recorded event and set the model for current events.Apple

2021: California streaming (iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max)

Apple’s 2020 iPhone show was online-only due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and by 2021, it was clear that this format would not be a one-off. Apple embraced that change with its 2021 event invite, dubbed “California streaming.”

Other than the obvious allusion to streaming the event, the tagline might also have been a hint at the improved video capabilities across the roster, including the addition of Cinematic mode, Dolby Vision, ProRes, and better low-light performance. With heightened video powers, there was a greater incentive to stream your footage to friends and family.




This was the event where the final iPhone SE was released.Apple

March 2022: Peek performance (iPhone SE 3)

The final iPhone SE was announced at Apple’s “Peek performance” event in March 2022, and it was a robust upgrade to the affordable phone. But if we’re being honest, we doubt the show’s name referred to that device. That’s because Apple also treated us to the first Mac Studio and Studio Display at the event, as well as an iPad Air with an M1 chip. As for why Apple spelled “Peek” the way it did? We’ll let you decide.




Dynamic Island made its debut, but we think the invite is referring to Emergency SOS via Satellite.Apple

September 2022: Far out (iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max)

The iPhone 14 range boasted a plethora of new features, including the Dynamic Island, 48MP photos, the return of “Plus” models, and more, but it was Emergency SOS via Satellite that likely gave the event its “Far out” name–the satellites that enable it aren’t exactly in your backyard, as it were. The invitation similarly imagined the Apple logo as a constellation of stars, further strengthening the imagery.




“Wonderlust” seems to refer to Apple’s new iPhone design.Apple

2023: Wonderlust (iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max)

Apple was evidently pleased with its new titanium chassis that debuted with the iPhone 15 Pro range, as it designed 2023’s iPhone event invitation around the new use of titanium. The curved, speckled surface that found its way into the iPhone 15 Pro’s wallpaper was fully on show in the invite, giving us a preview of what was to come. It was, Apple clearly felt, something worthy of both wonder and lust–“Wonderlust,” if you will.




The 2024 event was more about the arrival of Apple Intelligence than it was the iPhone 16. Apple

2024: It’s Glowtime (iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max)

The pressure is on for tech companies to include artificial intelligence (AI) in their products in some way–any way–to feel relevant these days. Apple is no different, and its Apple Intelligence system took center stage in the invite for its 2024 iPhone event. Proclaiming that “It’s Glowtime,” the invitation featured the familiar pastel tones of AI assistants across the land, with “Glowtime” referring to the glow that surrounds your iPhone’s screen when you invoke the Apple Intelligence-infused version of Siri.




Could the tagline be a reference to a new iPhone Air?Apple

2025: Awe dropping (iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max)

This year’s iPhone show is rumored to play host to the first-ever Air version of Apple’s phone, which is expected to be the thinnest and lightest iPhone in the product’s history. That, Apple seems to be promising us, will be a jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring moment–hence the event name.

There could be further clues in the event invite, which features the light blue shade rumored for the iPhone 17 Air. There’s also a dash of orange, which leakers have claimed will be an option for the iPhone 17 Pro.

Get the lowdown on upcoming Apple events and what you need to know about the upcoming September 9 “Awe dropping” event.